Old City’s Budding Poet has His First Anthology Published

Zafar Aafaq

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

Munawar Aly Hussaini, 19, is a young Kashmiri ambitious doctor who has already made his name in Urdu poetry.

He is the youngest to win Urdu Cultural Academy’s ‘Poet of The Year’ Award for 2014, so far, in Urdu poetry. His achievement made news from Srinagar to New Delhi.

“When my name came in to big newspapers, I started getting calls from publishers to publish my works,” Munawar said.

Munawar was preparing for entrance exams when he achieved this feat. “I didn’t know how to get my work published,” he said, “I had a he collection of poetry already with me.”

“To give my work a particular shape, I accepted the offer,” he said, “my debut book: Falah- A Road to Success has been published by Siefy Publications and will be in market soon.”

Munawar was inclined towards poetry since childhood and has been writing since his primary school days. Up till last year he had just peeped down only Urdu poetry, however, last year he was advised by his newly found mentor to try his hand at English. “My mentor advised me that Urdu is read in Pakistan and Kashmir only. Because English has a broader audience, so I started writing in English as well” says Munawar.

Most of Munawar’s works focus on issues faced by today’s youth. With Dr Alama Iqbal his inspiration, he says, “just like Alama attempted to awake the Muslims, I try to tell the youth that we should be aware of policies of Israel and West who are killing children of Palestine.”

Munawar believes that educational institutes in Kashmir only give degrees and “not education” that’s why “the youth don’t have a clear vision”.

“I don’t write fiction but I write what happens. I write the reality of West and Isreal. How they are crushing the minorities of the world and call themselves champions of humanity,” he says.

Munawar is also inspired by Iran’s writer and scholar Late Ayatollah Mortaza Muttahi. In February Munawar is joining Tehran University to pursue bachelors in Medicine. He has got a scholarship for pursuing this course. He has an excellent academic record with 93% in Matric and 84% in 12th.

“To become a doctor is my childhood passion because I want to help my society,” he says.