[In Memory: Ibne Insha] Farz Karo Hum Ahle Wafa Hon

Sher Muhammad Khan i.e. Ibn-e-Insha  born on 15 June 1927  was a Pakistani Leftist Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and columnist. Along with his poetry, he was regarded one of the best humorists of Urdu. His poetry has a distinctive diction laced with language reminiscent of Amir Khusro in its use of words and construction that is usually heard in the more earthy dialects of the Hindi-Urdu complex of languages, and his forms and poetic style is an influence on generations of young poets.

Insha was born in Phillaur tehsil of Jalandhar District, Punjab, India. His father hailed from Rajasthan. In 1946, he received his B.A. degree from Punjab University and subsequently, his M.A. from University of Karachi in 1953. He was associated with various governmental services including Radio Pakistan, the Ministry of Culture and the National Book Centre of Pakistan. He also served the UN for some time and this enabled him to visit many places, all of which served to inspire the travelogues he would then pen. Some of the places he visited include Japan, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India,Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, France, UK and United States. His teachers included Habibullah Ghazenfar Amrohvi, Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Dr. Abdul Qayyum. Ibn-e-Insha spent the remainder of his life in Karachi before he died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1978, on 11 January, whilst in London. He was later buried in Karachi.

Insha is considered to be one of the best poets and writers of his generation. His most famous ghazal Insha Ji Utthoo, Ab Kooch Karo (Get up Insha Ji, Let’s leave from here) is an influential classic ghazal. Ibn-e-Insha had written several travelogues, showcasing his sense of humor and his work has been appreciated by both Urdu writers and critics. He also translated a collection of Chinese poems into Urdu in 1960.