Tributes pour in for poet Rahat Indori

This couplet was composed by Urdu poet and Bollywood lyricist Rahat Indori, who passed away on Tuesday, after testing positive for Covid-19 a day before. His demise came as a shock to a number of poetry and shayari clubs, who have now decided to host virtual mushairas to pay tributes to his expansive repertoire of work.

“Rahat Indori sa’ab was a stage poet like no one else. His style of recitation was unique, and he carried a raw enthusiasm with him throughout his performance that never seemed to wane,” says Indrajit Ghoshal, founder of a Delhi-based club, Poetry Darbaar.

He adds, “I am planning to do an online live event on the club’s social media handles to celebrate the life of this Urdu poet, who will be always with us.”

Youngsters, who have been studying Indori’s work, have planned to host a digital readathon and poetry recital in memory of the late lyricist. “Indori ji’s poetry has many a times made us see problems in a different light. To celebrate his work, some of my classmates and I will be participating in a digital poetry recital,” says Utkarsh Singh, a Hindi (Hons) student at Satyawati College, Delhi University.

Ankur Mishra, founder of poetry collective Kavishala, remembers Indori for the latter’s constant support to young writers: “Indori sir would go out of his way to read and promote works of new poets and writers, saying these youngsters would go on to add to the literary world.”

Mishra adds, “We had launched our Indore Chapter of Kavishala right before the lockdown, and were in talks to get Indori sir to attend the event. The collective has started a series of talks, titled ‘Kavishala Talks’ with popular authors, celebrities. We plan to celebrate Rahat Indori’s life through these conversations.”

Aspiring poets and shayars have also planned virtual meet-ups to discuss Indori’s work. “My friends and I had started a poetry club, and we used to discuss Indori ji’s poems. We have decided to host a digital meet, in which we will invite all students who would like to talk about how Indori ji’s poetry helped them cope with their lives. Some of us have also written poetry inspired by his life and body of work, and will be discussing these as well,” says Himanshi Pandey, a Hindi (Hons) student at Miranda House, Delhi University.