Aafaq-e-nawā: ek jāeza

Mehmood Hashmi (29.11.1939 – 22.09.2013) was an eminent Urdu litterateur and journalist. He was one of the protagonists of the movement of modernism in Urdu literature. He was a close associate of Shamsur Rahman Farooqui during the initial days of his epoch-making magazine Shab Khūñ. He also played a decisive role in the publication of the literary journals like Saughāt (edited by Mahmood Ayaz), Sha’ūr (edited by Balraj Menra) and Iste’ara (edited by Salahuddin Parwez). Famous Urdu critic Hasan Askari was among his close friends. Hashmi is among those pioneers of Urdu who laid the foundation of modern thought. He was also associated with the magazines like monthly Asia (Karachi) and Tahrīk (Delhi). Renowned for his scathing criticism, Hashmi served AIR, Delhi as its Station Director. He also served the United States Information Service (USIS), and it provided him with an opportunity to translate dozens of books of American literature. This article is an analytical study of Shafiq Fatima Shera’s potry collection “Aafaq-e-ā”.