Adil Mansuri (Intro)

Adil Mansuri, a wellknown Indian artist, calligrapher and poet who wrote in Urdu and Gujarati.Adilji himself have once said,the name Adil is just a takhalush, his name,religious,job is only 'GHAZAL'.He was Born in 1936 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Gujarati was his native language and mother tongue. In 1947, after the partition of the Indian subcontinent, Mansuri’s family moved to Karachi, Pakistan.He began attending school in Karachi and learned a new language Urdu.In 1952, his father’s teacher, Syed Abdullah Ba’Faqih visited them in Karachi and stayed with them. It was at this time that he learned Arabic Calligraphy from him. He began writing poems, especially Urdu ghazals in Pakistan.

In 1955, having suffered a stroke and a heart attack, his father returned to India and struggled to resettle in his native land. After the family returned to India, Adil continued writing, poems and plays – this time in Gujarati. He published several collections of his Gujarati and Urdu poetry, that were well received and he won several prestigious awards. Around the same time, he worked with famous Indian artists and was inspired to experiment with art and oil paintings on canvas. This led to solo shows at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai and Sansakar Kendra in Ahmedabad, sponsored by Sarabhai’s Darpan Academy.He is the pioneer of modern gujarati ghazals.

In 1985, Mansuri shifted to New Jersey with his family. When he left for the US about two-and-a-half decades ago, he had a premonition that made him write his famous ghazal that starts with: “Nadi ni ret ma ramtu nagar male na male…”He wrote ghazals like Jyare pranay ni jag ma sharuaat thai hashe, Tyare pratham ghazal ni rajooaat thai hashe (When love first blossomed in the world, the first ever ghazal would be presented then).His dexterous handling of varying thoughts made him immensely popular among all generations in equal measure.In June, 2008, Mansuri visited Gujarat to receive the Vali Gujarati award from the state government.

Adil had promised his friends and fans that he would return to Ahmedabad in December and stay here for long. But, that was not to be. He passed away in New Jersey on November 6 at the age of 72.

The one last dream of Adil Mansuri, who passed away in New Jersey, will be buried with him. The legend of modern Urdu and Gujarati ghazal once wrote a couplet in Gujarati, his mother tongue: Marya pachheej aa sapnu phale Adil, Vatan ni maati ma dharbayela rahevanu (One has to die to realise the dream of being buried in his native land.)

In fact, Gujarati ghazal will always remain indebted to him for guiding its poets out of the traditional mould and giving them the courage to break free from the shackles of tradition.