Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi pen name Sahar was an Indian Urdu poet.[2][3] The Times of India called him a "noted Urdu poet".[4]
Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi Sahar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 March 1908 Montgomery, Punjab, British India |
| Died | 18 July 1992[1] |
| Occupation | Poet |
Sahar was born in Montgomery, Punjab, British India on 9 March 1909[1] now in Pakistan and after Partition of India-Pakistan his family shifted to Fazilka, India
His poetry is varied and includes traditional themes of love and yearning but also themes of unity, peace between India and Pakistan and humor. His poetry is considered to belong to the same transreligious and transnational tradition as that of other well-known poets from the Indian subcontinent such as Muhammad Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Ahmad Faraz.[5]
Sahar's first book of poetry was T̤ulūʻ-i saḥar (1962)[6] (translation "Advent of Daybreak"; the title is a play on words as pen name "Sahar", in Urdu means daybreak). In 1983, he published a collection of autobiographical poetry titled Yādon̲ kā jashn ("A Celebration of Memories").[7]
An international event to celebrate his poetry, called Jashan-e-Sahar ("A celebration for Sahar"), was held in the U.A.E. in 1992.[8]
An example of his use of humor to make a serious point is the following Ruba'i:
Waiz ki jawani bhi kiya shaiy hai khuda rakhay |
The preacher's youth is something to behold |
He produced three movies:
An award was created in his honor known as the Kanwar Mohinder Singh Bedi Award, presented by Haryana Urdu Akademi. It has included a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, a Shawl, memento and citation.[9][10]