# Akhtar Sheerani

Akhtar Sheerani (born Muhammad Dawood Khan; 4 May 1905 – 9 September 1948), also spelled Shirani or Sherani, was a romantic poet of Urdu literature.

## Early life and career

Akhtar Sheerani was born on 4 May 1905, as Muhammad Dawood Khan into a family belonging to the Pashtun Sherani tribe. The Sherani tribe migrated to India with Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and later settled in Tonk, Rajasthan. He was the son of Hafiz Mahmood Sheerani, a scholar and teacher who began teaching at Islamia College, Lahore, in 1921 before moving to Oriental College, Lahore, in 1928.
Dawood moved to Lahore at a young age and spent most of his life there. He completed his Munshi Fazil (منشی فاضل) in 1921 and Adeeb Fazil (ادیب فاضل) in 1922, earning degrees in Arabic and Persian from Oriental College, Lahore.
He did not continue his education and instead pursued poetry full-time. His ustad (mentor in poetry) was Maulana Tajwar Najibabadi, who had been published in literary magazines. Since his birth name was relatively common, he adopted Akhtar Sheerani as his pen name.
Sheerani's life had many personal tragedies. His young son, Javed Mahmood, passed away. His close friend, Mirza Shuja Khan, committed suicide, and his son-in-law, Naziruddin Shirani, tragically drowned. He was also rejected by Salma, a woman he loved.
He had a reputation for excessive drinking.

## Works

Akhtar contributed columns to the daily newspapers Hamdard and Zamindar, published by Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, respectively. He also published his magazines, which introduced many emerging writers including Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi and Qudratullah Shahab. Chandra Wati, the first afsana (short story) by Qudratullah Shahab, was published in Romaan, Sheerani’s magazine.
Due to his philosophical and inspiring poems, he became known as شاعرِ رومان (The Poet of Romance).
His best-known poetry collections include "Akhtaristan", "Nigarshat-e-Akhtar", "Lala-e-Toor", "Tayyur-e-Aawara", "Naghma-e-Haram", "Subh-e-Bahaar", and "Shahnaz". From 1923 to 1939, he served as the editor of several literary magazines, including "Intikhab", "Bahaaristan", "Khyaalistan", and "Romaan".
In total, he left behind nine collections of poetry. In addition to his fiction and translations, he also wrote essays on literary, critical, and historical subjects. His son, Professor Mehmood Sheerani, who teaches at Government College University, wrote a book on his life titled Kahan Se Laaun Unhain ("Where Can I Find Him?"). Yunus Hasni also authored a book on Sheerani's life.

## Style and influence on Urdu poetry

Much of Akhtar's poetry focuses on themes of youth. Additionally, he wrote love poetry that described both the physical beauty of women and the beauty in being a lover, a wife, a mother, and a sister.
Akhtar sees nature imbued with the beauty of women. He uses woman as a symbol representing beauty and love.
Sheerani had a reputation as a trendsetter in Urdu poetry.
His famous poems include:
* "Ae ishq kahin le chal"
* "O des se aane wale bata"
* "Ae ishq humein barbad na kar," a poem sung by Nayyara Noor
* "Main aarzoo-e-jaan likhoon ya jaan-e-aarzu"
* "Kuch to tanhai ki raaton ka sahara hota"
* "Barsaat"
* "Tumhein sitaron ne be ikhtiar dekha hai"
* "Woh kehtain hain ranjish ki baatain bhula dein," a ghazal sung by Malika Pukhraj
* "Woh kabhi mil jayen to kya kijiye," a ghazal sung by Ghulam Ali

## Death and legacy

Commenting on Sheerani’s physical and mental state, Agha Shorish Kashmiri—a literary, political, and social figure in Lahore at the time—wrote that it was better not to see him, as one would leave deeply saddened. He was admitted to Mayo Hospital, Lahore, on 3 September 1948, and passed away in Lahore on 9 September 1948, while visiting his friend, Hakeem Nayyar Wasty, in Masti Gatetwo, two days before the death of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Pakistan Postal Services issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in 2005 in its 'Poets of Pakistan' series.