Gulzar Dehlvi Passed Away after Recovering From COVID-19

On Friday afternoon, Urdu poet Gulzar Dehlvi died. He died after recovering from corona virus disease. He tested positive for a corona virus test on June 1, 2020. After this, he was admitted to a private hospital. He was treated there and five days before his death, he was discharged from the hospital on the ground of being recovered.

Urdu poet, Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi, was born on 7 July 1926. Besides being a poet he was also a scholar and a journalist. He was about to hit the age of 94. Old Delhi was his birthplace and he died at his Noida House. On his 91st birthday, he was honored by the vice-president for his Urdu poetry. His whole life was devoted to Urdu welfare and because of it, he was honored by various personalities. He also worked as a freedom fighter in the independence of the country.

What Just Happened?

On June 1st, 2020, Mr. Dehlvi tested positive for corona virus. Thereafter he was admitted to a private hospital. There, his treatment was carried out. His son commented on his death, that his corona virus test came negative on June 7 and we brought him home. Today he had lunch and at around 2:30 p. m. he passed away”. Anoop Zutshi told this to PTI. He further added that his father was quite old and the infection had left him too weak. Therefore the doctors are thinking that it was possibly a cardiac arrest.

A most respected poet

The reason for his being popular is his patriotic works. He fought for the freedom of the country. He was a premier inqilab poet. The first Urdu science magazine that got published by the government of India in 1975 was written by Mr. Dehlvi. He was editor of this magazine. On his death, Historian writer Rana Safvi shared some memories related to Mr. Dehlvi. She recalled her past memories with him and said the poet at most mushairas in Delhi. She said, “I cannot express how big a loss it is. We used to see him at every mushaira in Delhi. It’s a big loss to Delhi and the world of poetry”. To express her condolences, she also tweeted on twitter. She tweeted, “Sad to hear about Gulzar Dehlvi saheb’s demise. He was the quintessential Dilli wala. May he rest in peace.”

Saif Mahmood, who is a poet and a well-known lawyer in Delhi also shows his condolences. He said that Mr. Dehlvi was the presiding board of Delhi. He used to follow the footsteps of ironic poets like Mirza Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir. He further added with his peaceful demise, we encountered an end of an era. His death is a great loss for the world of poets. He was an inspiration for most of the Urdu poets. From a past memory of a meeting with Mr. Dehlvi, three years back, said that no one knew the nooks and crannies of Mir and Ghalib’s Delhi like him. Gulzar sahib claimed that his father, Allama Pandit Tribhuvan Nath Zutshi ‘Zaar Dehlvi’ was a disciple of the renowned poet Daagh Dehlvi.

Mr. Mahmood further said that the poet had recited an unpublished couplet that seems much relevant now after his death. The sher was like, “Mere baad aane walon, meri baat yaad rakhna/ mere naqsh-e-pa se behtar koi nashta Nahin hai ”. The meaning of this couplet is “Those who will come after me, remember my words/ there is no better way than to follow my footsteps”. He further added that Mr. Dehlvi was a true exemplar of not just the Urdu language but also of the Urdu culture. In fact, he was a living and breathing form of Urdu tehzeeb”. His words show his emotion and suffering of his death.

With the loss of Mr. Dehlvi’s life, the poetic world is hit hard. He was like a Jewel to the Urdu poetic world.