Bashir Badr
Bashir Badr (born 1935) is one of the most widely quoted ghazal poets of modern India. His couplets — short, urbane and easy to remember — are staples of mushairas and everyday conversation. He received the Padma Shri and a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999.
Urbane couplets for a changing city
Syed Mohammad Bashir, known as Bashir Badr, was born in 1935 in Ayodhya and spent much of his working life in Meerut as a professor of Urdu. His poetry appeared in collections including Ikai, Aas and Aamad.
He was awarded the Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999. His couplets are brief and conversational, which makes them ideal for quoting.
In recent years he has lived quietly, but his verses remain mushaira favourites and social media staples.
Recurring themes
- Urban etiquette
- Understated love
- Self-reliance
- Distance in modern relationships
- Evening and memory
Where to start
Read a handful of his ghazals together; the way he builds a conversational mood across couplets is more rewarding than a single line.
Worth knowing
His line about the 'new mood of the city' where hugs are replaced by polite distance is widely quoted as a commentary on modern life.
Classical Couplets by — Bashir Badr
Ujaale apni yaadon ke humaare saath rehne do,
Na jaane kis gali mein zindagi ki shaam ho jaaye.
Koi haath bhi na milaayega jo gale milogey tapaak se,
Ye naye mizaaj ka shehar hai zara faasle se milaa karo.
Hum bhi darya hain humein apna hunar maaloom hai,
Jis taraf bhi chal padenge raasta ho jaayega.
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