Hailed as the voice of political resistance and a man whose works yielded a sense of poetic justice, Faiz Ahmed Faiz is known for his contribution to the Urdu literary scene. Born in Sialkot during the era of the subcontinental British colonial rule, his works aspired to evoke a sense of poltical consciousness and social justice in the masses.
As a supporter of the progressive movement, his poetry focused on the revolutionary spirit, struggle and passion with his iconic works including ‘Hum Dekhenge’ and ‘Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain Tere’ that talked about the need to mesh individual and collective struggle against the oppressive rule of the time.
Despite being touted as down to earth and having a mild temperament, his works landed him in prison multiple times as he was arrested for his critical views on the socio-political upheavals of the time.
However, he did not lose hope despite undergoing trial for his alleged involvement in the Rawalpindi conspiracy case and instead continued to use his poetry as a voice of resistance. This led to him winning the 1962 ‘Lenin peace prize’ at a global front as his calls for poetic justice transcended the national and local levels.
He served as an editor of progressive magazines like the ‘Pakistan times’ post-independence where he continued to inspire the masses with his poetic couplets that combined revolutionary romanticism with intellectualism.
Ultimately, his works continue to inspire those of all times and eras as it is a stark reminder of how the pen is mightier than the sword when the darkest of times calls.
