Parveen Shakir, also known as, Poetess of Fragrance, was a civil servant, teacher, and a poetess of her time.
Parveen Shakir, started writing at a very early age. Before becoming a well-known poetess, she wrote both prose and poetry. Her contributory Columns in Urdu dailies and English newspapers appeared regularly. In her academic career, she held two separate Masters degree in English Literature and Linguistics; in 1972 from University of Karachi she also additionally held few degrees and graduate degrees in Bank Administration.
Parveen Shakir as a teacher….
Parveen Shakir, served as a teacher for nine years, and taught English Writing in Govt. Abdullah College before joining the Civil Services. She appeared in the Competitive examination in 1982 and secured Second Position in Pakistan. From there then she started her career in bureaucracy from Customs department. In 1986, she was appointed as the he second secretary, Federal Bureau of Revenue in Islamabad.
A poet of substance…..
By the age of 25, she had made her mark as a poet of substance through mushairas, radio and television appearances. She got incredible recognition with her first collection of poetry published “Khushbu” [Fragrance], in 1976. Some of her notable works include
“Sad-barg” [Marsh Marigold] in 1980,
“Khud Kalami” (Talking To Oneself)
“Inkaar” (Denial) in 1990
“Kaf-e-Aina” (The Mirror’s Edge)
“Gosha-e-Chashm” (Corner of the Eye).
Free rhyme and customary ghazals were the two types, that immensely reflected in her poetries. The usual subjects of her poetry ranged from affection, attractiveness, romance, love, feminism, idea of adoration and social humiliation. She from time to time, expressed the pain being hurt in her verses.
Parveen Shakir’s death.
Shakir, while on her visit to India, was informed by an Astrologer Javed, that she will die young. He also told her that she will not be able to complete her fifth book of poetry collection. Unfortunately, both the predictions turned out to be true, and writer died young at age 42, on December 22,1994 in a car accident while she was driving her way to office.
Parveen Shakir’s verse was generally welcomed, and after her awkward demise, she is presently viewed as one of the best and most noticeable advanced artists of the Urdu language has ever produced.
Addressed as an “extraordinary poetess,” her verse has attracted correlations with that of Iranian poet, Forough Farrokhzad, and she is considered among the type of poets “observed as innovators in fighting the traditional customs by communicating the “female experience” in Urdu verse.”