Practice modes
Languages & Literature
Pakistan
World & History
The leading woman poet of modern Urdu; author of Khushbu
Woh to khushboo hai, hawaon mein bikhar jaayega / Masla phool ka hai, phool kidhar jaayega
"He is fragrance, he will scatter on the winds; the problem is the flower's, where will the flower go?"
Parveen Shakir was born in Karachi and earned master's degrees in English literature and linguistics, and later studied at Harvard. She taught English before joining the civil service through the CSS examination in 1982, serving in the Customs department.
Her first collection, Khushbu, made her famous almost overnight. She died in a car accident in Islamabad in 1994, aged just 42.
Love, longing and heartbreak from a woman's point of view, a voice that was new in Urdu poetry, along with womanhood and social issues.
She is remembered as one of the most important women poets in Urdu. She received the Pride of Performance in 1990, and her poetry remains hugely popular.