Saqi

Pandit Jawahar Nath Saqi was a noted Urdu and Persian poet born in 1864 in Delhi into a prominent Kashmiri Pandit family. He began composing couplets at the age of fifteen and studied his craft under the guidance of Zaki Dehlvi, a pupil of Mirza Ghalib. His poetry carries undertones of Vedanta and Sufism.

Saqi wrote in both Urdu and Persian and was well known for his mastery of classical poetic forms. He composed ghazals, rubaiyat, shers and other shorter lyrical expressions. His collections include Kulliyat-e-Saqi among others.

His poems often explore themes of illusion, longing, human sense-perception, and spiritual introspection. He used refined imagery, musicality of language, and elegance of diction. His influence was visible in literary circles in late 19th and early 20th century Delhi.

Jawahar Nath Saqi passed away in 1916 in the city of his birth. His poetry is still appreciated among Urdu lovers for its emotional depth and for bridging cultural, spiritual and linguistic traditions.