Noon Meem Danish
Encyclopedia
Noor Mohammed Danish is a Pakistani poet of African and Baloch
descent. He is more commonly known as Noon Meem Danish or N. M. Danish.
, Sindh
, Pakistan
to a working-class family. He was raised in Lyari
, a largely Sheedi neighbourhood, which he describes as "Karachi's Harlem
". He did his early education at the Okhai Memon School in Kharadar, and began writing poetry in 1974. Noor Mohammed's African appearance often led people around him to assume he was a foreigner; he describes being asked frequently where he was from and why he spoke Urdu
so well.
in Urdu
from the University of Karachi
in 1984, Noor Mohammed began teaching at the Urdu College. He invited Indian poet Bashir Badr
to recite poetry at Karachi University one time; Badr was delayed, and the students began to become restless; he responded to their complaints about their pre-lunch hunger with the comment to the effect that he would not have arranged for such an eminent poet to come if he had known that "the students of the Urdu Department had their brains in the stomach and not the head."
" as his Takhallus (pen-name). Bachay, Titli, Phool, his first collection of poems, was published in 1997. He quickly garnered recognition for the anger he expressed through his works, in which he often made reference to his experiences as a member of the African diaspora
; his work attracted the attention of leading Urdu critic Shamsur Rahman Farooqi, who had them published in India
n literary journal Shabkhoon
. In 2000, he emigrated to the United States
; he had remarked to a friend that he would prefer to be "a third class citizen of a first class country than a first class citizen of a third class country," but put off going through the procedures for almost two years due to his ambivalence about leaving his home. He first took up residence in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens
, New York City
; he chose it because of its diversity, which helped him to feel less of a stranger as well as affording him the opportunity to study others' cultures. At first, he could only find job as a security guard, but he eventually joined the faculty of New York University
; he later moved to the University of Maryland
as a language consultant.
Danish cites Urdu poets such as Mustafa Zaidi
, Obaidullah Aleem
, Noon Meem Rashid
, and Sirajuddin Zafar as his major influences. He is also an admirer of Langston Hughes
and hopes to translate his works into Urdu. He is married and has two children.
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
descent. He is more commonly known as Noon Meem Danish or N. M. Danish.
Early life and education
Noor Mohammed was born in 1958 in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to a working-class family. He was raised in Lyari
Lyari
Lyari is one of the neighbourhoods of Lyari Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.There are several ethnic groups in Lyari including Muhajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras Ismailis, etc. Over 99% of the population is Muslim...
, a largely Sheedi neighbourhood, which he describes as "Karachi's Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
". He did his early education at the Okhai Memon School in Kharadar, and began writing poetry in 1974. Noor Mohammed's African appearance often led people around him to assume he was a foreigner; he describes being asked frequently where he was from and why he spoke Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
so well.
Career
After receiving his master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
from the University of Karachi
University of Karachi
The University of Karachi is a public university located in Karachi, Pakistan. It serves an on-campus student population of more than 24,000. According to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, it is ranked among the top three universities of the country...
in 1984, Noor Mohammed began teaching at the Urdu College. He invited Indian poet Bashir Badr
Bashir Badr
-Early life:Bashir Badr was born in Kanpur, India. His full name is Syed Mohammad Bashir.During his Masters progarm he was made to study one of his own book.-Career:Bashir Badr has over 18,000 couplets to his name and many Urdu ghazals....
to recite poetry at Karachi University one time; Badr was delayed, and the students began to become restless; he responded to their complaints about their pre-lunch hunger with the comment to the effect that he would not have arranged for such an eminent poet to come if he had known that "the students of the Urdu Department had their brains in the stomach and not the head."
Poetry
Noor Mohammed adopted "DanishDanish (name)
-Given name:* Danish Ali, Pakistani comedian* Danish Kaneria , Pakistani cricketer- only Hindu cricketer in Pak cricket team* Danish Karokhel, Afghan journalist* Danish Atlas Khan, Pakistani squash player* Danish Rahi, Pakistani singer...
" as his Takhallus (pen-name). Bachay, Titli, Phool, his first collection of poems, was published in 1997. He quickly garnered recognition for the anger he expressed through his works, in which he often made reference to his experiences as a member of the African diaspora
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
; his work attracted the attention of leading Urdu critic Shamsur Rahman Farooqi, who had them published in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n literary journal Shabkhoon
Shabkhoon
Shabkhoon was an Urdu literary magazine published by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi . It covered the modernist voice in Urdu literature from the sixties to 2005 when it ceased publication.-External links:*...
. In 2000, he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; he had remarked to a friend that he would prefer to be "a third class citizen of a first class country than a first class citizen of a third class country," but put off going through the procedures for almost two years due to his ambivalence about leaving his home. He first took up residence in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; he chose it because of its diversity, which helped him to feel less of a stranger as well as affording him the opportunity to study others' cultures. At first, he could only find job as a security guard, but he eventually joined the faculty of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
; he later moved to the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
as a language consultant.
Danish cites Urdu poets such as Mustafa Zaidi
Mustafa Zaidi
Mustafa Zaidi is remembered as one of the few great progressive Urdu poets of the twentieth century. His vast work and literary accomplishments remain popular and relevant today. He was born on 16 October 1930 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh , India to Syed Lakhte Hasnain and Binte Haider...
, Obaidullah Aleem
Obaidullah Aleem
Obaidullah Aleem was a modern poet of Urdu language. He is ranked among the best Ghazal writers of modern times.He was born in 1939 in Bhopal, India. His father lived in Sialkot and was from the Butt family. He received an MA in Urdu from the University of Karachi. He began work as a radio...
, Noon Meem Rashid
Noon Meem Rashid
Nazar Mohammed Rashed commonly known as Noon Meem Rashed or N.M. Rashed, was born as Raja Nazar Muhmmad Janjua...
, and Sirajuddin Zafar as his major influences. He is also an admirer of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and hopes to translate his works into Urdu. He is married and has two children.