Syed Ghlum Rasool Pompur, (popularly known by his pen name Rasool Pompur) departed last year  on this day.  His memories  are still fresh in the literary circles of the state. He    was a noted researcher, critic, poet, story writer, and a celebrated author who had dedicated his entire life to the promotion of Kashmiri  art culture and language.
 Born in a  reputed  Peerzada  dynasty  of  Hassenpura Bigbehara  in 1940, he was brought up like other village lads and was taught Qur’anic  and  Persian at home. He got his formal education as per the order of the day and later on did his PG in Persian from Kashmir University. He was first appointed as stock Assistant in Sheep and Husbandry Department.  But Pompuri sahib had no interest in his this more comfortable job, because Allah had created him for some other purpose. He from his childhood had got deep interest and passion in Kashmiri  language and literature. He was very much  inspired by the   Sufi  compositions of Lal Ded and Sheikh Ul Alam. The influence of these two legendary Sufi poets is very much found in the prose and poetry of Pompuri sahib.
Fortunately he later joined in Cultural  Academy  in 1967, which provided him a platform to demonstrate his literary pursuits.  During that period Academy had a small office  at Shad Ganj  with a talented team comprising Moti Lal Kemu, Moti Lal Saqui. Muhammad Ahsan  and Pompuri Sahib. They worked together and in the able guidance of  Muhammad Yousuf Taing  made this little  office  a prestigious institution which came to be known as Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art , Culture and Languages. Pompuri Sahib   also founded the Maraaz Adbi Sangan  which is a non political forum involved promotion of Kashmiri Language and Literature. 
Although he started his literary career as a Kashmiri poet and  composed several poetry collections. Ba gaw kithe (how can I sing?) was his first poetry collection which he  composed in the year 1962. Safad Sanger and khunda are the other two famous collections of his poetry. The later won him the Jammu and Kashmir academy’s best book award in 1990. While continuing to enrich the Kashmiri poetry, Pompuri sahib also shifted towards the Kashmiri prose and wrote his first research  book on Kashmiri literature titled Bawath te Alamath. This is  a wonderful critical  research done by any Kashmiri writer. It made him the author of international repute and   qualified him to win the international award. He was selected for the Soviet land Nehru Award. It was a great prestige for any Kashmiri writer to win this great title. Pompuri  Sahib  also translated the Rajender Singh  Bedi’s  famous naval ek chader meli se and retilted it in Kashmiri as Pranewaar. For this work he received the best translation award from Sahitya Akademi. His another prose work  Keh nete Keh   also won the Sahitya Akademis best book Award.
 Pompuri sahib did not remain confined to Kashmiri prose and poetry.  He  also  wrote  Urdu prose and composed several reputed works in  urdu literature. Rishiyet Ayaam, wherein he composed a collection of  Urdu essays won him the best Urdu book award. Pompuri sahib also wrote in English.  More or less he has written about thirty books, dozens of monograms and hundreds of articles and other research papers in all the three languages, however he had deep love and passion for Kashmiri  art , culture and language so he dedicated his most of literary career  in cultivating the Kashmeri Adab
Since Pompuri Sahib has left  and a year is over but his departure has shocked many of us. In him we have lost not only a great poet, but a wonderful human being. May his soul rest in peace.

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Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 IST