Preserve Cultures

Preserve Cultures

Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman

Zareef Munawar Zaman

Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman (b. May 16, 1989, Kharian, Punjab, Pakistan), Chitrali poet, educator, and literary figure noted for his contributions to Urdu and Khowar poetry.

He was born at CMH Kharian in the Punjab province of Pakistan,

Zareef Munawar Zaman, more commonly known simply as Zareef,

was actually given his affectionate nickname by Khhuda Nigah Yaad.

His earlier years were characterized by living the relaxed lifestyle that his father Muhammad Zaman Khan’s career in the military. When his father retired, Zareef, along with his family, shifted to their paternal village of Terich Vareemun, a hamlet in the Mulkhow Valley of Chitral. This was to be the nursery where Zareef would first into the life of letters and learning.

Zareef is the third child in a big, traditional family, with three brothers;

  1. Muhammad Jamal
  2. Asif Zaman, and
  3. Qamar Uz Zaman.

Zareef had five sisters however, two among them passed away;

  1. Sultana Badrul Jamal
  2. Tahira Badrul Jamal
  3. Samina Badrul Jamal.
  4. Rahima Bibi (late)
  5. Sidratul Muntaha (late)

Early Life and Schooling of Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman

His later works evince a great deal of childhood spent in the far-flung but culturally rich village of Terich. Most of which derive landscapes, language, and ethos from his homeland. Zareef started his educational journey in a government primary school in his village, where he did his elementary education. He went on through middle school at the same institution and matriculated from Government High School Zandrangram Terich. His academic journey then led him to Government Degree College Khandan Booni for his F.A and later to Qurtaba University of Science and Technology, Peshawar, from which he graduated in English Literature in 2014.

His professional life is mainly defined by being a person in the teaching and education field. Zareef is a teacher by vocation in the various institutions in Chitral, Peshawar, and even in the federal of Pakistan. He was committed to the post for which he is posted and even now, he is Vice Principal, Qurtaba School and College, B-17 Islamabad. For him, teaching goes hand in glove with his interest in literature. He inspires in his students a love for literature and critical thinking.

Publications of Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman

Besides his academic pursuit, Zareef is an accomplished poet and writer. Here, the relationship with his Chitrali background was a symbiosis with an overarching reach toward universal themes. His first publication was a compilation of Urdu poems, under the title of “Tehni” (Branch), and clearly showed his sensitivity for both linguistic expression and cultural identity. His second magnum opus is “Living is the Meaning of Life,” which is a collection of speeches that again attests to the multidimensional personality that he is as a writer and to the cause of the values so next to his heart.

Poetic Startup

He was introduced to poetry while he was just a school kid, and since that early age, he began to love literature like many writers in Chitral. A bibliophile right from his childhood, he jumped into the field of poetry while he was in the 9th grade and took to the public performance of his poems very shortly. His maiden poem in Khowar, the regional language of Chitral,

ہر ژغآ قہروچہ غیرت بتی شیر،

نہ احترام نہ کوز عزت بتی شیر,

It received immense accolades and applause from one and all, which motivated him to further chain.

Favorite Personalities of Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman

His influences are many, ranging across a very broad spectrum of intellectual and cultural interests. Besides religious scholars like Dr. Israr Ahmad and Muhammad Taqi Usmani, he also mentioned philanthropists like Abdul Sattar Edhi as people he particularly admired. Amongst his literary idols, spanning across languages and regions, are the Urdu poets Allama Iqbal and Sahir Ludhianvi, the Khowar poet Khalid Bin Wali, and the Western poets John Donne, William Wordsworth, and Walt Whitman. He also likes Barack Obama 44th US. president. Zareef names George Orwell as his favorite novelist due to the connection he feels with Orwell’s works, representing an already present socio-political unease in his own body of work. He also shares love for Salman Khan and Mahindra Sing Dhoni in the Neighboring country. His favorites are the likes of Baba Ameer Gul Ameer, Muzafar Uddin Begana, and Rahmat Ali; thus, his musical tastes denote a very deep love for traditional Chitrali music.

Such rich passion, besides being a literary and professional icon, Zareef has had in loving this country and his perpetual fascination with the natural world, ibex and horses in particular. He is also in love even with simple culinary pleasures, perhaps his favorite food is curry and fruit is apples. For the most part, this has defined the man, his love for home combined with his intellectual pursuits, especially in his poetry.

Zareef Munawar Uz Zaman is an intriguing amalgamation of old values and new sensitivity. His poetry speaks for itself as an enduring manifestation of the fact. Because on one hand, poetry sustains the richness of the past cultural heritage, while on the other, it expresses the cries of contemporary time and crisis. Zareef, as a poet, teacher, and litterateur, keeps on elevating and energizing his readers through his works.

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