Rahat Indori

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rahat Indori

• Did Rahat Indori smoke:? Yes

• Did Rahat Indori drink alcohol:? Yes

• He was born to a cloth mill worker in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

• He was the 4th child of his parents.

• He recited his first poetry at the age of 19 in 1972.

• He was brilliant in both studies and sports. He was the captain of Hockey and Football teams in both school and college.

• After completing graduation in 1973, he spent 10 years in a confused state. He did nothing during that period and used to wander hither and thither. However, after being convinced by his friends, he pursued his post-graduation in Urdu Literature and passed out with Gold Medal.

• He was given an offer to teach at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. Since the prerequisite to teaching there was to have a Ph.D. degree, he pursued a Ph.D. in Urdu Literature and started teaching there as Professor of Urdu Literature. He taught there for 16 years. Later, more than hundreds of students did a Ph.D. under his guidance.

• Before coming to poetry, he used to be a painter and even started painting on a commercial scale. He used to paint Bollywood Film’s posters and banners. He designed the cover of books even during the fag end of his life.

• His lyrics were used in more than 11 Bollywood films including the Blockbuster Munna Bhai MBBS.

• He wrote poetry in a simple & lucid language.

• He was known to recite his couplets in a very expressive style.

• He was considered a celebrated poet in India and worldwide and had traveled globally to recite poetry.

• On 11 August 2020, Mr. Indori died of COVID-19-related complications at Indore’s Aurobindo Hospital. After his death, many of his couplets become relevant:
  

  ये हादसा तो किसी दिन गुजरने वाला था, मैं बच भी जाता तो इक रोज मरने वाला था।”

• After his death, he was heavily trolled on social media for one of his couplets that he had used against the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a derogatory manner. The lines of his couplet read,
  

  निकाह किया नहीं, तो फिर यह मर्द कैसा ? घुटनों से काम लिया ही नहीं, तो फिर दर्द कैसा?”