Rahi Masoom Raza

Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza, born in Ghazipur in eastern Uttar Pradesh (India) in a Muslim family, was a famous Urdu shayar. He also wrote in Hindustani and Hindi language. He was also an eminent lyricist of Bollywood.

He wrote the script for a popular TV serial, Mahabharat. The TV serial was based on the epic, the Mahabharata. The serial became one of the most popular TV serial of north India, and its peak Television Rating was around 86%.

Several works of Raza vividly depicts the agony and turmoil of the consequences of partition, and its effect on the Hindu-Muslim relationship in the Indian subcontinent, as also the social tension among different social groups of India. For instance, his novel named Katra Bi Arzoo (that is, The Lady Desire Street or The Lady Arzoo Street) is set in the city of Allahabad, Katra being a locality of the city. The novel depicts Hindu-Muslim rivalry. Another novel, named Topi Shukla also revolves around the similar sad theme of social tension between the two largest social groups of India, the Hindus and the Muslims. Some of his stories and literary works also depict the social tension among the social groups belonging to same religious faith but traditionally positioned at different social hierarchical levels. Neem Ka Ped (that is, A Neem Tree) vividly depicts the social tension between the landed aristocracy and their serfs.