Kashmiri Lal Zakir (English: Kashmiri Lal Zakir, born: 7 April, 1919 – died: 31 August, 2016) was a famous Urdu poet, novelist and short story writer. Kashmiri Lal Zakir was also the director of Haryana Urdu Academy. His works became popular not only in India but also in Pakistan. Kashmiri Lal Zakir was the mastermind of the tradition of All India Urdu Mushairas in various areas of Haryana like Ambala, Karnal, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Patiala etc.
Kashmiri Lal Zakir was born on 7 April 1919 in Pakistan. He was a post graduate in English and education. He wrote more than 100 books in Urdu, English, Punjabi and English. His works were published in both Urdu and English languages. He contributed to Urdu and English literature for 8 decades. He started writing in the 1940s. He was the director of Haryana Urdu Academy for almost three decades. Zakir also served for a long time in the education department of Haryana and later in the education department of Chandigarh administration. He worked in the Punjab Education Department during British India. The National School of Drama staged more than 100 plays on his novel ‘Karmawali’. Later, Doordarshan also made a serial on it. His articles were first published in a magazine in Lahore.
Kashmiri Lal Zakir was awarded the Padma Shri award in the field of literature. Apart from Padma Shri, Zakir was awarded many awards like National Ghalib Award, Shiromani Sahityakaar Samman, NLM UNESCO, Sahir Ludhianvi and Fakhr-e-Haryana.
Kashmiri Lal Zakir died at the age of 97 on 31 August 2016 in a hospital in Chandigarh. His death is a big loss for Urdu and English literature. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed deep grief over Zakir’s death. Khattar said, “With the death of Padma Shri awardee Dr. K.L. Zakir, Urdu and English literature have lost a great personality.”
