Samina Raja; a Famous Urdu Poetess

Samina Raja

Samina Raja (Urdu: ثمینہ راجہ ) is a renowned Pakistani poetess, writer, editor, translator, educationist and broadcaster. She writes in Urdu. She lives in Islamabad, Pakistan and works in the National Language Authority as a Subject Specialist. 

Raja was born on 11 September 1961 in Rahim Yar Khan (Iqbalabad Muradpur), Pakistan. She has a Master's degree in Urdu Literature from Punjab University Lahore. 

She started writing poetry in 1973 and has published twelve books of poetry, two Kulliat and one selection of her romantic poetry so far. She has written some books in Urdu prose and has edited and translated some valuable works of prose from English to Urdu. 

Raja joined the National Book Foundation as a consultant and editor of monthly Kitab in 1998. In 1998 she also joined monthly Aassar as an editor.

Huweda by Samina Raja

As a media person, she has been conducting All Pakistan Mushairas since 1995 on Pakistan Television (PTV). She also has presented a long series of a famous literary program Urdu Adab Mein Aurat Ka Kirdar "The Role of Woman in Urdu Literature" on PTV. 

Raja currently works as a Subject Specialist in the National Language Authority, Islamabad and is planning to bring out a new literary magazine Khwabgar[the Dream Maker]'s Ahmad Faraz (a great Urdu poet) number. 

She started writing in 1973 and has published twelve collections of her poetry. Following are the titles of her published books with their meanings in chronological order. 

1. Huweda [1995]
2. Shehr e saba [1997] 
3. Aur Wisal [1998] 
4. Khwabnaey [1998] 
5. Bagh e Shab [1999] 
6. Bazdeed [2000] 
7. Haft Aasman [2001] 
8. Parikhana [2002] 
9. Adan Ke Rastey Par [2003] 
10. Dil e Laila [2004] 
11. Ishqabad [2006] 
12. Hijr Nama [2008]

A Ghazal by Samina Raja

She also has published two Kulliat and one selection of her poetry, 

1. Kita e Khwab [2004] 
2. Kitab e Jan [2005] 
3. Woh Sham Zara Si Gehri Thi [2005] 

She has written two books of prose which are: 

1. Sharq Shanasi [2005] Orientalism by Edward Said 
2. Bartanvi Hind Ka Mustaqbil [2007] Verdict on India by Beverley Nichols 

The femenine and human perspectives of love and longing, nostalgias of past and past lives, socio psychological problems of the new age, mythological and metaphysical subjects. Raja is the most prolific poetess of her time and has full command on both Ghazal and Nazm. 

 

Raja has also been the editor of four literary magazines: 

1. Mustaqbil [1991,1994] 
2. Kitab [1998,2005] 
3. Aasar [1998,2004] 
4. Khwabgar [2008] 

She is working as a Subject Specialist in NLA and has restarted her literary magazine Aassar. She is publishing a special issue of her new magazine Khwabgar, Ahmad Faraz number.