Artists & Writers
Painters, poets, and storytellers of the human soul.
records written
Modern era
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi
November 20, 1916 – July 10, 2006
Pakistani writer (1916–2006)
Modern era
Munir Niazi
April 9, 1923 – December 26, 2006
Punjabi poet (1923–2006)
Modern era
Jaun Elia
December 14, 1931 – November 8, 2002
Pakistani poet and writer (1931-2002)
Contemporary era
Mohsin Naqvi
May 5, 1947 – January 15, 1996
Pakistani poet (1947-1996)
Contemporary era
Fahmida Riaz
July 28, 1946 – November 21, 2018
Pakistani Urdu writer, poet, feminist (1946-2018)
Modern era
Kishwar Naheed
b. 1940
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Ada Jafarey
August 22, 1924 – March 12, 2015
Urdu poet (1924-2015)
Modern era
Ustad Daman
January 1, 1910 – December 3, 1984
Punjabi poet
Modern era
Anwar Masood
b. November 8, 1935
Punjabi poet
Contemporary era
Shakir Shuja Abadi
b. February 25, 1953
Pakistani Saraiki poet
Early Modern era
Khushal Khan Khattak
1613 – February 19, 1689
Afghan poet
Modern era
Ghani Khan
1914 – 1996
Pashtun Poet (1914–1996)
Modern era
Amrita Pritam
August 31, 1919 – October 31, 2005
Indian novelist, poet, and essayist (in Hindi and Punjabi languages) (1919–2005)
Modern era
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
July 23, 1936 – May 6, 1973
Punjabi poet (1936–1973)
Modern era
Jigar Moradabadi
April 6, 1890 – September 9, 1960
Indian writer (1890-1960)
Modern era
Firaq Gorakhpuri
August 28, 1896 – March 3, 1982
Urdu author (1896-1982)
Modern era
Majrooh Sultanpuri
October 1, 1919 – May 24, 2000
Indian Urdu poet and Hindi language lyricist (1919-2000)
Modern era
Sahir Ludhianvi
March 8, 1921 – October 25, 1980
Indian Urdu and Hindi poet (1921–1980)
Modern era
Kaifi Azmi
January 14, 1919 – May 10, 2002
Indian poet and songwriter (1919–2002)
Contemporary era
Javed Akhtar
b. January 17, 1945
Indian writer, poet and lyricist
Modern era
Gulzar
b. August 19, 1933
Indian poet, lyricist and author (1933- Present)
Contemporary era
Rahat Indori
January 1, 1950 – August 11, 2020
Indian Bollywood lyricist and Urdu poet (1950–2020)
Modern era
Harivansh Rai Bachchan
November 27, 1907 – January 18, 2003
Indian Hindi poet, Father of Amitabh Bachchan (1907-2003)
Modern era
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
September 23, 1908 – April 24, 1974
Indian Hindi poet, essayist (1908-1974)
Modern era
Mahadevi Varma
March 26, 1907 – September 11, 1987
Indian Hindi writer and poet (1907-1987)
Modern era
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
August 16, 1904 – February 15, 1948
Indian Hindi poet, short-story writer and freedom fighter (1904–1948); wrote 'Jhansi Ki Rani'
Modern era
Subramania Bharati
December 11, 1882 – September 12, 1921
Tamil poet, social reformer, fighter for Indian freedom & women's rights
Thiruvalluvar
Tamil poet and philosopher
Avvaiyar
Honorific title used by multiple Tamil women poets from different periods of Tamil literature
Modern era
Kuvempu
December 29, 1904 – November 11, 1994
Indian poet, playwright, novelist, critic, and prolific thinker (1904–1994)
Modern era
Kazi Nazrul Islam
May 24, 1899 – August 29, 1976
National poet of Bangladesh (1899-1976)
Modern era
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
January 25, 1824 – June 29, 1873
Bengali poet and dramatist (1824–1873)
Modern era
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
June 26, 1838 – April 8, 1894
Bengali writer, poet and journalist (1838-1894)
Modern era
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
September 15, 1876 – January 16, 1938
Bengali novelist and short story writer (1876-1938)
Modern era
Jibanananda Das
February 17, 1899 – October 22, 1954
Bengali Poet (1899-1954)
Contemporary era
Humayun Ahmed
November 13, 1948 – July 19, 2012
Author, poet, dramatist and film director (1948–2012)
Modern era
Ismat Chughtai
August 21, 1911 – October 24, 1991
Indian writer (1911-1991)
Modern era
Krishan Chander
November 23, 1914 – March 8, 1977
Indian writer (1914–1977)
Modern era
Rajinder Singh Bedi
September 1, 1915 – November 11, 1984
Indian author, director and screenwriter
Modern era
Mumtaz Mufti
September 11, 1905 – October 27, 1995
Pakistani writer (1905–1995)
Modern era
Wasif Ali Wasif
January 15, 1929 – January 18, 1993
Pakistani scholar (1929–1993)
Modern era
Intizar Hussain
December 7, 1923 – February 2, 2016
Pakistani fiction writer (1923-2016)
Modern era
Abdullah Hussain
March 25, 1920 – December 31, 2014
Malaysian novelist
Modern era
Ibn-e-Safi
July 26, 1928 – July 26, 1980
Pakistani writer (1928–1980)
Modern era
Naseem Hijazi
May 19, 1914 – March 2, 1996
Pakistani writer (1914-1996)
Modern era
Bapsi Sidhwa
August 11, 1938 – December 25, 2024
Pakistani American author
Contemporary era
Mohsin Hamid
b. July 23, 1971
Pakistani novelist
Early Modern era
Roshan Ara Begum
September 3, 1617 – September 11, 1671
Mughal princess
Modern era
R. D. Burman
June 27, 1939 – January 4, 1994
Indian musician (1939–1994)
Modern era
Naushad
December 25, 1919 – May 5, 2006
Indian composer (1919–2006)
Modern era
K. J. Yesudas
b. January 10, 1940
Indian playback singer and musician from Kerala.
Modern era
Waheed Murad
October 2, 1938 – November 23, 1983
Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer (1938–1983)
Modern era
Sultan Rahi
June 24, 1938 – January 9, 1996
Pakistani actor (1938–1996)
Contemporary era
Shaan Shahid
b. April 27, 1971
Pakistani actor, screenwriter and director
Contemporary era
Farooq Qaiser
October 31, 1945 – May 14, 2021
Pakistani artist, writer and actor (1945-2021)
Contemporary era
Shoaib Mansoor
b. April 4, 1952
Pakistani director, writer and musician
Contemporary era
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
b. November 12, 1978
Pakistani filmmaker and journalist (born 1978)
Modern era
Nargis
June 1, 1929 – May 3, 1981
Indian actress (1929–1981)
Modern era
Waheeda Rehman
b. May 14, 1938
Indian actress
Modern era
Ritwik Ghatak
November 4, 1925 – February 6, 1976
Indian Bengali filmmaker and script writer (1925–1976)