The 17th death anniversary of noted poetess Parveen Shakir observed on Monday. Prominent literary figures will also lay floral wreaths on the grave of late poetess. It may be recalled that Parveen Shakir, 42, was died in a road accident on December 26, in 1994. Born on November 24, 1952 in Karachi, she was a noted Urdu poetess, teacher and a civil servant.
She did her master in English Literature and Linguistics from Karachi University. She was a professor at Karachi University and Trinity College, Connecticut, USA, for nine years before joining the Civil Service, where she served in the Customs department. In 1986, she was appointed second secretary, CBR in Islamabad. In 1990, she taught at Trinity College, Connecticut, USA, and then did her master in public administration at Harvard University in 1991.
Her poetry was a breath of fresh air in Urdu poetry. She used the first person feminine pronoun, which is rarely used in Urdu poetry even by female poets.