Tanveer Sipra

Biography

Tanveer Sipra, born Muhammad Hayat in 1932 in Jhelum, came from a modest family and started his life as a laborer. After the Partition, he moved to Karachi where he continued to work in labor jobs for almost a decade. Returning to Jhelum, he tried his hand at running a small general store before eventually joining the Pakistan Tobacco Company, which gave him some financial stability.

Even while engaged in ordinary jobs, Sipra nurtured an extraordinary talent for poetry. His pen name, Tanveer Sipra, became his identity in literary circles. He wrote with simplicity, often using unpolished language that reflected the roughness of life as he saw it. His collection Lafz Khurdure (literally “Rough Words”) captured this style perfectly.

Sipra’s poetry carried the voice of the common man. Influenced by socialist thought, especially during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s era, he used his verses to highlight the struggles of the working class. He did not romanticize poverty; instead, he presented it with honesty, pointing to the dignity and strength of ordinary lives.

Readers and critics often note that his words had a raw quality, yet they touched people deeply. His verses resonated with those who believed poetry should not only be beautiful but also meaningful, rooted in social truth.

Tanveer Sipra passed away in Islamabad on December 13, 1993. Though not as widely celebrated as some of his contemporaries, his work continues to be valued for its sincerity and courage. He is remembered as a poet who gave voice to those often left unheard, turning their pain and resilience into poetry.