Covid-19: Indian Urdu poet Rahat Indori dies

DUBAI: Renowned Indian Urdu poet Rahat Indori, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, died due to the viral infection in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, foreign media reported.

The 70-year-old lyricist had shared the information on Twitter on Monday and explained that he got tested for the virus after experiencing some initial symptoms. He had been admitted to Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences in Indore.

“He (Rahat Indori) suffered two heart attacks today and could not be saved. He had 60% pneumonia,” Dr Vinod Bhandari was quoted as saying by Indian news agency ANI. Earlier this year, the poet’s words had transformed into a rallying cry as anti-CAA protests erupted across the country. The line, “Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thori hai” (India doesn’t belong to anyone’s father), taken from ghazal "Agar khilaaf hain hone do” (If they are against you, let them be) gave a voice and purpose to dissent. Rahat Indori was a well-known figure in the genre of Urdu poetry and has also penned lyrics for several Bollywood songs. He wrote the songs for the movies ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’, ‘Murder’, and others.