Amir Meenai

Who was Amir Meenai?

Ameer Minai, an Urdu poet of eminence was born in 1828 at Lucknow and died in 1900 at Hyderabad. His full name was Ameer Ahmad Minai, and he also wrote under the pen name `Ameer'. He noted this dual use of his first name in a verse:

نام كا نام، تخلص كا تخلص ہے امير

ايک يہ وصف خداداد مرے نام ميں ہے

A popular poet both with the people and the aristocracy, he was held in high esteem by his contemporary poets like Ghalib and Daagh Dehalvi. He was also greatly admired by the great Urdu and poet, Muhammad Iqbal.