The poet of love, mysticism and politics A true patriot and a nationalist, Jigar Muradabadi was also the poet of love, mysticism and politics. He depicted the atrocities of the British raj on the Indian people in his verses. He inspired India's independence movement tirelessly. Some of his verses are still popular with the common man: Yeh ishq nahin aasaan bus itna samajh leejay, Ik aag ka daria hai aur doob ke jaana hai (This [act of] love is no easy affair; you might as well think, It is a river of fire and one must swim across.) And Un ka jo farz hai woh ehl-e-siyasat jaanein, Mera paighaam muhabbat hai jahaan tak pohnchay (I leave the duties of politicians up to politicians. My message is love, for as far as it can go) In 1937, when Bengal faced one of the worst droughts, he criticised the government through his poetry. Bangaal kee main shaam-o-sahar dekh raha hun, Har chund hun ke dur magar dekh raha hun, Aflaas kee maari huee makhlooq sar-e-raah, Hai gor-o-kafan khaak basar dekh raha hun (I can see the evenings and the mornings of Bengal, I may be far from it yet, but I can see still, In broad daylight, how the misery-stricken people, [Have] Suffered death and devastation, I can see. Written right after the Partition of India, in 1947, Jigar Muradabadi lamented in his poem titled - 'Bhaag Musaafir Mere Watan Say Mere Chaman Se Bhaag'. In this poem, Jigar describes some things he does not appreciate about his country and, in his own way, puts forth some complaints about his countrymen. Jigar Muradabadi's works included amongst others Daag e Jigar, Sholaiy e Toor and Atish e Gul In 1958, he received the Sahatya Academy Award, the biggest literary honour of that time in India. The funeral of Jigar Muradabadi Sikandar Ali was held at Muhammad Ali Park in the Indian city of Gonda.