A notable self-published Kashmiri poet and translator, Asadullah Asad has passed away leaving behind about two dozen books.

Born and raised in a humble lower middle class agrarian family in Borwah village of district Budgam, Asad started to show interest in poetry from an early age. Though, there was not a suitable environment available for his literary taste but he worked hard to rise against all odds and proved his mettle by composing poems on multiple themes.
Asad lived a simple and modest life and as a poet and translator, his services are remarkable. He was well aware of his artistic limitations and made full use of his capabilities. His services for the promotion of Kashmiri language and culture will be remembered for a long time. Asad was blessed with a good interest and hold on Persian language and had studied it from school to college level. His love of Persian widened his mental horizons and he not only benefitted from the Persian literature but also introduced it's themes in Kashmiri and Urdu languages.
According to P B Shelley, poetry creates three things i.e., new materials of knowledge, power and pleasure. Asad worked on all the three grounds and turned up with astounding results. He took inspiration from the great Persian poets and tried his level best to emulate them. He also tried to introduce Kashmiri literary heritage to Persian and translated the Shrukhs (verses) of Sheikh ul-Aalam Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani (RA) for the first time in Persian. He has translated 400 Shrukhs of the Sheikh and hence tried to introduce it to Iran and other countries. This 528 page book was published in 2019 on multicolor art paper with the Kashmiri Shrukhs of Sheikh ul-Aalam on the one side and the Persian translation on the other. Towards the end, Asadullah Asad has provided a glossary of difficult words with their meanings which is very useful for those interested in the poetry of Sheikh ul Aalam. Some of his popular books are: Naqsh-i-Faryadi, Soz-i-Jigar, Doukh Te Daag, Ghazliyat-i-Ameer Khusro, Japji Sahib, Tohfa-e-Alamdar-i-Kashmir etc.
Assadullah showed his intentions of making Persian literature accessible to the local Kashmiri people and translated the poetry of Amir Khusro, Ghani Kashmiri and Allama Iqbal in Kashmiri. Asad has been very concerned about the decline of Persian language in Kashmir and he once said, “A wealth of our rich cultural and literary heritage is originally written in Persian, but not learning this language and abandoning it, we are distancing ourselves from our rich cultural and literary heritage.”
He once submitted a translated work to Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture & Languages for publication which was not entertained and he never knocked its doors again and published his books spending his own money. With the government patronage and support, he could have worked wonders. He's credited to have translated Japji Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs in Kashmiri language. This effort was widely appreciated and felicitated by one and all. The Sikh community in particular showed great respect to him and commended his efforts.
Asadullah Asad had a gentle and magnanimous personality. About a year ago, I was lucky enough to meet him at his residence to gift him my book " Kashmir Mein Islami Inquilab aur Hazrat Shah I Hamadan (RA)", he not only appreciated the effort but also gifted some of his books in return like "Tohfa-e-Alamdar-i-Kashmir " and Ghazliyat-i-Ameer Khusro. He talked long about his struggles in life and expressed views on the importance of spiritual values in life. He did talk about his health issues but also showed gratitude and contentment. His hospitality was awesome and he shared some memorable bitter- sweet experiences of his life.
Asadullah Asad passed away on 20th October 2024 leaving behind many valuable books. He will always be remembered for his remarkable contribution to Kashmiri, Persian and Urdu literature. An Arabic poet has rightly pointed out,
یلوح الحق فی القرطاس دھرا
وکاتبہ رمیم فی الترابِ
which means that after death the body of a man rots in dust but his written words remain forever and they outlive him.
William Shakespeare says,
" So long as men can breathe and eyes can see
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. "
May God bless his soul and provide a high place in paradise.

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