Ahmad Rahi

Ahmad Rahi
Born	Ghulam Ahmad 12 November 1923 Amritsar, British India
Died	2 Sep 2002 Lahore, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Occupation	poet, writer, film screenwriter
Years active	1950-1980s
Known for	Progressive Writers' Movement activist

Ahmad Rahi (12 November 1923 – 2 September 2002) was a Punjabi poet and writer from Pakistan. He was born in Amritsar, British India. His real name was Ghulam Ahmad, a name given by his spiritual leader Khorsheed Ahmad. He completed his basic early education from Amritsar, India in 1940. After completing his high school, he got admission in M.A.O. College, Lahore but was expelled due to taking part in political movements. After expulsion, he joined his father in his business of selling embroidered wool shawls in the local market.

After independence of Pakistan in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan and joined the magazine Sawera as an editor in Lahore. He was paid Rupees 25 as monthly salary back then. He wrote about the events and bloodshed leading to independence of Pakistan in 1947 which was a very painful personal experience for him due to the atrocities committed by Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus against each other. Religious biases and sectarian animosities were flared up and at their peak level during 1947. Deeply and personally affected by the events, he wrote two books on this subject. His first book Taranjan was published in 1952 and second book was also published under the name of Nimi Nimi Wa. Both books were in the Punjabi language. Taranjan was a poetry book about the bloodshed related to independence of Pakistan in 1947.

Ahmad Rahi, along with the renowned Pakistani film producer-director Saifuddin Saif, noted short story writer Saadat Hassan Manto and the now-celebrated Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz started gathering socially at the historic Pak Tea House in Lahore, shortly after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. One of those Ahmad Rahi's old friends was Abdul Hameed (writer) (1928–29 April 2011) who had told a major Lahore newspaper in an interview before he died in 2011, "Literary giants like Sahir Ludhianvi, Munir Niazi, Ahmad Rahi, Ashfaq Ahmad, Ibn-e-Insha and Nasir Kazmi were among his closest friends. He had been a part of the historic years of 'Pak Tea House' " crowd in Lahore, Pakistan. This historic tea house was and still is known as a gathering place for intellectuals, poets, writers and artists. "It holds a special place in the memories of those who know about Lahore's vibrant literary and cultural past." Pak Tea House, therefore, also became a central location for all these above intellectuals who were also active in the Progressive Writers' Movement in Pakistan.

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