Remembering Jaun Elia On His 20th Death Anniversary

Syed Hussain Sibt-e-Asghar Naqvi was his real name. John was born on December 14, 1931 in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, and moved to Pakistan in 1957, settling in Karachi. When he was eight years old, he wrote his first Urdu couplet. According to electronic channels, his famous poetry collections include Shayed, Ya'ani, Gumaan, Lekan, and Goya.

The poet was fluent in Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew, and he was also a skilled translator. In 2000, he received the Presidential Pride of Performance Award for his literary services.

Jaun Elia was a romantic who believed strongly in the family system. He married a well-known story writer, columnist Zahida Hina, but they later divorced. Elia died on November 8, 2002, after a long illness, and is buried in Karachi's Sakhi Hassan graveyard.