Eminent Urdu scholar Gopi Chand Narang passes away at 91

New Delhi,Jun 16: One of the most respected Urdu critics, theorists and linguists Professor Gopi Chand Narang has passed away. He was 91. He breathed his last in the United States yesterday.

A recipient of Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi Awards, Prof. Narang published more than 65 scholarly and critical books on language, literature, poetics and cultural studies in Urdu, Hindi and English.

He was Professor Emeritus at the University of Delhi and Jamia Millia Islamia. He incorporated a range of modern theoretical frameworks, including stylistics, structuralism, post-structuralism and Sanskrit poetics.

He has produced three studies: Hindustani Qisson se Makhooz Urdu Masnaviyan (1961), Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehn-o-Tehzeeb (2002) and Hindustan ki Tehreek-e-Azadi aur Urdu Shairi (2003). Narang's related volumes-Amir Khusrow ka Hindavi Kalaam (1987), Saniha-e-Karbala bataur Sheri Isti'ara (1986) and Urdu Zabaan aur Lisaniyaat (2006)-are socio-cultural and historical studies.

In addition to teaching, Narang was vice-chairman of the Delhi Urdu Academy (1996-1999) and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language - HRD (1998-2004) and vice-president (1998-2002) and president (2003-2007) of the Sahitya Akademi.

He was born in Dukki, now in present-day Baluchistan, Pakistan.