Rahat Indori, renowned poet and lyricist, passes away aged 70 from COVID-19 complications

Noted poet and lyricist Rahat Indori passed away on Tuesday. He had tested positive for coronavirus the previous day. He was hit by two heart attacks earlier in the day, following which his conditions deteriorated and he succumbed to the complications. Indori was admitted in the ICU of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city. “After initial symptoms of COVID-19, my corona test was done yesterday which came out positive. Pray that I defeat this disease as soon as possible,” Indori had tweeted on Tuesday early morning.

कोविड के शरुआती लक्षण दिखाई देने पर कल मेरा कोरोना टेस्ट किया गया, जिसकी रिपोर्ट पॉज़िटिव आयी है.ऑरबिंदो हॉस्पिटल में एडमिट हूँ
दुआ कीजिये जल्द से जल्द इस बीमारी को हरा दूँ

एक और इल्तेजा है, मुझे या घर के लोगों को फ़ोन ना करें, मेरी ख़ैरियत ट्विटर और फेसबुक पर आपको मिलती रहेगी.

— Dr. Rahat Indori - forever (@rahatindori) August 11, 2020

The chest department head of Aurobindo Hospital, Dr Ravi Dosi told the Press Trust of India that the poet had pneumonia and was being given oxygen. Indori is survived by his wife Seema Rahat and his four children. His son said his father had been suffering from chronic ailments like heart disease and diabetes.

He was a well-known figure in the genre of Urdu poetry, ghazals and has also penned lyrics for several Bollywood songs. The veteran lyricist has penned several hit Bollywood songs for movies such as Munna Bhai MBBS and Murder. Some of his notable books include Naraz, Do Kadam Aur Sahi, Rut among many others. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to Twitter and expressed his condolences:

अपनी शायरी से लाखों-करोड़ों दिलों पर राज करने वाले मशहूर शायर, हरदिल अज़ीज़ श्री राहत इंदौरी का निधन मध्यप्रदेश और देश के लिए अपूरणीय क्षति है। मैं ईश्वर से प्रार्थना करता हूँ कि उनकी आत्मा को शांति दें और उनके परिजनों और चाहने वालों को इस अपार दुःख को सहने की शक्ति दें।

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) August 11, 2020

(With inputs from agencies)