Munawwar Rana, a known voice in Urdu literature for decades, breathed his last at a hospital in Lucknow, India at the age of 71.
The cause of his death was cardiac arrest, his family said Sunday, while he was also suffering from several health conditions including cancer.
Munawwar, who is survived by his wife and five children, will be laid to rest today on Monday.
The deceased has been credited among top Urdu literature figures of recent times, was admitted in the hospital around two weeks back. Besides cancer, Munawwar was also living with kidney and cardiac-related illnesses.
In his glittering career, he bagged several accolades including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 for his book of poems.
The dissent writer however returned his award in protest against growing intolerance in India.
For decades, his contributions to literature were varied and prolific. His famous poem ‘Maa’ earned him huge praise.
