‘King of laughter’ poet Ghouse Khamakha passes away

Hyderabad: The king of laughter, Ghouse Khamakha, is no more. The humour poet who sent audience in splits of laughter, left his fans in tears as news of his death spread. Popularly known by his penname ‘Khamakha’ (meaning without reason), he breathed his last in the early hours of Wednesday. The 80 year old poet leaves behind …, three sons and a daughter.

Born as  Ghouse Mohiuddin Ahmed, he served in the Irrigation Department of Maharashtra and after retirement took up residence in Hyderabad. But he took to poetry at an early age and adopted the ‘Dakhani dialect’ to write poems full of humour and satire.

He was a big draw at ‘mizahia



mushairas’ in Hyderabad. His tongue-in-cheek brand of poetry took him to Middle East, US and Europe where he was hugely popular. Among his many ghazals ‘Nai bole to sunte nai…’ is a rage among Urdu lovers. A man with quick repartee, when somebody asked Khamakah to go for a second marriage, he shot back in verse:

Jis ne pehle se hi khudkushi ki hai

Suli pe usse kyon chadhate ho

Khamakha was admitted to a corporate hospital in the city after a paralytic attack. He died after prolong illness bringing the curtains down on a life full of wit and satire. His funeral prayers were held at a mosque in Vengalrao Nagar.