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Waseem Barelvi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 17, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth18 February 1940

Age84 Years (as of 2024)

BirthplaceBareilly, United Province, British India (Now, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India)

ProfessionUrdu Poet

NationalityIndian

FamilyBorn into a Muslim family; ancestors were land-owners in Moradabad

Waseem Barelvi Biography

Waseem Barelvi, born Zahid Hasan Waseem in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian Urdu poet, academic and longtime participant in national and international

Early life and background
Zahid Hasan Waseem, known by his pen name Waseem Barelvi, was born on 18 February 1940 in Bareilly, then part of the United Provinces under British India. He grew up in a Muslim family in Bareilly; his family background included landholding ancestors from the Moradabad area. He completed his schooling and higher education in Bareilly and developed an early interest in poetry.

Education and beginnings
Waseem pursued higher studies at Rohilkhand University in Bareilly (now Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University). He earned a Master of Arts in Urdu literature in 1958. During and after his studies he was drawn to poetic traditions and to the work of earlier poets, and he began to compose and perform his own verse.

Career
Following his academic training, Waseem Barelvi embarked on a career in education at Bareilly College. Over time he advanced to become an assistant professor and ultimately head of the Urdu department at the college. Alongside his academic duties, he maintained an active life as a poet, regularly taking part in mushairas — public poetic recitals — both within India and abroad.

Waseem’s poetry reflects a continuity with classical and medieval South Asian poetic influences; his practice is described as following the traditions associated with figures such as Amir Khusro, Kabir, Raskhan, Jaysi and Rahim. He has produced multiple volumes of poetry over the years, publishing more than six collections in Urdu and two in Hindi.

Recognition and public roles
Waseem Barelvi’s work has been recognized with several awards at the national and international levels. His profile in the Urdu literary community led to formal appointments: he was named vice chairman of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language by the Government of India. In 2016, he received a political nomination when Akhilesh Yadav, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, nominated him for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Public profile
Physically, Waseem Barelvi is reported as being approximately 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches) tall with dark brown eyes. He is identified as an Indian national and practices Islam. His personal interests center on reading and writing, and he has cited the poet Sahir Ludhianvi among his favorites.

Personal life
Publicly available accounts do not provide detailed information about Waseem Barelvi’s parents or siblings. Details about his marital status and spouse are not specified in the available record.

Latest updates
As of 2024 he is 84 years old. He continues to be acknowledged for his contributions to Urdu literature through his published collections, participation in poetic forums, and institutional roles promoting the Urdu language.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Waseem Barelvi, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Multiple poetry collections in Urdu and Hindi

More than six Urdu collections and two Hindi collections published over his career.

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Career Highlights

  1. Head of Urdu Department, Bareilly College
  2. Vice Chairman, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
  3. Nominated to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council in 2016
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Waseem Barelvi born?

Waseem Barelvi was born on 18 February 1940.

What is Waseem Barelvi known for?

Waseem Barelvi is known for urdu Poet.