Lucknow: Famous Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri, who had translated Bhagwad Geeta into Urdu in Shayari format, died of cardiac arrest at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) here on Tuesday morning. He was 71. 

Jalalpuri was admitted to Neuro Surgery department at KGMU’s Trauma Centre in critical condition after he suffered brain stroke on last Thursday. The veteran poet had suffered the attack after he returned from the funeral of one of his acquaintances. He had slipped in the washroom and went unconscious sustaining injury on the head.

He was then rushed to a private hospital from where he was referred to KGMU as he had blood clots in the brain.

Despite efforts of the doctors under the personal supervision of KGMU chief medical superintendent Dr SN Shankhwar, Jalalpuri could not be saved. According to KGMU doctors, the immediate reason for Jalapuri’s death was the failure of his heart.

Koi puchhega jis din vakai yeh zindagi kya hai, Zamin se ek muthhikhaak le kar hum uda denge (When someone will ask me someday the ethos of this life, I will take a fistful of dust from this earth and blow it away...) is how the essence of life was summed up by the Yash Bharti recipient Anwar Jalalpuri.