Ibn-e-Insha

Sher Muhammad Khan, (Punjabi, ), better known by his pen name Ibn-e-Insha, , (Punjabi, ) (15 June 1927 – 11 January 1978)   was a Pakistani Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and newspaper columnist.

Along with his poetry, he was regarded as one of the best humorists of Urdu. His poetry has a distinctive diction laced with language reminiscent of Amir Khusro in its use of words and construction that is usually heard in the more earthy dialects of the Hindi-Urdu complex of languages, and his forms and poetic style is an influence on generations of young poets.

Biography
Insha was born in Phillaur tehsil of Jalandhar District, Punjab, India. His father hailed from Rajasthan. In 1946, he received his B.A. degree from Punjab University and subsequently, his M.A. from University of Karachi in 1953. He was associated with various governmental services including Radio Pakistan, the Ministry of Culture and the National Book Centre of Pakistan. He also served the UN for some time and this enabled him to visit many places, all of which served to inspire the travelogues he would then pen. Some of the places he visited include Japan, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, France, UK and the United States. His teachers included Habibullah Ghazenfar Amrohvi, Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Dr. Abdul Qayyum. In the late 1940s, in his youth years, Ibn-e-Insha had also lived together with the renowned film poet Sahir Ludhianvi in Lahore for a short period. He was also active in the Progressive Writers Movement.

Death and legacy
Ibn-e-Insha spent the remainder of his life in Karachi before he died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma on 11 January 1978, while he was in London. He was later buried in Karachi, Pakistan. His son, Roomi Insha was a Pakistani director until his death on 16 October 2017.

Literary career
Insha is considered to be one of the best poets and writers of his generation. His most famous ghazal Insha Ji Utthoo Ab Kooch Karo (Rise oh Insha Ji, and let us set off ) is an influential classic ghazal. Ibn-e-Insha had written several travelogues, showcasing his sense of humor and his work has been appreciated by both Urdu writers and critics. He also translated a collection of Chinese poems into Urdu in 1960.

Awards and recognition

 * Ibn-e-Insha was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1978.