thesilkroadtoday
BiographyBorn on February 28, 1951, in Peshawar, Pakistan, I hail from the village of Shonas in the Ishkoman Valley, District Ghizer, Gilgit-Baltistan. Nestled in the northernmost region of Pakistan, this area is where three of the world’s greatest mountain ranges—the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Karakoram—converge in majestic harmony.I earned my degree in Political Science and Economics, and on April 15, 1972, I was commissioned as an officer from the Pakistan Military Academy. I served in the Fighting Arms and later as a Group Testing Officer at the Inter Services Selection Board, where I helped select future officers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.After retiring as a Major in February 1995, I transitioned to the private sector for 15 years, including a role with the Military Attaché Office at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Islamabad. In the final phase of my career, I served as General Manager of a Chinese multinational company until March 2013.Following my retirement from professional life, I turned to English poetry in February 2016, exploring themes of romance, social issues, humanitarian concerns, environmental awareness, and children’s rhymes.Awards and RecognitionMy literary work has been honored with several prestigious awards:– Gujarat Sahitya Academy India Awards (2020–2022)– Order of Shakespeare Medal (2021)– Rabindranath Tagore Award (2022)– National Poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam Birth Anniversary Award (2022)PublicationsMy poetry has appeared in anthologies such as _Pakistani English Poets_ and _Bouquet of Triple Colours_ (featuring poets from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India). I also contributed to the anthology _Water of Life_ in Indonesia. My work has been featured in media outlets including NBM Bangla TV and _Daily Bani_ (Bangladesh). My forthcoming poetry collection, _Innocent Thoughts_, has been completed and will soon be sent for publication.International Literary ParticipationI have taken part in numerous international literary festivals and virtual gatherings, including the Eurasian Literary Festival in Turkey and the UHE Festival International in Portugal. In September 2025, I attended the Second Congress of the World Organization of Writers (WOW) in Moscow and participated in programs of the World People’s Assembly at the World Trade Center Moscow, Russian Federation.
Poem: Poem “Blood Moon” as under:
Blood Moon
Yes that was one night
She could have come there at an agreed site
Shown her anger and reminded me of our last fight
Then be friendly, at mystical site, as always did before on every night
I waited for her, I was used to that
Wouldn’t mind if she could have come and remained quiet
She had to show a big heart, she knew I would placate her, saying forget and forgo sweetheart
I knew she would stay, to show her sneaky smiles
Would just be teasing, pretending her arrogance for a while
I would enjoy as she often acted like that in different styles
She would be in jolly good mood, after a hug and a passionate kiss in moonlit night
We would sit for hours and have lovely chat for whole night
Suddenly I looked at my watch and got alarmed
I was lost in my thoughts and time so quickly passed
Why my love has not arrived, what has forced her to stop
I was upset, saw Red Moon, now fully emanated at sky top
I got up started running towards her house, with superstitious thoughts
She was sitting on a bench in her lawn lost in her thoughts
She raised her head with tears in her eyes rolling down
She disclosed, she was engaged to her uncle’s son that night
By the will of her parents and she kept quiet
I did not believe in superstitions, never in my life
Blood Moon occurred only due to lunar eclipse
When Earth come in line between the Moon and the Sun
Who came in between me and my love
I quietly returned back to see the Blood Moon at the sea shore
The Blood Moon was glowing more, teasing testing my patience, raising my emotions much more
That night lasted for another few hours, it’s effects would last for whole of my life, how could I ignore
©® Anwar Rahim
