Existential Anxiety and Inner Consciousness in the Poetry of N.M. Rashid: An Intellectual and Aesthetic Study

Abstract

This study explores the presence and articulation of existential anxiety and inner consciousness in the poetry of Noon Meem Rashid, one of the leading figures of modern Urdu poetry. Through a philosophical and aesthetic lens, the research analyzes how Rashid’s poetic imagination confronts themes of fear, isolation, identity, and personal awakening. The study draws on existentialist thought—particularly from Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre—and connects these ideas to Rashid’s poetic vocabulary, metaphors, and free verse structure. Focusing on select poem such as Zindagi se Darrtay Ho, the paper identifies recurring existential motifs including dread of time, silence, the unknown, and a longing for authentic selfhood. Rashid’s language does not merely represent inner turbulence but transforms it into a mode of resistance and self-discovery. His stylistic choices—symbolism, abstraction, rhetorical questions—further reflect the poet’s journey into the depths of being. This study concludes that Rashid’s poetry functions not only as personal expression but also as a philosophical discourse that resonates with the spiritual and intellectual crises of the modern human condition.

Key Words:  Existential Anxiety, Inner Consciousness, Modern Urdu Poetry, Symbolism, Free Verse, Selfhood