Profile: Fiction Writer and Critic

Riyaz Tauheedi Kashmiri (original name: Riyaz Ahmad Bhat) was born on 1 December 1973 in Rajwar, Wazripora, Handwara Tehsil, Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. He received his early education at Government High School Wazripora and completed his higher secondary education at Government Higher Secondary School Handwara. He earned a bachelor's degree from Government Degree College Handwara and completed his M.A. in Urdu from the University of Kashmir in 2001. He subsequently obtained an M.Phil. in Iqbal Studies in 2004 and a Ph.D. in 2007 from the University's Iqbal Institute.

Riyaz Tauheedi is regarded as one of the prominent contemporary Urdu literary figures from Jammu and Kashmir. He has made significant contributions to fiction, literary criticism, and Iqbal Studies. His writings reflect a profound understanding of human psychology, social realities, cultural diversity, and moral as well as intellectual concerns, earning him a distinct place in contemporary Urdu literature.

His formal literary career began in 2002 with the article "Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakim Ba-haisiyat-e-Iqbal Shanas," published in Aivan-e-Urdu, the prestigious monthly journal of the Urdu Academy, Delhi. Since then, numerous articles and short stories by him have appeared in leading literary journals and magazines. His notable works include the short story collection Kale Devon Ka Saya, the critical study Contemporary Urdu Short Story: Understanding and Analysis (Muasir Urdu Afsana: Tafheem-o-Tajziya), as well as Jahan-e-Fasana and Jahan-e-Iqbal. His contributions to fiction, fiction criticism, and Iqbal Studies have received wide recognition in literary and academic circles.