Son of Amin Nawaz Khan, the distinguished critic, satirist, poet, and lyricist, Bashar Nawaz Khan became widely known in literary circles as Bashar Nawaz. He was born on 18 August 1935 in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. After completing his intermediate education, he moved to Hyderabad for higher studies, though he could not complete his graduation. He began writing poetry in 1953 and, by 1954, was already being invited to major mushairas. It was at a mushaira in Hyderabad that the renowned progressive poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin first introduced him to a wider audience.

His published works include the poetry collections Raigan and Ajnabi Samandar, as well as the critical work Naya Adab Naye Masail. Bashar Nawaz is regarded as one of the prominent poets of the Progressive Writers’ Movement. He was also recognised for the distinctive rhythm and musicality of his nazms.

For a period of time, he was associated with the film industry. He is best known as the lyricist of the celebrated song “Karoge Yaad To Har Baat Yaad Aayegi” from the film Bazaar. Songs written by him were rendered by some of the most renowned singers of Indian cinema, including Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosle. He also wrote several radio plays and authored the script for the television serial Amir Khusro. His poetry is available in the Devanagari script as well.

Bashar Nawaz passed away on 9 July 2015.