Baquer Zaidi was born in Bharatpur, India in a Zaidi Saadaat family enriched with literature and noteworthy poets to include his father Syed Farzand Hasan Zaidi, grandfather Syed Ikram Hussain Kaleem Bharatpuri, as well as Bazm Effendi and Najm Effendi, among others.

فرزند کا فرزند ہوں، باقِرؔ ہوں میں
صد شکر کہ شبّیر کا ذاکِر ہوں میں

میں فیضؔ کا فیض ہوں بہ منشاۓ کلیمؔ
اک سلسلہ سخن کا شاعِر ہوں میں

During the August 1947 riots, his family left their homeland and settled in Hyderabad, Deccan, a few days after Pakistan acquired its independence from British rule. The partition of 1947 influenced Baquer Zaidi’s life. He suffered the loss of his uncle during the clashes in Bharatpur. Five months later, the family decided to move to Karachi, where Baquer Zaidi spent the next 42 years of his life, before migrating yet again to Maryland, USA in April of 1990.

نہ جانے میرا مقدر ہیں ہجرتیں کتنی
میں چار دن بھی سکوں سے نہ ایک گھر میں رہا

Baquer Zaidi received his higher education in Karachi, Pakistan. He started his professional career at the National Bank of Pakistan in December 1956 and retired early as the Vice President in 1988 to join the rest of his family in the United States. As a 32 year veteran of the banking industry, he had the pleasure of working in Badin, Tando Adam, Hyderabad, Quetta and Karachi.

Although Baquer Zaidi belonged to a literary family, he did not embark on his journey as a poet until he was 51 years old, as he spent his formative years seeking higher education and pursuing professional growth. His innate love of poetry however was met by attending mushairas and reading poetry in his pastime.

Poetry was the family legacy of Baquer Zaidi and he worked tirelessly in keeping this tradition alive. Baquer Zaidi’s poetic journey formally started in Quetta in 1987, the story of which he recounted as follows:

Baquer Zaidi goes on to say:

Baquer Zaidi was a self-made poet and learned from his elders as well as his juniors.

باھنر بزرگوں سے دوستوں سے بچوں سے
سب سے فیض اٹھاتا ہوں سب سے استفادہ ہے

Baquer Zaidi initially wrote some Ghazals and Manqabats, and later stepped in the field of Marsia on the strong insistence of his friends. Baquer Zaidi made a remarkable debut with his first Marsia in 1989 after his father lost his ability to speak due to paralysis.

سربسر اپنے بزرگوں کا چلن رکھتا ہوں
مدحت آل پیمبر کی لگن رکھتا ہوں
اک مہکتا ہوا شاداب چمن رکھتا ہوں
پھول برساتا ہے ہر دم، وہ دہن رکھتا ہوں
اک نئی لعل و جواہر کی دکاں کھلتی ہے
اک زباں بند ہوئی، ایک زباں کھلتی ہے

After migrating to the USA in 1990, Baquer Zaidi laid the foundation of “Nau-Tasneef Marsia Majalis,” wherein he composed a new Marsia every year. The literary creations of Baquer Zaidi contain 15 Marsia, about 350 Ghazal, numerous Naat, Manqabat, Nazm, Salam, etc. most of which have already been published in the form of books.

Baquer Zaidi has been married since 1961 and fathered five children; two sons and three daughters, all of whom reside in Maryland, USA.