Raoof Khalish is one of the most eminent poets of Hyderabad Deccan who went through a sea change during the decade of 1960s, generating a wave of modern thought and expression. An Architect by profession, he spent 15 years in Saudi Arabia (1981-1996) following the Petro Dollar boom.The stay abroad widened his horizon and added new images cropped up in his poetry. Limitless desert, scanty-leafed palm trees, hot and humid days, the distance of seven seas and smells of Middle East contributed a unique angle to his poems.
In nearly 60 years of his literary life, four (4) books (collection of poems) have been published as follows:
- Nai Ruton ka Safar (Journey to new seasons) (1979)
- Sahra Sahra Ajnabi (Desert Desert Stranger) (1988)
- Shaakh-e-Zaitoon (Branch of Olive) (1998)
- Shaakhsana (Dilemma) (2007)
Raoof Khalish's fifth book, Hikayet naqd-e-jaan ki, consists of his essays and reviews on the work of a few Urdu poets and writers.
