Zubeida Rana was part of a vibrant literary circle in Hyderabad during the 1950s that included other female poets such as Roohi Qadri. Her work primarily consisted of ghazals and quatrains. The reference comes from a feature on Hyderabadi women poets by scholar-poet Prof. Ashraf Rafi. Her poetry was distinguished by its focus on social issues and women’s empowerment, aligning her with the broader Progressive Writers’ Movement (PWM) of that era. It is likely her poetry critiqued social injustices and sought to inspire change, using her verses as a platform to give voice to the marginalised. While Zubeida Rana’s poetry also addressed social issues, her focus on women’s empowerment likely provided a different, more nuanced perspective.
Her style also contrasts with that of her contemporary, Amjad Hyderabadi, who was known as the “Hakeem-ul-Shuara” (Poet of Wisdom). Amjad’s work was deeply philosophical and reflective, often exploring themes of personal tragedy and loss, most notably in response to the devastating 1908 Musi River flood. The stylistic and thematic divergence between Rana’s social commentary and Amjad’s introspective humanism highlights the diverse range of voices that defined mid-century Hyderabad’s Urdu literary scene.
Hyderabad in this period had an unusually dense Urdu infrastructure—e.g., Urdu Hall (inaugurated December 1955) and the Idāra-e-Adabiyāt-e-Urdu’s magazine Sab Ras—both hubs that encouraged women’s writing and often published/hosted them.