Rajinder Manchanda Bani was born at Multan (Pakistan), in November 1932. After the partition of India in 1947, he migrated to Delhi, where he completed his education, and obtained a Master's degree in Economics from Panjab University. He worked as a teacher in a private school, pursuing, at the same time, his poetic interest with determined zeal and dedication. He also participated in the literary and cultural life of Delhi, and soon distinguished himself as a distinctly original poet, both in his thought and style. Apparently endowed with a stout physique, Bani suffered from serious physical ailments, including rheumatism and renal disease, which became the cause of his early death. Apart from the problem of failing health, he had to contend with the straitened financial condition, indifference of his friends and relations, and inadequate literary appreciation. But he endured these hardships with courage, and found in poetry his chief strength and solace. He died in 1981 at the age of 49.
Barn is a poet of the neo-classical ghazal. Though he adheres to the tradition of rhyme and radf he almost dispenses with the use of conventional imagery, of rose and nightingale, candle and moth, of wine and saqi, nor does he lean upon classical allusions, to express his thought and feeling. He draws his imagery from the observation of nature and the universe. One of his famous metaphors, "shafaq-shajar", shows his constant concern with "the kindred points of heaven and home." The metaphor of "quest", "travel", or "flight", is another recurring metaphor of his poetry. Apart from connotating man's search for identity, purpose, or Truth, this metaphor too shows the poet's interest in the two worlds of matter and spirit, the finite and the infinite. Bani has a refreshingly original style commensurate with the content of his poetry. In one of his couplets he says that for him poetry implies a lifelong struggle with words, an attempt to extend the strength and scope of language. Like Firaq Gorakhpuri, Bani makes an effective use of Hindi diction, so as to bring his language close to the language of common, but cultured, speech. Bani is a thoughtful poet, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, and his ghazals compel the reader to think and reflect. He makes frequent use of paradox and ambiguity to convey the complexity of thought and feeling. His poetic works are available in three collections: Harf-eMoet bar, (1972), Hisab-e-R.ang, 1976, and Shafaq-Shajar, published posthumously