Ishtiaque Ahmad Mandi Abd-ur-Ra'hman nom de plume of Ufuque was born and brought up in Vaniyambadi, a leather town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. He studied Chemistry at Islamiah College in Vaniyambadi under the guidance of Dr. Syed Shahabuddin and under the tutelage of Dr. Syed Shaf'i, and earned his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Madras University, earning the top positions in first year chemistry and in the Allied physics practical exam for the entire batch. From there, he continued to pursue his passion for chemistry by working towards his PhD at the University of Madras.

After a brief stint as a "Customer Dialogue Executive" at Magus Customer Dialog Pvt. Ltd., he joined Institute of Physics and Electronics in 2011. In 2014, he left the job as the manager of the institute, to work as a professional artist and to pursue research in chemical sciences.

An hobbyist-turned-professional, Ishtiaque started selling his artworks through commercial galleries in 2014. His work has been described as "very close to the nature" by the galleries and the members of public as well. A qualified artist, he paints in oils, watercolours, and gouache. His subjects of interest include among others; landscapes, and traditional still life.

Ishtiaque started writing poetry at the age of 16 under the pen name of Faique. He later changed it to Ufuque. A student of Renowned scholar and poet, Hakeem Yaqoob Aslam Omeri, M.A., he has particicipated in many Mush'iras, recited his ghazals and won accolades. A recent literary work, 'Bazm-Nau Ka Adabi Safarnama', described him thus: "Urdu language has good expectation from this young poet."