Walking down the Urdu poetry lane

Years before philosopher and economist Karl Marx was born, a poet in Delhi had summed up in one stanza what Marx elaborated on in his magnum opus Das Kapital, said eminent poet Amjad Islam Amjad as he spoke at a session on the second day of the International Urdu Conference, on Friday.

The stanza goes: “Ameerzaadon se dilli kay mat mila kar Meer/Keh hum ghareeb huwe hain inhin ki dolat se.” (Don’t mingle with Dehli’s elites, oh Meer/For their wealth is the source of your poverty.)

Speaking of the Urdu literature’s illustrious poet, Meer Taqi Meer, Amjad suggested contemporary poets to first understand his [Meer’s] classical poetry in order to explore modern poetry. What made Amjad’s talk more captivating were the spontaneous couplets he recited one after the other to explain his ideas.

Analysing Urdu poetry

In his brief talk at another session, titled Urdu Shaairi: Aik Mutaliaati Tanazur, Amjad stressed on the need to know the basics of traditional poetry which according to him are a set foundation for introduction to innovative styles and fresh ideas for poetry.

Speaking at the session Dr Nomanul Haq, noted scholar and critic, touched upon a few aspects of the complex relationship between the traditional and modern forms and notions of poetry. He said celebrated poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Noon Meem Rashid and Iftikhar Arif came up with fresh ideas built on a strong foundation of classical approach of poetry, and, therefore, their poetic works are loved by both literary enthusiasts and common readers.

The critic further claimed that despite Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Altaf Hussain Hali’s movement to encourage a plain and straightforward Urdu literature, the Urdu ghazal did not lose its genuine shape.

“Their movement could not affect the original form of Urdu ghazal... The beauty of which is the use of stunning and striking words that produce amazing, astounding meanings,” Dr Haq noted.

The session also featured a talk on prose poetry by another acclaimed poet Tanveer Anjum. She explained that prose poetry was not only different in its form but was also unique in the topics it focuses on.

“Here you would not find the praise of one’s beloved, instead it’s the poetry of agitation and resistance; harsh and crude in its nature,” she said. Her observation was seconded by renowned poet Afzal Ahmed Syed who further elaborated on how prose poetry was still in a process of taking a definite shape globally.

In one of the talks delivered by literary figure Mazhar Javed Hasan, the speaker traced the evolution that Marsiyah underwent in Pakistan’s 70 years. He discussed the efforts of poets and religious scholars in promoting this form of poetry in the country.

In his short talk, celebrated poet and scholar Iftikhar Arif opined that the acceptability of a poet among the masses depends on how honestly they depict the truths of life. He said that only a grip on language and poetic rules cannot make a good poet, “It is instead the inner feelings and the truth that comes from within which makes a poet,” he added.

This session was hosted by poet Farasat Rizvi.

Day’s summary

The second day also saw artists discuss the evolution of paintings in Pakistan in a session which was followed by a few book launches.

The first book to be launched was Kulliyate Mohsin Bhopali, while the other three were Anwar Shaoor’s ‘Aatay Hain Ghaib Se’, Mehboob Zafar’s ‘Shakhsiyat aur Fun’ and Aqeel Abbas Jaffri’s ‘Sukhanabad’.

The second last session was a tribute to acclaimed poets Zahidah Hina and Mazhar Javed Hasan, whereas the last session discussed the discipline of dance in Pakistan. The panellists for the session included renowned classical dancers Sheema Kermani, Nighat Chaudhry and Maani Chao.

The other sessions held on the day included one on Hamd-o-Naat - presided over by Iftikahr Arif with panellists Dr Aziz Ahsan, Farasat Rizvi, Tahir Slultani and Jahanaara Lutfi. The programme was hosted by poet Azeezuddin Khaki.

A session discussing the role of women in the light of literature and society had MPA Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, poets Zahida Hina, Yasmeen Hameed, Fatimah Hasan and Najeeba Arif as speakers; it was moderated by Nasirah Zuberi.