Talking poetry with Zehra Nigah

Karachi

When it comes to poetry and prose, all those considered greats by the world were basically people who made it a point to keep a close eye on each and every minor development in their respective societies.

It was their analysis and judgement of these events that they passed onto the masses, and these have enabled generations to acquire knowledge about the cultures and trends of the past.

These views were expressed by eminent Urdu poet and scriptwriter, Zehra Nigah, at a talk organised by the Habib University on Wednesday.

“That is why people such as Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz remain iconic poets of the last century. Not only did they introduce modern touches to poetry, their words carried immense weight and a vision that inspired people and left an indelible impact on societal evolution.”

However, Nigah added, these were people who had a great command over the language and made it a point to understand the particulars of each and every word.

She said that teachers played a critical role towards this end and expressed dismay over the dwindling importance associated with strong teacher-student relations today.