Ahmed Shah opens Aiwan-e-Josh in Jauhar

Sindh Caretaker Minister for Information, Minority Affairs, and Social Welfare and Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah inaugurated an ‘Aiwan-e-Josh’ pavilion in Gulistan-e-Jauhar near the Urdu Bagh, on Tuesday, in honour of the revolutionary poet Josh Malihabadi.

The event resonated with poetic fervor and literary homage, and Shah reflected on the contributions of Josh Malihabadi. 

He talked about how much he heard about Josh Malihabadi from literary personalities like Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi and Dr Alia Imam.

He appreciated Dr Hilal Naqvi for putting together and organising 26 collections of Josh’s writings, calling it a significant achievement. The interim information minister thanked Iqbal Hyder for using his life’s earnings to build Aiwan-e-Josh. “It’s a great example for everyone,” he said.

He mentioned that if Chief Minister Justice (retd) Mqbool Baqar had been present in the city, he would have surely attended the ceremony. He promised to try his best to get some help from the government for the Aiwan-e-Josh.

Pakistani writer in Canada Iqbal Hyder contributed for the construction of the building of Aiwan-e-Saddar, who gave it to the Urdu Development Society as a gift for the Urdu Garden. The organisers and participants were praised for making the event wonderful.

Renowned poet Iftikhar Arif also spoke at the event, asking the information minister to fix the roads leading to the Urdu Garden and requesting financial support from the Sindh and federal governments to promote this institution.

Josh Malihabadi, a remarkable poet and writer in the Urdu language and literature, was remembered for his masterpiece “Yadon Ki Barat” in both poetry and prose. The ceremony featured speeches and tributes from Dr Alia Imam, Iftikhar Arif, Dr Hilal Naqvi, Prof Sahar Ansari, Dr Jafar Ahmed, Dr Mohammad Raza Kazmi, and many others, along with participation from the city’s famous scholars, writers and artists.

It’s important to note that the inauguration of “Josh’s Pavilion” coincided with the 129th birth anniversary of Josh Malihabadi, who was born in 1894 and passed away in Pakistan in 1982.

CAPTION

Literary personality Dr Aliya Imam speaks at the inauguration of an ‘Aiwan-e-Josh’ pavilion near the Urdu Bagh in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Tuesday. The pavilion is dedicated to the memory of the revolutionary poet Josh Malihabadi — The News photo by Naqeeb Ur Rehman