Salman Sarwat’s poetry collection Khwab Rang launched at ACP

The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi (ACP) on Saturday organised a book launch ceremony for renowned poet Salman Sarwat’s poetry collection ‘Khwab Rang’ at the Haseena Moin Hall.

The event was presided over by Sahar Ansari and featured comments from literary personalities Dr Alia Imam, Firasat Rizvi, Rukhsana Saba, Faheem Shanas Kazmi, Umair Ahmed Khan and Khalid Moin. The event was moderated by Abbas Mumtaz and attended by a large number of literary and intellectual personalities.

Delivering the presidential address, Ansari stated that Khwab Rang was a poetry collection deeply rooted in Karachi and suggested new interpretation of dreams. He noted that Salman had carved his identity through poetry and embraced the culture of literature in a way that brought joy.

He said the poet had presented his thoughts and life experiences through verse. Speaking about modern times, he remarked that technology was no longer limited to television, but even now artificial intelligence could not convey the human passion and awareness.

Dr Alia remarked that ghazal was a beloved form of expression and no matter how much we tried to move away from it, it always drew us back. She observed that Salman’s work reflected deep engagement with the ghazal tradition.

In this chaotic era, the arrival of Khwab Rang is truly a joyous event, she said as she congratulated the poet on the launch of his book.

Firasat remarked that every palace of poetry had at least one window facing society. Salman did not confine his poetry to romantic themes, he said.

The speaker also pointed out that the preface to Khwab Rang felt like an extended prose poem. Salman had touched on the topic of artificial intelligence in his ghazals, aptly noting that although the relationship between body and soul remained unchanged, modern inventions had been reshaping everything around us, Firasat remarked.

Rukhsana shared that the journey through Khwab Rang revealed spontaneous moments where the weight of silence gave rise to rebellious questions. After traversing dreams, Salman delved deep into his inner self and expressed it, she said, adding that the poet often appeared lost in solitude and dreams and his poems covered a vast thematic canvas.

Khalid said that Salman’s poetry collection was one of a kind. He offered the poet his heartfelt congratulations.

In his speech, Salman expressed his gratitude for the support. He reminisced about the days when he used to write only in a diary and never imagined he would be known as a poet. He said he considered himself fortunate to have encountered sincere people throughout his poetic journey.

He praised the efforts of SCP President Mohammad Ahmed Shah, noting significant literary gatherings being held at the ACP. The poet said that his goal in writing poetry — whether ghazal or nazm — was always to convey genuine emotions and truths. He remarked that he now felt that he had succeeded in expressing his inner voice to some extent.