Poetry sprouting from poet’s own experiences

Ghum dainay ko meray leeyay ghumkhaar bohat hain

Es shehr mein mar jaanay kay aasaar bohat hain

Riaz Nadeem Niazi’s poetry collection ‘Yaadoun Kay Bhanwar’ is not entirely ornamental and syrupy. It contains the soul of the poet’s views and moods and visibly stems from the poet’s own experiences. Remarkably, the poems are fairly unpretentious but smart, with deep and potent undertones. The style is equally traditional and contemporary.

The refrain of Nadeem’s poetry is routine life: affairs such as love, associations and friends. Some of his verses reverberate with most devotees of poetry:

Yeh kaisa shehr hai yeh kaisi busti

Har ek naashna hai aur main houn

Mitti mein mil kay heeray ki ranghat wohi rahi

Aflaas mein bhi apni sharafat wohi rahi

As a poet and fan of poetry, I relished some of his poetry and it spoke to me while specific ones I did not slightly comprehend, but recurrent reading may divulge its ambiguities. Such has been the nature of poetry always.

Nadeem’s poetry cannot be read all at once, but is enjoyed piecemeal and sometimes over a couple of hours for the impression to be completely felt. To really fathom his poetry, more than one reading is necessary. His all-embracing poetry may not lure everyone, but such is the kind of the poetry.

His poetry is nicely written and stress-free reading. I felt the anguish in several of his verses and they unfold his life story in enormous detail. In fact, the best parts of his poetry are based on his subjective experiences. They truly disclose Niazi’s talent as a poet:

Youn tu Nadeem waqt nein sab kutch badal deeya

Mousam badal sakay na dilay sogawaar kay

Nadeem’s poetry seems to be a modest read in which the reader can guzzle his sentiments in under a half-hour. However, like sugary juice, this book cannot be gulped down, but needs to be savored.

His poetic contemplations are comparable to the lilac bunch that needs to be gasped and his interesting themes need to be spun around in the mind and the heart. Moreover, his unaffected feelings need to be reviewed like an enthusiast of lilac asking for extra refreshing inhale.

Nadeem’s ghazals are artless yet profound and show the author's diverse dispositions on the commonplace and at times unpleasant events in life:

Yeh kaisa shehr hai yeh kaisi busti

Har ek naashna hai aur main houn

His poetry collection is not archetypal work of poetry where ornate speech is captured and tempting words of love and piety are expressed. It is a stimulating gathering of unassuming flowing lines that depict real life situations and possibly appeal to the reader for meditation:

Aadar se rakhta hee naheen rabto taaluk

Jis shakhs ki jaiboun mein yahan daamo diram hai

Dil mein hai koi baat zubaan par hai koi baat

Ahbaab kay parday mein adaakaar bohat hain

Nadeem’s ghazals and nazms clearly have a personal touch, or else, they are his own observation about life, as well as the things he came in touch with in his everyday life. The subject matter of his poetry is connected with the people:

Mujay yeh shoukay mosalsal safar mein rakhta hai

Janoonay isq kahan qaid ghar mein rakhta hai

His poetry isn’t just a material written for the sake of writing but it talks about the incidents that are commonly happening these days:

Sheroun mein saadgi se bayan kar deeyay gayay

Jo tajrabay thay hastiyay napayaydar kay