Ode to a nightingale

Karachi
Fond tributes were heaped on the late poetess Abeda Iqbal Azad at a reference held in her honour at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday evening.
All the speakers spoke very fondly of the lady, who passed away in 2012, and recalled her services to the cause of human rights and the never-ending struggle of workers and the peasants to end the infamy and the injustices heaped on them by capitalists and feudal, respectively.
Zaib-e-Azkar, chairman of the Karachi Press Club Literary Committee, in his tribute to the departed, said that she was not only a poetess but also a human rights activist. In particular, he praised her diction which, he said, was very profound and expressive.
Mohatarma Tanvir Rauf said, “I got to know her real self through her poems and got to be acquainted with all her sublime qualities.” She also presented an English translation of her verses. This included a translation of her poem, “Mere Jaane Ke Baad” (After I am gone).
Hanif Omar, in his tribute, said that Abeda took the literary world by storm, expressing her love for the oppressed and the victims of injustice through her verse.
Humaira Siddiqui praised the originality of Abeda’s verse. She said that Abeda was so very precise in the presentation of her thoughts and made them come alive in such a profound manner.
Syed Sakhawat Anveri said that the tumours of injustice and oppression had to be removed surgically and that is precisely what Abeda did through her poetry.
Abeda’s sister Shazia Taslim said, “She’s no more but she’ll always be with me on account of her contribution to my life.” Her upbringing, she added, was very cultured.
She gave a brief biography of Abeda and told the gathering that Abeda was actually a medical graduate. Abeda, she said, could never forget the highly intellectual air and the rich heritage of the area that was formerly East Pakistan. Wasi Haider also spoke and eulogised the lady’s poetic talents.