Hassan Dars’s poetry focused on people’s miseries, public awareness, say speakers

Paying rich tribute to Sindhi poet Hassan Dars on his ninth death anniversary, speakers in an online discussion termed him the “people’s poet” and said his poetry was focused on people’s misery and raising public awareness.

The discussion in connection with marking the death anniversary of Dars was the part of an ongoing series of literary and interactive video sessions during the coronavirus pandemic. Civil society activists Ramesh Raja and Manzoor Ujjan started the initiative.

A large number of poetry lovers and friends of Dars attended the session to recite and discuss the papers on the life and work on Dars, who died in a car accident in June 2011. Young singer Saeed Abid Phul sang his poetry in the session.

Speakers said that Dars was not only a poet but an explorer and visionary author, who was fond of preaching his concept of a “new” and enlightened Sindh -- free from tyranny and stringent traditions.

Raja said Dars’s poetry had combined the spirit and love of the soil and nature with the historical and geographical facts. “His poetry is a beautiful combination and innovation of modern and folk literature derived from his living in the urban centres and wandering in the countryside.” His poetry, enriched with high flow and melodious rhythm, compelled the best singers to sing, he said.

Raja said literature should strive to curb rising extremism and to maintain cultural tolerance, but the silence of writers against rising extremism was disappointing.

Qazi Mashhud from Canada said Dars was a beautiful and well-mannered poet, whose poetry had the melodious sounds of flying birds, nature and common people. “Dars’s poetry is full of love with nature and land. Hassan is forever immortal because of his imagination and charming poetry.”

Senior journalist Mahesh Kumar said that Dars had left us untimely, but today he was the most popular poet of all young hearts and he had become eternal. “We are proud of his poetry and friendship.”

Shah Sheikh remarked that beauty and love in the poetry of Dars was accompanied by echoes of social injustice and oppression. “His poems “Saari Sindh Pirhein Jo Pachho” (Entire Sindh is the shadow of the beloved) and “Asan Hawa Khan Purana Ahiyun” (We are older than air) are his masterpiece.

Ujjan said that Hassan was very sophisticated, sensitive but a wanderer in search of beauty and nature. His poetry is full of beauty and elegance.

Ahmar Nadeem Memon, Dr Khushal Kalani, Danish Parmar, Dr Zeeshan Jatoi, Sethor, Dodo Khatian, Santosh Khatri, Noshin Ajan, Professor Suresh Wadhwani, Murtaza Gohar Salehani, Allahi Bakhsh Mahar, Faqir Mushtaq Hesbani and others also discussed Dars’s work and recited his poetry.