Poets and scholars fondly remember Naseer Turabi

As the Sindh government lifted the ban on cultural activities and gatherings, the Arts Council has duly started to hold condolence references for art luminaries who passed away in recent months.

After a condolence reference for singer SB John on Friday, the Arts Council held an event on Saturday evening to pay tribute to acclaimed poet Naseer Turabi who passed away on January 10 this year.

The event was held at the Arts Council library that is named after Josh Malihabadi, one of the poets revered by Turabi. It was moderated by Shakeel Khan. Senior literary personalities participated in the event virtually and physically and spoke about Turabi's personality and accomplishments, moderated by Shakeel Khan.

Expressing his views online, poetry enthusiast Dr Khursheed Abdullah said, "Naseer Turabi is still alive in our hearts, his friendship was unparalleled and he achieved great things in

his lives.”

Poet and critic Aftab Muztar said the late poet played a great role in raising the bar of literary standards of Karachi. He said Turabi belonged to an intellectual family. The speaker added that in Turabi’s discourse, one could see a personality that not only knew intricacies of Urdu language but also the culture and traditions of where he belonged.

Speaking online, poet and linguist Dr Khursheed Rizvi said he had been saddened by Turabi’s demise. “This year, the corona outbreak took many lives and we lost many dearest friends from literary circle, including Naseer Turabi. His unique style will always be remembered,” he said.

Turabi's son Rashid Turabi also participated virtually in the event. Thanking the Arts Council for remembering his father, he said he I could not muster the courage to speak about his late father who taught his children to respect the elders. “There was nothing worldly in his desires".

Speaking from Canada, poet Shahida Hassan said Turabi's death was a shock to her. Poet Basir Kazmi, who also spoke online, recalled the late poet’s early days, saying that he came as a representative of Karachi’s poetry in his youth. Literary scholar and poet Dr Fatima Hassan read out her article, titled ‘Naseer Turabi ki Shayari or Shayriat’ and discussed the poetics of the late poet.