KARACHI, Dec 18: Octogenarian poet Syed Asghar Hussain, popularly known as Raghib Moradabadi, was the guest at the Pakistan Arts Council on Wednesday.
Among those who paid lavish tributes to the poet were Prof Farman Fatehpuri, Mr Jamiluddin Aali, Prof Saher Ansari, Sarshar Siddiqui and Naqqash Kazmi. Ms Khushbakht, the council’s vice-president, also spoke on the occasion.
Prof Farman Fatehpuri, recalling his association with Raghib, spread over six decades, said the later’s command over poetry, in all its forms and genres and nuisances, was commendable, and he could see no one in Pakistan who could challenge his superiority his “badeeh goi” (instant versification).
Earlier, Sarshar Siddiqui, who had accompanied Raghib at an Umra visit, informed the audience of how the later had composed his spiritual experience in ‘rubaiyat’, starting from the first step of the pious journey till the last one.
Jamiluddin Aali had many amusing memories to recall.
He said he had known
‘Ustad’ Raghib from the time they both were engaged with clerical assignments in the central secretariat 1950-51 and took ‘free lunches’, of course with promises of later payments, at a roadside lunch house.
He admired Raghib for his human qualities, a person who spoke no ill against anyone and never indulged in backbiting. Aali also recalled his meeting in those days with late Jalib, and said Raghib had contributed at least ten per cent in the making of Jalib as an accomplished poet.
Saher Ansari admired Raghib Moradabadi for his generosity in founding an academy to the benefit of contemporary writers. — H.A
