KARACHI, Dec 27: To appreciate senior ‘naatia’ poet Majid Khaleel for his collection of naats— Roshni Hi Roshni, recipient of the Qaumi Seerat award, a meeting was held at the NIPA auditorium on Thursday, with Dr Farman Fatehpuri in the chair.

The speakers included Prof Yunus Hasni, Prof Saher Ansari, Mr Shaheda Hasan, Azfer Rizvi, and Rizwan Siddiqui.

Mr Majid Khaleel, a well-known ghazal poet, after performing ‘umra’ some two decades ago, underwent a spiritual experience, which inspired him to write naats with commendable success.

At the beginning, Ms Hooria Rafiq recited a naat by Mozaffer Warsi and another by Majid Khaleel, which enthralled the audience.

Majid Khaleel was a true poet, a virtuous person, who did not indulge in exaggeration for worldly acclaim, Dr Fatehpuri said.

Aniq Ahmad, who was conducting the proceedings, said that the recognition Mr Khaleel had gained was the gift of Almighty God, and narrated his own spiritual experience in the poets’ company while travelling for umra.

Prof Yunus Hasni was satisfied to see that the composing of naats, which was just a ritual in old days, had become popular, and now naat collections were appearing on the literary scene.

Prof Saher Ansari noted that the collection was becoming popular with each passing day, adding that Mr Khaleel’s competence in ghazal writing and his choice of appropriate idioms had benefited him in composing naats, which definitely was a valuable addition to the treasure of Urdu naats.

Ms Shaheda Hasan briefly referred to Arabic and Persian naats and also to those written in Urdu by Hali and Iqbal and admired Mr Khaleel for his passion and command in naat writing.

Poet Qamer Warsi paid compliments in poetic form. The meeting was jointly hosted by Academy Ilmi-o-taalim, Bazm-e-Shaoor and some other literary bodies.—H.A.