KARACHI, March 1: The noted artist widely known for his calligraphic art and a merited poet for composing rubaiyat (quatrains), Sadequain was remembered at the gallery named after him - Sadequain Institute of Art in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The function, chaired by Karachi University's Vice Chancellor Pirzada Qasim, was addressed by eminent artist A.R. Nagori, Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui, Ali Haider Malik, Dr Helal Naqvi, poet and religious figure Peer Ghulam Mojaddid-Saeen Baba and Sadequain's nephew S.M. Sibtain. Iqbal Majeedi paid tribute in verses.

Dr Pirzada Qasim observed that a genius like Sadequain with his tremendous work in art and poetry could not be adjudged in a few articles, and that his multifarious contributions require a PhD on him. When just one piece of his work the exhibition of Holy Sinner-took one whole year to goby, one can imagine the volume of his work.

His choice of cactus for a symbol was really amazing as it covered the entire life, he was passing through-the tyrannical social order, and agonies of torture and killings in society, Dr Peerzada said.

At the outset, Zafer Mohyuddin general secretary of Bazm-i-Kahkashan briefly introduced Sadequain who had composed 1,500 quatrains in a short period and through his calligraphic out, carried Pakistan's flag in all the corners of the world.

A.R. Nagori paid lavish complements to Sadequain, who had throughout his life fought against hypocrisy and despotic rule. He was anti-imperialist and his entire work in cacti presented loud protest against despotism and the triumph of man over the environment as if valiantly calling "Look, here I stand".

Sadequain's figurative art was at par to international standards, he said regretting that though acknowledged at Paris Art Exhibition, he was ignored by the bureaucrats in Pakistan.

Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui remembered that Sadequain in 1948 was his drawing teacher at the school and taught many other things in literature and culture. The output of his work, Ali Siddiqui said, was for above than the work of many other masters of world repute. He advised that art teachers and students from art schools should be invited to such functions so that they could know about their great masters.

Dr Waseemuddin compared the rubaiyat from Sadequain with those of other masters like Firaq and Josh and found those equally fascinating. Dr Hilal Naqvi recited a few lines from an elegy that Sadequain had composed in 1980 while he was in Amroha during Muharram. He had gone there after a gap of several years and this visit was so inspiring that he wrote 80 stanzas (bund).

Ali Haider Malik and Baba Saeen too spoke on the poetry of Sadequain. Azfar Rizvi, the president of Daira adab-o-saqafat, thanked the guests. Javed Manzer did the compering.