March, 17 2005	Thursday	06 Safar 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 16: Russian scholar Ludmila A. Vaselieva, speaking at a literary function on Wednesday, chronicled debts of gratitude which poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz owed to his predecessor Allama Iqbal. The literary function was hosted by Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) Chairman Iftikhar Arif on Wednesday. The event was presided over by Kishwar Naheed. Ms Vaselieva said Faiz venerated Allama Iqbal and considered him his guide in metaphysics. She spent quite some time discussing Faiz Ahmad Faiz in relation to Allama Iqbal. She said it was well-documented that at different times both Faiz and Iqbal attended the same school and remained students of Scotch College in Sialkot and Government College, Lahore.

A story is told that at one time Faiz visited a store which was stocked with poetry books of many of the greats of Urdu literature, such as Ghalib, Hali and Iqbal. The storekeeper encouraged him to take the books home. Faiz studied the poems written by the great poets and was sufficiently inspired to compose his own poetry.

Nonetheless, at home Faiz was never encouraged to write poetry, but the real break came when he attended a Mushaira at Government College, Lahore presided over by Allama Iqbal. Faiz was filled with dread at the presence of a poet of the calibre of Mohammad Iqbal, and he decided not to read his poetry. But his teacher Sufi Tabassum dragged him to the stage and beckoned him to read verses eulogizing Allama Iqbal. The reputation of Faiz as a good poet was thus established after this incident.

Ms Vaslieva said these were small but significant events to establish the profound debt that Faiz owed to Iqbal. The scholar said Faiz had great liking for the Soviet Union which bestowed on him Lenin’s peace prize.

She said he wrote some of the most romantic and beautiful poetry in Moscow. She enjoyed the privilege of being Faiz’s translator during his Soviet visits. She said she was too small a person to lay claim to Faiz’s friendship but she admired and respected him immensely as a literary person.

She interpreted the rush on the part of eminent Russian poets to translate his lofty poetry because the Soviet writers felt the intense agony born out of the realization that good days promised by the Russian revolution had resulted in disenchantment.

In translating verses like ‘Eh Dagh Dagh Ujala/Yeh Sham Gazeed Sahr’, the Russian intellectuals were in fact giving went to their own depressed feelings in the stifled condition that prevailed in their country. Another reason could be that they regarded Faiz as their ambassador who connected them to the world outside. The connection was not possible for Soviet citizens, especially the intellectual class which could not travel outside the iron curtain that Russia had then become.

In the days preceding the end of Soviet Union, Faiz grew restive and heartbroken that the vision of shaping mankind to a happy era of abundance, equality, freedom and happiness which he had anticipated had come to nothing.

Thus Faiz had a prophetic insight to see that things would crumble. He then found refuge in returning to the possibility that the effort might be renewed at home in Pakistan.

In this regard, Ms Vaselieva also spoke of the difficulty in translating Ghazals for western audiences who, she said, would simply not understand the mood or the way of life these portrayed.

She also mentioned Kishwar Naheed and Iftikhar Arif’s relationship with Faiz, saying he would often mention them with great affection. Iftikhar Arif mentioned Ms Vaselieva’s profound interest in Urdu literature and her unique biography on Faiz written in Russian language. She was translating the biography both in English and Urdu which would soon be available in Pakistan.

He said Ms Vaselieva was also planning a book which would contain documents and manuscripts in the handwriting of Faiz. Kishwar Naheed narrated a number of events connected with the great poet.