KARACHI, Dec 17: Intellectuals say every man has a child within that sometimes emerges and manifests. But, there are very few people who live with one’s child throughout one’s life and prove them epitome of innocence when they leave this world where this commodity has little value.
A meeting was held on Friday night to remember Jon Eliya on his fourth anniversary. Jon was a man who loved poetry and lived for poetry and the speakers shared some minute fragments of his life, which were enough to prove that innocence was integral part of his soul and body that even if he could have tried to do away with, he would have not succeeded. Jon Eliya, whom many believe a fusion of persona, poet and philosopher, would often think that his life had gone waste but a packed hall of Anjuman Sadaat-e-Amroha showed that still there were hundreds of people, as a matter of fact thousands, who love him, recall fond memories and shed tears for him in their solitude.
It was heartening for the organisers and the lovers of Jon Eliya that hundreds of people, with equal numbers of women and youngsters, had braved one of the worst traffic jams of Karachi caused by the security measures for a one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and West Indies to reach Federal B Area where every street had been clogged with vehicles.
What made the event more special was the presence of youngsters in a literary programme. The city’s literati has a common complaint that youth is losing interest with the literary activities in a city, which was known for cultural and literary bustle just a few decades ago.
This gathering, for a man who is often called a nihilist, showed youth has still a visible contact with literature, they turn up substantially if a force like Jon Eliya is there to sail them through.
“People are losing interest with literature because big writers and poets have died and the vacuum thus caused is not being filled. Jon Eliya was a missing link of the great classical poets, he was not of this world but we are lucky ones to be his contemporaries,” an intellectual said.Aneeq Ahmed, secretary of the Arts Council Karachi and one of Eliya’s lovers and lieutenants who conducted the proceedings, complained of thin attendance of the city’s poets, writers and intellectuals in the programme.
“Jon Eliya deserves more than that,” Mr Ahmed said with prompt addition that the number Eliya’s admirers present here was commendable.
The city’s traffic jam delayed the programme for a couple hours. Writer and TV compare Anwer Maqsood, who had arrived on time along with sister poetess Zehra Nigah in time, was the first to read his brief paper based on memories of his decades-long association with Eliya.
He said Jon was undoubtedly among the greatest Urdu poets of all time. “Jon let his lifestyle completely reflected in his poetry and kept its pace with all the twists and turns he experienced in his life,” Maqsood said.
“He had the imagination power filled with poetry and he had his own diction and style, which helped him not to be inspired by any of his contemporaries and the predecessors.”
Maqsood said Jon had great respect and admiration for Mir Taqi Mir for more than one reasons. Jon would often say that the great-grandfather of his great-grandfather was disciple of Mir.
“Jon Bhai used to say that there were many people who had patronised Ghalib but Mir was all alone who had no one but to patronise himself.”
Zahra Nigah said Jon would treat him like his sister and share all the problems and enigmas he would suffer during his life filled with gloom and grief.
“When a creative mind mixes his personal grief with the grief of his people, it spawns great creations, great poetry,” Ms Nigah said.
She said late Eliya was a thorough intellectual and philosopher whom on his credit were huge volumes of translations and his own creations.
“He was the king of metaphors and similes and he created his own symbols that became universal afterwards. Yet, he was alone in the crowd,” said Nigah.
Painter Shahid Rassam shared his close association with the late poet and gave some thoughtful insights about Eliya. He quoted Jon as once saying, “Being is language of thought”. That quote left many in the audience wondering as of which great thought Jon was representing as a being.
Mr Rassam said Jon remained in the rhythm of his poetry throughout his life. “He was like a painting that desires for happiness in gloomy way.”
Dr Hilal Naqvi paid poetic tribute to Jon Eliya and called him the ‘Buddha of modern times’.
Aneeq Ahmed said Jon was a great philosopher whose worth would be assessed by the generations to come. He said Jon had written more than a hundred thousand couplets and verses till 1970 and his contribution to Urdu poetry and translation in later years was also rich and countless.
Organisers Ali Ashraf and Abbas Naqvi also spoke. Syed Javed Hassan recited Jon’s poetry.
Later, singers Salamat Ali, Azra Salamat and others sang Jon’s poetry and kept the audience.
KARACHI, Dec 17: Intellectuals say every man has a child within that sometimes emerges and manifests. But, there are very few people who live with one’s child throughout one’s life and prove them epitome of innocence when they leave this world where this commodity has little value.
