November 19, 2008	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 20, 1429

KARACHI: Art lovers get attracted to creative individuals like moth to flame. That’s precisely why in Oriental culture there exists a very strong and undefiled mentor-protégé tradition. Ghalib had a long list of followers. Iqbal too had his share of fans. And Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s list of admirers is as long as his struggle for the underprivileged.

Agha Nasir is one huge Faiz lover. When the revered poet was alive, Agha Nasir had many an opportunity to interact with him and take a peek into his uncomplicated but extraordinary life. In his book Hum Jeetey Ji Masroof Rahey, he has narrated, while discussing the background to no fewer than 100 of Faiz’s celebrated nazms and ghazals, quite a few of those moments of interaction primarily to express his inordinate admiration for the poet, and to bring to light some facets to his life and poetry that were hitherto hidden from public eye.

On Tuesday evening, the book Hum Jeetey Ji Masroof Rahey was celebrated at the Arts Council, Karachi with considerable fanfare. It was a programme attended by the literati in big numbers. Poet Jamiluddin Aali presided over the event, whereas adviser to the Sindh governor Yousuf Jamal was chief guest.

Columnist Hasan Zaheer read a certain portion from one of his forthcoming columns praising Agha Nasir’s effort, and said that though the book saw the light of day a tad late, it’s worth the wait.

Dr Jaffer Ahmed presented a critical view of the book and spoke of the time when talking about Faiz had become fashionable, and filthy rich industrialists hanged posters and pictures of the poet in their drawing rooms. Dr Jaffer Ahmed said that before Hum Jeetey Ji Masroof Rahey, some known critics had tried to dissect Faiz’s poetry, but Agha Nasir’s book has dealt with the subject in detail.

Poetess Shahida Hasan made an interesting comment. She compared Faiz Ahmed Faiz to continents, arguing that his life and works need to be explored on a regular basis. She said the book is not only meant for literary buffs, but those who have a slight interest in literature can comprehend it.

Professor Sahar Ansari opined that the book is a significant step towards understanding Faiz. He said Agha Nasir was a man of ‘vision’ even before he became a televisionary.

Critic Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui congratulated Agha Nasir on coming up with a valuable contribution to Urdu literature. Speaking on Faiz, Dr Siddiqui said the poet had command over a number of disciplines, including religion and Pakistani politics, and could dilate on them with unparalleled eloquence, but shied away from talking about himself. He argued that Hum Jeetey Ji Masroof Rahey is a worthy example of ‘sociology of literature’ – a subject that’s not taught in Pakistan the way it ought to be. He said not many people know that Faiz’s famous couplet Wo baat saarey fasaney mein jis ka zikr na tha/ Wo baat un ko buhat nagawar guzir hai, was written against the backdrop of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, because of which Faiz was unjustly imprisoned. Dr Siddiqui likened the book to the famous primer written on T. S Eliot’s poetry.

Playwright Fatima Surraya Bajia, who attended the event on behalf of her sister Zehrah Nigah, recounted a few anecdotes from Faiz’s life, which made everybody smile.

Addressing the well-attended function, Agha Nasir talked about Faiz’s association with Karachi. He said Faiz’s poem Lahoo Ka Suragh was inspired by the bloody events that followed a procession which was taken out in Karachi after Ayub Khan won an election against Mohatarma Fatima Jinnah.

Yousuf Jamal discussed ‘universality’ in Faiz’s poetry and commented that the poet’s real identity was his ‘humanism’.

Poet Jamiluddin Aali showed unstinted generosity while praising Hum Jeetey Ji Masroof Rahey and claimed that it’s the best critical and research work that has come out in the last 150 years. This made difficult for the author of the book to hide his blushes. According to Aali, not only has Agha Nasir set a trend, but made it burdensome for the coming generations of critics to measure up to it, because of the way he has given references to world affairs vis-ŕ-vis the poems he has selected in the book.

Poet Javed Saba ably hosted the programme and Secretary Arts Council Karachi Mohammad Ahmed Shah extended his thanks to all those who had gathered.