MARKING the hundredth anniversary of his birth, the session on Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi was worth every moment. From the very beginning right through to the very end, it kept the audience involved and in the process paid wonderful tribute to the man who is known not just as a poet and fiction writer, but also as an editor of a literary journal through which he promoted the young and the worthy, especially — though not exclusively — those inhabiting the literary backwaters in small towns and even villages. The credit for such a wonderful session, which for sure was one of the highlights of the conference, was shared in equal measure by Naheed Qasmi and Kishwar Naheed.

Naheed Qasmi, a PhD scholar in her own right, read out a paper capturing her father’s love for the human and the humanity that is reflected in both his prose and poetry. Making her points eloquently in a lively tone without being bombastic or rhetorical — much as her father would have preferred — Naheed Qasmi quoted extremely relevant examples that elicited a spontaneous and appreciative response from the audience.

Just as Naheed Qasmi finished her paper, Kishwar Naheed overruled moderator Irfan Javed and encouraged her to talk about Qasmi the father. The interactive discussion between Naheed Qasmi and Kishwar Naheed — lasting no more than five or so minutes — brought out the family man that Qasmi was and how he practiced what he preached. The humility with which the two talked about Qasmi — father to one, mentor to both — was genuine and touched the audience’s heart.

Taking a cue from it all, Asghar Nadeem Syed and Ataul Haq Qasmi, both self-confessed Qasmi disciples, recalled wonderfully hilarious episodes from the rich and active life that the man lived. Audience engagement was at its optimum level every inch of the way, making it a wholesome session on all counts.

Unfortunately, the case with the session dedicated to Faiz Ahmed Faiz was everything but meaningful or engaging. To start with, there were too many speakers and most of them had nothing worthwhile to say. It was journalist and rights activist I.A. Rehman who did the rescue act by quoting relevant verses to somehow match the narrative with the theme of the session, ‘Faiz aur aman-i-aalam’ [Faiz and global peace].

Respected poet Zehra Nigah, whose family had a long association with Faiz while he was in London, also provided some value addition though she only touched upon Faiz the person, which was not what the session was about.

Ironically, one of the speakers stressed that Faiz was a firm believer in the Gandhian maxim that one should speak only when one can improve upon the silence. With such a tough benchmark, Faiz would have preferred silence over much that was said during the session. —H.I.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 11th, 2016