Poetry in the days of loadshedding

Thanks to my friend Mazharul Islam, I already knew the young poet as some time back he had sent me his (Muzaffar’s) first collection of verse, Inheraf, with a back cover prologue to his person and poetry so profuse, meeting him in person could well have been a formality had he not on emerging in person proved so bigger than and fuller of himself. Casual in shirt sleeves and trousers his gear comprised a big winsome smile, a couple of copies of his maiden book in a wrap and a slip of paper in his pocket that he had written his in-flight verses on. Those verses he assured us were both uncrafted and unexpurgated, as they should have been, being part of a ‘Divine Plan’ that in his book he describes his poetry to be.

Muzaffar Mumtaz doesn’t tell us what his mentor Saqi Faruqi thinks about his poetry but Mazharul Islam has quite a few things to say about him: “Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry hasn’t a word less or in excess ... in the art and thought of his verse not a point can be added or deducted. Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry is the example of that wise man’s dictum which holds that even if a drop from the total water content of the world were to be taken out, the whole world will die of thirst. It is for this reason that I believe Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry will be read as the bible of the seasons of love and agony.”

Mazharul Islam can ride a leaf to ascend into states of ecstasy. That is part of his yarn maker’s art.

Listening to poetry with friends in the days of loadshedding can often be more fulfilling than lengthy events in literary halls. In addition to city’s cognoscenti Masud Mufti and Rashid Ansari, our hostess had also invited two other poets, Abida Taqi and Talat Faruq, who read from their poetry to lend the sitting an ambience of a mini mushaera. Abida Taqi’s is a familiar face in Islamabad’s literary circles but Talat whose first collection of verse (Titli ke rang hazar) has only recently been published, I, no socialite myself, had not known before.

Introducing her, Shabnam said Talat’s poems were testimony to the rich and brilliant poetry some of our new women poets were writing. But this was not coming to light as these poets had no lobby to publicise or promote their work. Talat read two poems, one dedicated to Lebanon and the other addressed to her son on his 14th birthday. The quiet sentiment, fresh outlook and elegant expression of these poems had us all nodding in appreciation. The poet from Oslo was generous with his words of praise that he showered on every verse and line with an open heart. When he rose to depart he sure was a happier man, and we all wished more force to his pen (Allah kare zor-i-qalam aur ziada).

H H H H H

BAZM-I-ILM-O-DANISH: A progressive literary organisation, Bazm-i-Ilm-o-Danish, that was formed in Karachi many years back and had remained active through the dark days of General Zia’s rule, has been revived in the federal capital by some of the founding members who have moved here in recent years. The aim is to discuss literature, art, society, politics and related matters. At its first meeting last month, poet and writer, Tauqir Chughtai, the Bazm secretary, read a paper on the Jain religion giving the history of its rise in the subcontinent, the central tenets of its philosophy and the role it has played over the centuries in the social, political and creative field of arts as a pacifist movement. Chughtai has edited the monthly Urdu magazine, Jafakash, Karachi for 15 years.

At its second session last month the Bazm arranged a sitting with the American broadcaster, journalist and writer David Barsamian who talked about the corporate media’s distortions of facts in the service of imperialism for keeping the world in a state of tension and disequilibrium.

He also talked about the alternative media and his radio programme. His talk generated discussion on the role and prospects of Left movements in the US.

The third and the latest meeting of the Bazm was held early this month. Dr Naazir Mehmood read a chapter from the Urdu translation of Dr Ayesha Siddiqua’s book, Military Inc. The participants of the discussion were of the opinion that the Raj had transformed this part of the South Asian Subcontinent into a garrison state to stop the invasion of the Russian Csars and later the Bolsheviks, a role that Pakistan under its army dictators has loyally played into the advent of this century by preventing democracy from taking roots and keeping progressive movements in check.

The Bazm plans to invite intellectuals, academics, writers, poets and artists to discuss the issues facing Pakistan and how their solution could be given a progressive, secular and objective direction. Prominent among those who have attended these sessions are Aslam Azhar, Ashfaq Saleem Mirza, Dr Anis Zaidi, Prof Zafar Ali Khan, Iqbal Bali, Baba Rifaat Hussain, Qadeer Baig, Nasreen Azhar, Mrs Sanobar and Yasmin Ali. Masha’Allah! Could an Urdu poet be in better health and in such contagious cheer, bursting with life and surfeit of poetry that flowed and flew all the way from Oslo to Islamabad, we wondered as he almost sang his verses to the company’s great delight. Our good friend and elegant hostess, Shabnam Shakeel, had had him specially flown from the Arctic neighbourhood to bring some cool to the sizzling federal capital and introduce him to a select circle of her friends.

Thanks to my friend Mazharul Islam, I already knew the young poet as some time back he had sent me his (Muzaffar’s) first collection of verse, Inheraf, with a back cover prologue to his person and poetry so profuse, meeting him in person could well have been a formality had he not on emerging in person proved so bigger than and fuller of himself. Casual in shirt sleeves and trousers his gear comprised a big winsome smile, a couple of copies of his maiden book in a wrap and a slip of paper in his pocket that he had written his in-flight verses on. Those verses he assured us were both uncrafted and unexpurgated, as they should have been, being part of a ‘Divine Plan’ that in his book he describes his poetry to be.

Muzaffar Mumtaz doesn’t tell us what his mentor Saqi Faruqi thinks about his poetry but Mazharul Islam has quite a few things to say about him: “Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry hasn’t a word less or in excess ... in the art and thought of his verse not a point can be added or deducted. Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry is the example of that wise man’s dictum which holds that even if a drop from the total water content of the world were to be taken out, the whole world will die of thirst. It is for this reason that I believe Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry will be read as the bible of the seasons of love and agony.”

Mazharul Islam can ride a leaf to ascend into states of ecstasy. That is part of his yarn maker’s art.

Listening to poetry with friends in the days of loadshedding can often be more fulfilling than lengthy events in literary halls. In addition to city’s cognoscenti Masud Mufti and Rashid Ansari, our hostess had also invited two other poets, Abida Taqi and Talat Faruq, who read from their poetry to lend the sitting an ambience of a mini mushaera. Abida Taqi’s is a familiar face in Islamabad’s literary circles but Talat whose first collection of verse (Titli ke rang hazar) has only recently been published, I, no socialite myself, had not known before.

Introducing her, Shabnam said Talat’s poems were testimony to the rich and brilliant poetry some of our new women poets were writing. But this was not coming to light as these poets had no lobby to publicise or promote their work. Talat read two poems, one dedicated to Lebanon and the other addressed to her son on his 14th birthday. The quiet sentiment, fresh outlook and elegant expression of these poems had us all nodding in appreciation. The poet from Oslo was generous with his words of praise that he showered on every verse and line with an open heart. When he rose to depart he sure was a happier man, and we all wished more force to his pen (Allah kare zor-i-qalam aur ziada).

H H H H H

BAZM-I-ILM-O-DANISH: A progressive literary organisation, Bazm-i-Ilm-o-Danish, that was formed in Karachi many years back and had remained active through the dark days of General Zia’s rule, has been revived in the federal capital by some of the founding members who have moved here in recent years. The aim is to discuss literature, art, society, politics and related matters. At its first meeting last month, poet and writer, Tauqir Chughtai, the Bazm secretary, read a paper on the Jain religion giving the history of its rise in the subcontinent, the central tenets of its philosophy and the role it has played over the centuries in the social, political and creative field of arts as a pacifist movement. Chughtai has edited the monthly Urdu magazine, Jafakash, Karachi for 15 years.

At its second session last month the Bazm arranged a sitting with the American broadcaster, journalist and writer David Barsamian who talked about the corporate media’s distortions of facts in the service of imperialism for keeping the world in a state of tension and disequilibrium.

He also talked about the alternative media and his radio programme. His talk generated discussion on the role and prospects of Left movements in the US.

The third and the latest meeting of the Bazm was held early this month. Dr Naazir Mehmood read a chapter from the Urdu translation of Dr Ayesha Siddiqua’s book, Military Inc. The participants of the discussion were of the opinion that the Raj had transformed this part of the South Asian Subcontinent into a garrison state to stop the invasion of the Russian Csars and later the Bolsheviks, a role that Pakistan under its army dictators has loyally played into the advent of this century by preventing democracy from taking roots and keeping progressive movements in check.

The Bazm plans to invite intellectuals, academics, writers, poets and artists to discuss the issues facing Pakistan and how their solution could be given a progressive, secular and objective direction. Prominent among those who have attended these sessions are Aslam Azhar, Ashfaq Saleem Mirza, Dr Anis Zaidi, Prof Zafar Ali Khan, Iqbal Bali, Baba Rifaat Hussain, Qadeer Baig, Nasreen Azhar, Mrs Sanobar and Yasmin Ali. Masha’Allah! Could an Urdu poet be in better health and in such contagious cheer, bursting with life and surfeit of poetry that flowed and flew all the way from Oslo to Islamabad, we wondered as he almost sang his verses to the company’s great delight. Our good friend and elegant hostess, Shabnam Shakeel, had had him specially flown from the Arctic neighbourhood to bring some cool to the sizzling federal capital and introduce him to a select circle of her friends.

Thanks to my friend Mazharul Islam, I already knew the young poet as some time back he had sent me his (Muzaffar’s) first collection of verse, Inheraf, with a back cover prologue to his person and poetry so profuse, meeting him in person could well have been a formality had he not on emerging in person proved so bigger than and fuller of himself. Casual in shirt sleeves and trousers his gear comprised a big winsome smile, a couple of copies of his maiden book in a wrap and a slip of paper in his pocket that he had written his in-flight verses on. Those verses he assured us were both uncrafted and unexpurgated, as they should have been, being part of a ‘Divine Plan’ that in his book he describes his poetry to be.

Muzaffar Mumtaz doesn’t tell us what his mentor Saqi Faruqi thinks about his poetry but Mazharul Islam has quite a few things to say about him: “Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry hasn’t a word less or in excess ... in the art and thought of his verse not a point can be added or deducted. Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry is the example of that wise man’s dictum which holds that even if a drop from the total water content of the world were to be taken out, the whole world will die of thirst. It is for this reason that I believe Muzaffar Mumtaz’s poetry will be read as the bible of the seasons of love and agony.”

Mazharul Islam can ride a leaf to ascend into states of ecstasy. That is part of his yarn maker’s art.

Listening to poetry with friends in the days of loadshedding can often be more fulfilling than lengthy events in literary halls. In addition to city’s cognoscenti Masud Mufti and Rashid Ansari, our hostess had also invited two other poets, Abida Taqi and Talat Faruq, who read from their poetry to lend the sitting an ambience of a mini mushaera. Abida Taqi’s is a familiar face in Islamabad’s literary circles but Talat whose first collection of verse (Titli ke rang hazar) has only recently been published, I, no socialite myself, had not known before.

Introducing her, Shabnam said Talat’s poems were testimony to the rich and brilliant poetry some of our new women poets were writing. But this was not coming to light as these poets had no lobby to publicise or promote their work. Talat read two poems, one dedicated to Lebanon and the other addressed to her son on his 14th birthday. The quiet sentiment, fresh outlook and elegant expression of these poems had us all nodding in appreciation. The poet from Oslo was generous with his words of praise that he showered on every verse and line with an open heart. When he rose to depart he sure was a happier man, and we all wished more force to his pen (Allah kare zor-i-qalam aur ziada).

H H H H H

BAZM-I-ILM-O-DANISH: A progressive literary organisation, Bazm-i-Ilm-o-Danish, that was formed in Karachi many years back and had remained active through the dark days of General Zia’s rule, has been revived in the federal capital by some of the founding members who have moved here in recent years. The aim is to discuss literature, art, society, politics and related matters. At its first meeting last month, poet and writer, Tauqir Chughtai, the Bazm secretary, read a paper on the Jain religion giving the history of its rise in the subcontinent, the central tenets of its philosophy and the role it has played over the centuries in the social, political and creative field of arts as a pacifist movement. Chughtai has edited the monthly Urdu magazine, Jafakash, Karachi for 15 years.

At its second session last month the Bazm arranged a sitting with the American broadcaster, journalist and writer David Barsamian who talked about the corporate media’s distortions of facts in the service of imperialism for keeping the world in a state of tension and disequilibrium.

He also talked about the alternative media and his radio programme. His talk generated discussion on the role and prospects of Left movements in the US.

The third and the latest meeting of the Bazm was held early this month. Dr Naazir Mehmood read a chapter from the Urdu translation of Dr Ayesha Siddiqua’s book, Military Inc. The participants of the discussion were of the opinion that the Raj had transformed this part of the South Asian Subcontinent into a garrison state to stop the invasion of the Russian Csars and later the Bolsheviks, a role that Pakistan under its army dictators has loyally played into the advent of this century by preventing democracy from taking roots and keeping progressive movements in check.

The Bazm plans to invite intellectuals, academics, writers, poets and artists to discuss the issues facing Pakistan and how their solution could be given a progressive, secular and objective direction. Prominent among those who have attended these sessions are Aslam Azhar, Ashfaq Saleem Mirza, Dr Anis Zaidi, Prof Zafar Ali Khan, Iqbal Bali, Baba Rifaat Hussain, Qadeer Baig, Nasreen Azhar, Mrs Sanobar and Yasmin Ali.