SAHIWAL: Majeed Amjad, renowned Urdu poet and critic, was remembered on Sunday in a seminar organised at the Seminar Hall, Government Postgraduate College.

Aizad Aziz, a local poet, told the audience that Amjad was born in Jhang but he shifted to Sahiwal in 1946 and spent the last 28 years of his life in the city until his death. He retired from the food department in 1972 and died silently in his residence at Farid Town in 1974. During the last years of his life, Amjad had confined himself to his house and met a few people, he added.

“He used to ask his servant to lock the gate from outside whenever he (the servant) had to go out for any work. He would lock himself in his house on weekends also.”

Dr Anwar, a guest speaker from Multan, said Amjad was a harmless and innocent human being. He discussed at length a poem which had the character of a Panwari’s child replacing his father after death at the shop.

“He artistically shows miseries of the poor children who are forced to do labour and whose childhood is lost in supporting their families. Describing the misery of such children, he questions God’s unquestioned authority of distribution of resources.”

Majeed also highlighted hypocrisy of society in ignoring miseries of its members and he fought against such hypocrisy all his life but could not change the society, Dr Anwar said, adding Majeed had highlighted contradictions of society but he showed his readers life’s beauty in the face of ugliness.

Waris Ansari said although Amjad had fewer admirers as compared to Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Noon Meem Rashid yet his stature was not less than them as many critics saw “philosophical depth and poetic sensitivity” in him.

Prof Ikhlaq Hussain also spoke. A number of students, teachers and admirers of Amjad’s poetry attended the seminar.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2016