KARACHI: Poetry collections from Zeeshan Sahil totalling nine, spanned over a period of 18 years (1985-2003), were presented on Sunday at an evening with the poet — unique in his form and contents — before a select gathering of writers, his ardent admirers and, of course, most loving family members.

Sahil’s three collections, Jang Ke Dinoon Mein, E-Mail Aur Doosri Nazmain and Shabnama Aur Doosri Nazmain were reviewed by Dawn (Books and Authors’) on the same day. His first collection Arina had appeared in 1985.

Asad Mohammad Khan, a noted fiction writer in his essay contented that during the ongoing environmental changes, that man too was undergoing changes from within and that the spirit of our age (rooh-i-aser) was now devoid of human feelings, being ruled by ‘ghosts and ghouls’. Fascinated by Zeeshan’s poetry, he said the poet was a civilized conscious, well-informed and an active person having a strong link with his past. His selection of topics reflected a highly sensitive and imaginative mind and so was his poetic form, gifted by self-discipline. His poetry, Asad Khan said, helped the reader to understand the age we were living in.

He quoted the remarks by some learned and creative writers who, after going through Zeeshan’s poetry, found it “incredible, fantastic and highest form of poetry gifted from God.” In his emotionally choked voice, Asad Khan announced that he would write a book on Zeeshan’s poetry.

Afzaal Ahmad Syed, himself a noted poet, admired Zeeshan for his symbols and fascinating images, his ‘star-studded’ verses and his unfailing capacity to transform anything under the sun into his meaningful symbol. He was well aware of the life’s own contradictions and had a conviction that the world was not created for the evil to prevail but for beauty and love to enrich the soul. Zeeshan Sahil, he said, was a post modernist poet having acquired a deep political understanding and was very creative during the days of crisis. He depicted Karachi’s traumatic years of 1982-94 and on the war in Iraq, in two different volumes, showing a growing sign of political influence on his poetry.

Earlier, Adeeb Farhan read out an article on Zeeshan Sahil in the context of modern creative writings.

Saman Zohra, Zeeshan’s niece, presented a touching paper paying tributes to his ‘chachoo’ and recalling his creative moments.

Syed Roshan Zamir, a senior bureaucrat and Zeeshan’s cousin coming from a family of highly learned persons, the noted Persian scholar Wazirul Hasan Abedi being his uncle, spoke about the cultural and literary life of the yore specially in Sindh and lamented that Urdu poetry, since having been de-linked from Persian, was losing contact with the subcontinent’s great cultural past.

He presided over the deliberations. Rafiq Ahmad Naqash hosted the evening.—HA