HYDERABAD: Scholars at a programme on Shaikh Ayaz held on the 22nd death anniversary of the poet on Saturday said in unison that Ayaz was a creator of various colours and emerged as an iconoclastic figure in Sindhi literature.

They were speaking at the event titled “Shaikh Ayaz’s personality and art” at Dr N.A. Baloch Hall in Sindhi Language Authority late on Saturday evening.

Prof Noor Ahmed Janjhi said that Ayaz was an artist of Sindhi literature, language and thought and he even strove hard to understand the reality of death in his last days. His poetry was imbued with high human values that essential Sindhi traditions, he said.

Writer Saher Gul bhatti said that Ayaz’s poetry teemed with subjects of patriotism and selfless love and he enunciated every dimension of the feeling in a highly aesthetic manner. He even presented death as an inevitable, acceptable fact, he said.

Madad Ali Sindhi said that Ayaz was a great man of letters and there was still need to research various phases of his life. He had studied minutely the struggle for political and national freedom and his research work reflected his acute sense of observation, he said.

Ayaz’s poetry had certain dimensions including selfless love, affection for fellow humans and motivation for revolution. Poets such as Shaikh Ayaz were born after centuries, he said.

Sindhi Language Authority’s secretary Shabnam Gul said that Ayaz was an institution in his person and he had devoted his life to youths of Sindh. She revered him as a creator of different colours as his poetry and prose encompassed all beautiful colours, she said.

Dr Ishaq Samejo, chairman of University of Sindh’s Sindhi department, called for researching Ayaz’s poetic work in order to discover more unexplored aspects of his poetry. He was a studious writer who also focused on worldly issues, he said.

Intellectual Shaukat Hussain Shoro said that Ayaz’s poetry as well as prose were unmatched. He explained that Ayaz story of a smiling girl written in his early period was a marvelous piece of writing and it prevailed over all his prose work. His prose too like his poetry must be eulogized, he said.

Ali Akash, a young scholar, said that Ayaz was a revolutionary writer and, therefore, he had to face tough times as well for his ideas including jail sentences. His poetry became classical after he had had opportunity to travel for a longer period, he said.

Other scholars including Dr Anwar Figar Hakro, Dr Mohammad Ali Manjhi, Nadeem Malik, Dr Fayyaz Latif, Naseer Mirza, Naz Sehto, Mumtaz Bukhari, Aziz Gopang, Izhar Soomro and others also spoke at the programme.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2019