HYDERABAD: Eminent artist Zia Mohyeddin enthralled the audience with his recital of poetry of Shaikh Ayaz and prose of Pitras Bukhari and Mushtaq Yusufi at a programme held at the Mehran Arts Council here on Thursday night.

The programme was organised by Ehbab Mohibban-i-Urdu, whose patron is Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan MNA Sabir Kaimkhani, to mark ‘Yaum-i-Nifaz-i-Urdu’ observed in the country on Feb 25.

Kaimkhani had been instrumental in organising this event for the last three years.

“I am humbled and indebted,” said Zia Mohyeddin while expressing his gratitude for love and affection shown by event organisers and audience of the programme.

“I didn’t get such a large number of fabrics [in gift] when I got married and I regret why I didn’t get married in Hyderabad,” he said in a lighter vein while alluding to presentation of Rajasthani turban.

Entertains audience with excerpts from humorous prose of Mushtaq Yusufi and Pitras Bukhari

“There are tears in my eyes in lieu of this love”, he told the audience.

He read out excerpts from biography of Maulvi Nazir Ahmed written about 125 years ago by master Urdu prose writer, Mirza Farhatullah Baig. He said Baig wrote the biography Maulvi Nazir Ahmed ki kahani — kuch unki kuch meri zabani in a new fashion which was not written before.

Zia kept switching over to Shaikh Ayaz’s poetry in Urdu translation during his reading of excerpts from great Urdu humour writer Mushtaq Yusufi’s books and Pitras’s humorous piece. When he read Yusufi’s character, Mirza Abdul Wadood Baig, the audience responded with laughter.

“Pitras had laid the foundation of literary humour,” he remarked, and said that none could produce the kind of satire produced by Ibn-i-Insha. He said that Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz’s poetry had been nicely translated into Urdu. He also recited Pitras’s Maibal aur mein and received applause.

“Your love and passion for Urdu dragged me to Hyderabad,” he said finishing his talk with famous poem Hassan Kooza gar.

Earlier, MNA Sabir Kaimkhani spoke to the audience and said that the journey for creation of Pakistan had started 100 years ago and 100 years do not matter in the history of nations. Today all nations are taking pride in their nationhood. We should take pride in being called Sindhi, Pakhtun, Punjabi, Baloch, Seraiki and Mohajir. All those living in Pakistan could take this country forward, he said.

Shields were presented to late Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai and banjo player Aziz Warsi.

Mashkoor Zai received posthumous shield for his brother.

MNA Salahuddin and humour writer and broadcaster Ishrat Ali Khan also spoke.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2021