LAHORE: Urdu poets Iftikhar Arif and Kishwar Naheed, in separate sessions at the Faiz Festival, shared memories of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and interesting anecdotes from their life and their meetings with him on Sunday.

In his session titled, Faiz Manzoor-i-Nazar, Ifitkhar Arif remembered that when he joined the Pakistan Television, he started meeting Faiz more.

“In Karachi station, mushairas started happening but there was once a project for dramatisation of good Urdu novels and I selected three novels, namely Khadija Mastoor’s Aangan, Abdullah Hussain’s Udas Naslain and Shaukat Siddiqui’s Khuda Ki Basti. Faiz suggested it to me to produce Khuda Ki Basti first,” he said.

Shaukat Siddiqui suggested to Iftikhar Arif to get the dramatisation of his novel done by Faiz who gladly did it and wrote seven episodes of the serial. He also advised Arif adaption of Muhammad Khalid Akhtar’s Chakiwara Mein Visal.

“Faiz’ personality had many facets. Among the progressive writers, he was the most targeted one by rival groups of writers and some thought that he was getting attention due to the Soviet Union. However, it has been 50 years since his demise. There is no Soviet Union or Eastern European block now, things have changed in India too but Faiz has popular even then.”

Arif said that he and other poets likes him were known in the world as the poets writing in the language of Faiz and he had become their identity. Declaring Faiz the most translated Urdu writer after Dr Muhammad Iqbal, he said the former’s writing was very distinct and it stood out on to be recognised easily. He said he was a great critic too and his book of criticism was worth reading.

“When I went to London, there was a Jashan in honour of Faiz Sahib, which had Zehra Nigah and Zia Mohyyedin. Anwar Maqsood produced a long play for the same meeting. Faiz recited his poem, Meray Dil Meray Musafir fist time there, which moved a lot of people in the audience. The poem described the pain of a man in exile, moving from his country to Beirut to London.”

Iftikhar Arif said Faiz Sahib once wrote a marsiya, giving a subtitle to it as ‘Aik Sahib Ki Farmaish Per’ and that person was Allama Rasheed Turabi who had once asked Faiz about writing a Marsiya. Faiz once accompanied Iftikhar Arif, Gopi Chand Narang and a woman, named Siddiqa, to a Jashn-e-Wiladat of Imam Hussain (RA) who Ifitkhar called the biggest revolutionary of the world.

“When we reached the venue at the London University, the Pakistanis and Indians recognised Faiz and gathered around him. Ayatollah Saeed Al-Hakeem was there too and asked who the man was. I told him he (Faiz) is Ayatollah of Urdu poetry.”

Faiz once suggested to Arif to not to be sad if some poets went against him, telling him that the best way to reply was to write another good ghazal to make the critics silent.

Once Arif asked Faiz about any regrets he had had in his life, Faiz told him that he regretted not completing hifz of the Holy Quran and not becoming a cricketer.

Kishwar Naheed in a session, Hum Gunahgar Auratein, also shared memories of Faiz Ahmed Faiz with the audience and how he would guide and correct her.

“Faiz was once sick and he called me. I went to meet him and he asked me to bring him a book of new Urdu poetry. Though he did not like the new Nazm and the new wave of poetry but he liked the books I had given him.”

Kishwar said that the people who she did not know would come forward to fund events held in the honour of Faiz and Iqbal Bano and Shaukat Ali were always there in events of Faiz.

“Once Faiz was coming back to Pakistan, he was stopped at Karachi airport. He was not allowed entry into the country. Faiz Sahib phoned Sindh Governor (Mir Rasool Bux) Talpur and complained to him. The governor himself came to pick Faiz Sahib.”

Kishwar said that she along with Iftikhar Jalib went to interview Faiz Ahmed Faiz. “We asked him why he did not write poetry like Habib Jalib and he replied, ‘Jalib is poetry of today. I was the poet of yesterday’.”

ATUL TIWARI: Indian film script writer and actor Atul Tiwari talked about poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in a session, Faiz Aur Aman, moderated by Dr Ambreen Salahuddin.

He said different people had interpreted and sung Faiz differently. He quoted excerpts of the acceptance speech he delivered at receiving the Lenin Prize. Saying that some people might not like it in India but he considered Faiz the last ‘Sant Sipahi’ of Punjab. He explained the concept of Sant Sipahi, saying it was a warrior saint. He said he considered Faiz a Sant because of his role as a teacher and he was a teacher in his different roles even when he was the editor of The Pakistan Times as he had a great knowledge to share. He compared Faiz to the Sikh Gurus as well. He said Faiz paid more attention to the downtrodden, the oppressed and the farmers compared to the upper classes and rulers.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2022