KARACHI: The Arts Council of Pakistan on Tuesday evening celebrated 80th birth anniversary of renowned poetess Fahmida Riaz (who passed away on Nov 21, 2018) by cutting a cake and inviting some eminent poets to speak on her life and work.
Speaking on the occasion, Zehra Nigah, who presided over the event, quoted from a piece of prose by Aziz Hamid Madani in which Madani sahib opines a writer is neither a psychiatrist nor a leader; rather he considers life’s miseries and happy instances as part of his own existence, which keeps him engaged in writing.
Ms Nigah said she often reads the complete works (kulliyaat) of poets. Very seldom does it happen that the complete works shine like the first collection of a poet being read. Sometimes they [works] carry cumbersomeness (bojhal). But reading Ms Riaz’s kulliyaat never gave her that impression, a testimony to the mastery of her art.
She said poetry is not just about highlighting the finer points of language. “Poetry is the custodian of our historic and cultural values. It brings people together, and without knowing each other, empathise with one another’s grief and partake in moments of happiness. For example, I read a couplet which I really liked. The moment I recited it, it reminded me of someone else’s sorrow, someone who I don’t know.”
Ms Nigah said there are quite a few things required to write poetry, the most important of them is to have a soft heart that beats for others. “Fahmida had that.”
She also recited one of Ms Riaz’s verses:
Main jab firaq ki raaton mein us ke sath rahi
To phir visaal ke lamhon mein kyun wo tanha tha
If I was with him in the nights of separation
Then why was he alone in moments of union with the beloved?
Earlier, Dr Ambareen Haseeb Amber, who moderated the programme, said Ms Riaz was not only a prominent name but was someone who worked towards the betterment of society and contributed to Urdu literature.
President of the Arts Council Ahmed Shah said the late poetess was a great person with whom he had a distinct association.
Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili read a paper in which he delineated the life journey of the poetess. He said as a young woman she became part of the Progressive Writers Movement and dreamed of changing the world. After her first collection of poems Pathar Ki Zaban in which she comes across as a stubborn girl, her creative pursuits began to have political overtones. She also translated works from world literature, the most prominent of which was the translation of Farugh Farrokhzad’s poems.
Dr Fatema Hassan said she’d known Ms Riaz since 1973 when she (Hassan) had returned from Dhaka. Ever since they developed a mother-daughter like bond as well as the bond of friends.
Former caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi narrated a story to tell the audience about his first impression of Ms Riaz. He said he and one of his friends, Ayaz Abro, in their younger and less affluent days felt hungry and had no money to buy food. When Ms Riaz got to know about it, she treated them to half a dozen chicken patties and tea.
Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2026
