KARACHI, Aug 30: Top poets, intellectuals and artists of Karachi piled eulogies and elegies on Ahmed Faraz at a literary reference organized to pay homage to the popular poet at the Arts Council on Friday night.

Speaker after speaker poured out their grief at the death of the poet, whom some called the most popular poet of his time and a great human being. Ahmed Faraz died at an Islamabad hospital last Monday. Since his death, condolence meetings have been held at various literary forums in the city.

Before the function formally began on the council’s lawns, Faraz’s popular poems and ghazals were played in his own voice. A pall of sadness hanging over the venue was perceptible. The sombre atmosphere was thickened by couplets such as:

Saqia aik nazar jam say
pehlay, pehlay
Hum ko jana hay kahin
shaam say pehlay, pehlay

Speakers said they could not make themselves believe that such a lively soul and great poet was no longer among them. Everyone described him as a personal friend and had stories to share that reflected his friendly nature.

Fatima Hasan said Faraz was just three months back at the venue where the condolence reference was being held for him. “He appeared at a book launch from nowhere and sat among the audience. When I asked him to come to the stage, he did so unhesitatingly. Probably he had come to say us farewell.” Rehana Roohi said hardly two-and-a-half months ago she was with him at a mushaira (poetry recital) in Doha and had extensive meetings with him.

Prof Sahar Ansari said wherever Urdu is spoken and understood, Faraz’s popularity will never fade. “As a person, too, he was so loving and caring that whoever met him considered himself to be his best friend.”

“Faraz says a vision is like the letter (harf), like the light and, if personified, like Mansoor Hallaj and Socrates,” said Yousuf Jamal, a long-time friend of the poet, adding that “Faraz is also like a vision – immortal.”

The speakers also dwelt on the controversy whether he was only the poet of the teenagers. Some defended him that his poetry was really for the young, the architect of the nation. Others said he was unjustifiably labelled so and in fact his later years poetry was a proof of his transition from romantic poetry to resistance poetry.

Saleem Kausar said: “Faraz was, undisputedly, the most popular poet of his era. He wrote for the youth, which is the most important segment of a nation. He dreamed of turning the riaya (the subjects) into awam (the electorate). Being a good human, he strived for a good society and a good world at large.”

Fatima Surayya Bajia said Faraz was a family friend of her brother, Ahmed Maqsood Hameedi. “They together discussed literary issues and read out poetry to each other.” She led a prayer for peace to his soul.

Rashid Noor said Faraz chose the Karachi Press Club to read out his controversial poem Mahasara, after which Gen Zia forced him to go into exile. “He never compromised on principles and readily suffered for it. He returned all his official awards in protest against the Musharraf-led government’s policies.”

Bakhtiar Ahmad, a TV producer of Muqadma-i-Kashmir fame, narrated an incident to prove that Faraz was an ardent supporter of Kashmirs’ struggle and “he called for Kashmiris freedom even on Indian soil”.

Shahida Hasan said Faraz’s poetry, personality and wit made people love him from the core of their heart.

Singer couple Azra and Salamat Ali recalled how Faraz’s poetry had added to their popularity, and sang a few of his couplets.

The other speakers included Sajjad Mir, Sarwar Jawed, Amjad Siraj, Naqqash Kazmi, Hasan Zaheer, Javed Saba, Ahmed Shah, Jawed Hasan Shahid Rassam and Nazeer Leghari.