ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: Habib Jalib is bound to receive the highest praise from literary critics on the scale of great and good poetry though his works have remained in the dark.

This was stated by poet Aftab Iqbal Shamim at a literary discussion on the well known revolutionary poet at Halqa Arbab-i-Zauq on Friday night. Shamim ranked Jalib among the great poets whose verses had pleasing musicality.

But the fact was that he had received scant attention in the academies which avoid doing research on the poet loved by the masses dearly. Even the Halqa had taken time in featuring a discussion on him.

The reason for neglect might be attributed to the tamed middle class which is easily weighted with fear of repression of ruling classes, observed Shamim. Measure him from any touchstone and one would find Habib Jalib confidently making the grade of good and lasting poetry, said poet Akhtar Usman who opened the discussion.

Jalib was the greatest poet in Urdu resistance literature. Akhtar Usman quoted two verses from Jalib poem Khurshid do zanoon hai kiran takht nasheen hai Is daur main bhi apni koyee baat nahin hai to show how he translated the inner feelings of the common people.

Akhtar Usman quoted from an interview in which Habib Jalib had said that he gave tongue to Iqbal's famous line Utho merey dunya ke gharibon ko jaga do. Jalib thus performed the function of socio-political reformer.

Spotlighting a different aspect of the poet's work Akhtar Usman said that very few people knew that Jalib belonged to the Patiala gharana (school of music) and his poetry was perfect in meter and grounded in musicality.

"Of course he leaned towards socialism. However, it would be profane to describe him as communist or to say that he was partial to some political party, which some people often did; he was very sensitive to the people and his verse mirrored their pathos, griefs and misery," poet Ihsan Akbar said.

Asghar Abid recalled that Habib Jalib had given memorable lines to Urdu poetry such as Raqs zanjeer pahen kar bhi kiya jata hai or Zulm rahe aur amn bhi ho. Ye kaisey mumkin hai tum hi kaho.

Poet Anjum Khaleeq said before he began to write on governments and their penchant to curb people's aspirations, and right of association, freedom of speech, Habib Jalib started out with speaking out against mill owners and feudals who were equally disdainful of the poor man.

However, poet Imdad Akash asked the question whether poets of today were carrying on Habib Jalib's tradition in raising their voice against injustices and exploitation of the masses.

The Halqa secretary, Manzar Naqvi, stressed the need for publishing a volume of Habib Jalib's selected poems containing all the epoch making verses which have made him famous, quoting from the well known quatrain which all but summed up Habib Jalib's mood: Merey hathoon main qalam hay, merey zehan main ujala.

Mujhe kiya daba sake ga koi taqatoonvala
Mujhe fikr hai amn aalam, tujhe apni zaat ka gham
Tu ghurub ho raha hai, main tulu honeyvala.

The line Main zaroor awoonga ik ahd zareen ki surat was prophetic of the new era of discovery and re-evaluation of his works Akhtar Usman had said in his presentation.