KARACHI, May 29: Nishat-e-Hijr, a poetry collection by Ms Shahnaz Noor was launched at Avari Towers on Friday. Dr Saeeda Malik, Minister for Women Development was the chief guest. Those who spoke about the poetess and the merits of her poetry included Ms Wazahat Nasim, Shakil Adilzada, Sarshar Siddiqui, Secretary Information Ms Mehtab Akbar Rashdi and Yusuf Jamal.

Dr Saeeda Malik said, while going through the poetry collection she had come to known Ms Shahnaz, and believed that all women were the victims of a decadent feudal system. She admired the poetess for curing the women's injured soul, and said there was only one problem - freedom from the unjust and dying culture.

Ms Rashdi was highly impressed by Noor's verses and found her to be a very courageous person. In an anti-culture and a rotten social environment, where a single word from a girl was scandalised to unknown limits, Shahnaz Noor had unveiled her soul and narrated the sufferings of women. She had all the potential of being a great poet, Ms Rashdi said.

Yusuf Jamal talking in a light vein, quoting anecdotes and parodies, recalled the year of 1976, when he presided over the selection of Ms Shahnaz as an information officer and was now proud of her talents.

Recalling feminist poets - Ada Jafery and her promising successors; Ms Kishwar Naheed, Ms Zohra Nigah, Ms Fahmida Riaz and many others, he said, being feminist was not that important. The creative talents of those writers and of Ms Shahnaz were the real things, and they were expected to further rise among the contemporary poets without any gender discrimination.

Noor's poetry, Shakil Adilzada said, carried on spiritual contentment, chaste and neat in temperament, and that she was firm in her commitment.

Saifur Rahman Girami recalled Ms Noor as a colleague who had worked together in a congenial atmosphere. Everyline in her poetry reflected the sincere feelings of the poetess, Gerami said.

Sarshar Siddiqui regarded Shahnaz Noor as a "big poetess without any doubt in her merits". Truth was the basic quality of her personality and poetic emotions.

Ms Wazahat Nasim read out a paper, while acknowledging her merits as a "successful poetess". In a male-dominated society, Nasim said women were denied their rights to live in security and with dignity. They were exploited in the name of age-old traditions and religion. The feelings of these women were reflected in Noor's poetry effectively, Ms Nasim said.

In the jam packed hall of the hotel, much time was lost while waiting for some important guests. The meeting started after a delay of 90 minutes and concluded with the brief speech of Ms SH Hashmi. The chairman had till then not arrived.

Ajraks and bouquets were freely distributed among the guests. Shahnaz Noor's recitation of her ghazals with 'tarannum' was just superb.-HA