KARACHI, Aug 18: Focuss, a body of former Karachi University students, honoured one of its members at a reception held on Saturday. With Jamiluddin Aali in the chair, among those who paid tribute to Mr Zaigham Zaidi — a poet and banker — included Syed Javed Hasan, Sarver Javed, Samer Abbas Jafri, Yaqoob Tasawwer (a poet from Abu Dhabi) and Agha Masud Hussain, who was also the chief guest of the evening. Sultan Masud did the comparing.

Jamiluddin Aali recalled Zaidi’s services of some decades back when he was a student at Urdu College. First, he, alongwith other students, reclaimed the college ground from unlawful occupants. Secondly, Zaidi physically assisted the team of workers engaged in the building of the Urdu Science College campus. Aali further informed that Zaidi, during his stay in the Emirates as a bank employee, held the first Urdu mushaira in 1974 at his residence, and thus opened the door for bigger literary moots and international mushairas, the first such event held in 1981.

The speakers admired Zaidi for his talents as a poet and above that, as a friendly, humane and generous person. Zaidi, at the conclusion recited his verses which were received with applause.—Hasan Abidi