Tabish Dehlavi remembered

A literary reference in memory of noted poet and writer Tabish Dehlavi was held by Bazm-i-Nashoor, with Dr Manzoor Ahmed in the chair on Tuesday. Dr Ahmad in his discourse eulogised the great ghazal poet, Tabish Saheb, for the cultural values he held always close to his heart. " I learnt Urdu from him only through his deliberations, and held him my 'ustad' though in an indirect way," he said.

Dr Hanif Fauq said, Hazrat Tabish was the leading exponent of the classical traditions of ghazal with a blend of romanticism as well. Prof Saher Ansari admired Tabish Saheb's command over the language, and the lyricism which his poetry carried. He was a disciple of Fami, but unlike Fami, he was optimistic in his attitude towards life.

Muslim Shamim read out a paper based on his personal relationship with the great poet and some aspects of his poetry. Another paper came from Azher Hasan Siddiqui, who praised Tabish Saheb for his polite nature and utmost regard for social values.

Afaq Siddiqui recalled Tabish Dehlavi as a great teacher to all those who listened to his broadcasts on radio. He ruled over the skies for several decades to the delight of Urdu listeners.

Saud Tabish spoke about his loving father, as a " highly disciplined person" and an educator throughout his life. His punctuality was proverbial, so was his adherence to namaz, which he never missed even while on the hospital bed.

Sarshar Siddiqui, while paying tributes to Tabish Saheb lamented over the poor attendance at the meeting. The speakers were quite in a large number - Azher Abbas Hashmi, Ishaq Hashmi, Shamim Naved and many others - while some poets paid their complements in their verses including Majid Khalid, Shariq Balyavi, Ms Parveen Javed, Ms Shafeeq Bano, Parveen Javed and Abdul Jabbar Aser.

Azher Abbas Hashmi said, Tabish Saheb was a very 'organized' person and never changed his pattern of life. At the outset, Afzaal Siddiqui welcomed the guests and briefly spoke about his contacts with Tabish Dehlavi. He represented Bazm-e-Nashoor while Aziz Mansoor thanked the audience and the guests. Rizwan Siddiqui did the compering.