KARACHI, Sept 22: Eminent poet Joan Alia, who breathed his last in November 2002, was remembered at a literary sitting at the Arts Council on Tuesday. Mushtaq Ahmed Yusafi presided over the function.

Intezar Hussain was invited from Lahore to grace the occasion as the chief guest. It was pleasant to hear the speeches coming from close associates of Joan, like Dr Peerzada Qasim, Prof Saher Ansari and Shakil Adilzada.

Talat Hussain and Naila Jafri delivered some selected verses from Joan's poetry collections and heard with rapt attention. So were the English translations of Joan, rendered by Peerzada Salman trying to catch the spirit of the poet, very exclusive in his art and remained in communion with the celestial world more than the earthly life.

Mushtaq Ahmed Yusafi was last to read out his paper, fascinating as one could expect from him. He presented the profile of Joan, a thinker and a philosopher in his poetry, also having studied deeply into languages - Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and of course Urdu, and world religions as well.

Aniq Ahmed did the compering and because of his close association with the poet in his life he had many things to disclose. He narrated interesting episodes of the later's life thus rendering some strokes to the portrait painted by others.

However, his idea giving the evening the title of "Talk Show" disappointed Yusafi Saheb. The poet of such eminence, he meant to convey, should not be taken so lightly. He began with the remark that this was not a meeting of grieving and lamenting persons. He quoted the following couplet from Zohra Nigah:

Aanso to bohut baha chukay haen

Hans ker usay yaad ker kay dekhain.

Yusafi's paper was thorough and also hilarious, which presented the very real Joan Alia, his innocence and forgetfulness, his idiosyncrasy, his night long vigil in communion with the stars and the deep feeling of loneliness, that he suffered throughout his life.

Joan also represented the most humane and civilized culture of the bygone era, whose one symbol was Amroha, Joan's birth place. His poetry, mostly in 'Sahl-i-mumtena' (simple yet intricate) is a fine blend of Tagazzul and Tashkeek (lyricism and skepticism). It was Joan who could challenge the Godly wisdom by saying:

Haasil-i-kun hae eh jahan-i-kharab

Yahi mumkin tha itni ujlat mae.

(The chaotic world we look around was because of a hastily command of 'Kun (hoja)' by God. Intezar Hussain was highly impressed by the preface, Joan wrote on his collection 'Shaed'.

Dr Peerzada Qasim said, Joan's merits had not been analysed as yet and need academic research. Joan's first poetry collection Shaed was published in 1989, and major work in the process was done by Peerzada Qasim.

Prof Saher Ansari found the traces of Arabic love poetry in Joan's verses and ghazals. He was a scholar of philosophy and literature and brought out his own periodical 'Insha' to promote the same but bitterly failed in the face of commercialization. At the outset, Majid Khalil read out his poem in praise of Joan Alia.