LAHORE: The second day of Ali Arshad Mir Punjabi Mela at the Open Air Theater, Bagh-i-Jinnah had discussions on Mir’s poetry and how his work connects to its people and culture besides the overall Punjabi language scene.

There was thin audience due to rain and even some of the speakers could not reach the venue. The festival discussions were held at the Punjab Hall of the Open Air Theatre.

Speaking about Arshad Mir’s poetry, Dr Akhtar Khan told the audience that he (Mir) started off with the politics of the Left. The poet remained double-minded for a certain period of time whether he should stick to the politics of the Left or turn to Sufi thoughts, eventually carrying on with both in his poetry. Mir’s poetry, he said, carried a stamp of Sufism.

Mir also remained associated with labourer and farmer movements that’s why he had a deep thought process and his poetry was covered under philosophical layers. Mir had one-point agenda in his life and that was he always raised voice for the poor and the oppressed. His poetry was all about humanity and one’s own recognition. The message of his poetry, said Dr Akhtar Khan, was that all humans were equal and the rich and the powerful should be kind to the downtrodden.

As for the diction Arshad Mir used in his poetry, Dr Akhtar Khan said it was very much grounded in his own culture and values of his native land. The word ‘poison’ in his poetry often referred to the exploitation of the poor at the hands of the rich and the influential.

Playwright Farooq Nadeem spoke about the poetry of resistance by Mir who, he said, wrote against imbalance of power in society. He said resistance was always the result of oppression and Punjab was massively oppressed by the invaders who distorted its face.

Farooq Nadeem said Mir’s poetry encompassed races, people, culture and self-identification. His poetry was truly called the poetry of resistance. His love for humanity was broader and spread all over the world. He did poetry of resistance by speaking out against capitalism and against all those who oppress the downtrodden. He documented his culture and values through his poetry and tapped the historical significance of the very land and the local environment he belonged to.

In order to read and appreciate his poetry, said Nadeem, one should know the history and geography of the land he was associated with. He did poetry for labourers and farmers in an easy language. His anthems used to be sung by labourers and the man in the street. One of his famous lines was: “Girti huwi deewaron ko aik dhaka aur do.”

The sessions ‘The Legal needs to implement the Punjabi language’ and ‘Afzal Tauseef dey naa’, could not be held as Dr Parveen Malik could not come as she was unwell.

The festival ended with a Sufi dance performance by Nadeem Abbas and his students.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2020