KARACHI: The Arts Council of Pakistan paid a tribute to Urdu poet, the late Ahmed Faraz, on Saturday evening at an event which was marked by some insightful speeches.

Poet Zehra Nigah, who presided over the session, said: “The poet who leaves a treasure trove (khazana) behind basically does a favour (ahsaan) to his readers. Usually, a poet’s worth is estimated after his departure from the world. But there are very few lucky poets whose value is ascertained in their lifetime. Faraz is one of those fortunate poets.”

She said popularity is a dangerous thing. Sometimes it elevates a person to the skies and on occasion makes him fall to the ground. It is not easy to keep popularity and its dignity intact. “I received the first collection of Faraz’s poems through an aged relative [of her husband] of mine. He gave me the book with a lot of praise for it. When I read it, I agreed with him.”

Concurring with speaker Mazhar Abbas, Ms Nigah said, we needed to decide whether Faraz was a romantic versifier or a resistance poet. “He was a successful person in romance in general and in poetry in particular,” she added and recited the verse:

Main ke sahra-i-muhabbat ka musafir tha Faraz

Aik jhonka tha ke khusbhu ke safar per nikla

[I was a traveler in the desert of love

Sensing even a small whiff would send me to the journey of fragrance]

Poet Dr Pirzada Qasim said in the remarkable generation of poets that included Faraz and Munir Niazi, Faraz combined romance and resistance with success. “I was junior to him, but the way he used to encourage me was invaluable. Once I was studying Bedil and couldn’t comprehend certain things. I consulted Faraz. He made me understand five of Bedil’s ghazals and insisted that I learn Persian.”

Poet Fazil Jamili said Faraz used success in romance the way Mir Taqi Mir used failure in love.

Poet Ambareen Haseeb Amber read a well-researched paper on the subject. She began by narrating her personal association with the late poet and said he was witty, and his wit was never offensive. “Every poet writes about his experience but choosing the right experience to poeticize makes an important poet. Faraz was a progressive writer who wanted a better future for humanity.”

She, like other speakers, read quite a few of Faraz’s verses which were very well received.

Journalist Mazhar Abbas went down memory lane to talk about the era when political agitation was on in the county. He said, “Faiz Ahmed Faiz was part of a political movement but Faraz was a different man; his resistance became prominent in the post-Zia period. The question that we need to ask: is Faraz a poet of resistance?”

Shakil Khan moderated the event.

Journalist and scholar, Ghazi Salahuddin, who is a member of the council’s governing body, delivered the vote of thanks.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024