Faiz was against class system: Shaam

The second day of the international conference on Faiz Ahmed Faiz concluded here at Jinnah Medical and Dental College on Wednesday.

The proceedings were started with the recitation of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s poetry by the mystics of shrines.

In the morning session speakers read out their papers on literary services of Faiz and eulogised his various roles besides being a poet, as a trade unionist, a versatile columnist and an editor of two newspapers.

The session was presided over by renowned journalist Mahmood Shaam. While addressing the session Shaam pointed out that Faiz was against class system.

Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Executive Director Karamat Ali said in his address that Faiz was the only true revolutionary poet of sub-continent. He continued that Faiz was a great preacher of world peace. He pointed out that despite abject poverty, illiteracy and militancy in India and Pakistan, both countries were in the race of making more and more nuclear weapons and missiles.

Full report here Daily Times

'How many remember Ghalib, Faiz, Kabir and Tagore'

In our special series on the India You Didn't Know, eminent painter S H Raza remembers Indian greats Ghalib, Tagore, Faiz and Kabir -- and lauds our inheritance of different forms of Indian classical music.

We Indians have inherited a rich cultural heritage which demands that we study it, understand it and be worthy of it. But when one sees objectively what is happening today, I feel that it is quite a disaster. We are not able to treasure what a truly remarkable heritage we have inherited, at least a majority have failed to do so.

I have stayed in Europe for about 60 years and now I am very happy to have come back home this year. I still cherish fond memories of my childhood in Madhya Pradesh, where my father was a forest officer, and I held a close bond with the tribals there.

I also love travelling to the Ajanta and Ellora caves. But today, I feel a lot of people get carried away with petty and inconsequential things in life. We should go back to our roots and study the Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, the Bible and Quran. It is not merely about wearing a cross or a kurta pyjama.

How many of us can recall the truly great Hindi and Urdu writers and poets? How many of us remember the works of Ghalib and Faiz, Tagore and Kabir? Not many, I fear.

Unfortunately today, I feel the public at large are more focussed and interested in the things that are so superficial; money is not everything. Yes, one should have it, but it is never the objective of art, religion or culture.

Full report here Rediff

Int’l conference on Faiz Ahmed Faiz concludes

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was a revolutionary poet who never got disappointed comes whatever may, said Government College University Faisalabad’s Department of Urdu chairman Dr Tahir Tonsvi here at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Thursday.

In his presidential address at the concluding ceremony of a three-day international conference on Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Tonsvi termed him a poet of dreams.

“Faiz gave a hope and will to the society to fight for their rights. He was the central gateway to the Urdu poetry”, he added.

The conference entitled ‘Dil-e-Pur Khoon’ was jointly organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan, University of Karachi (KU)’s Pakistan Study Centre, Jinnah Medical and Dental College and Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER).

The third day’s proceedings started with Faiz’s poetry. Sohail Hashmi and Gohar Raza, who arrived from India to participate in the conference, recited Faiz’s poetry in a turn-by-turn manner and inspired the audience. They recited poems including ‘Subh-e-Azadi, Bol key lab azad hain teray, Nisar me teri galiyon kay ay watan, Sheshon ka maseeha koi nahi’ and others.

Full report here Daily Times

Hum daikhen gey

A three-day international conference on Faiz Ahmed Faiz began on Tuesday at the Karachi University Arts Auditorium. It was titled, “Dil e Purkhoon Ka Hunar (The skill of a bleeding heart).”

“The need to look at Faiz as a figure beyond a great poet cannot be emphasised enough,” said the director of the Pakistan Study Centre. “Faiz’s ideology and struggle went beyond traditional romanticism associated with poetry and literature.”

Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed said that the title of the conference is a reflection of the struggles that Faiz undertook as a progressive poet and the beacon of the Taraqqi Pasand Tehreek (Progressive Movement).
Dr Anwar Ahmed of the Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban presented an analysis on the “Kalam-e-Faiz ki Maheboobiat” (The lovability of Faiz’s poetry). He said that Faiz’s thoughts and expressions struck the deepest chords of human imagination.

“There is a need to think over the reasons as to why he was popular with the people and unpopular with the establishment,” said Dr Ahmed. “These reasons have to be revisited as we need to reflect on our standing as a society today.”

Full report here Express Tribune

Conference on Faiz begins

A three day International Conference on Faiz Ahmed Faiz was launched at the Karachi University Arts Auditorium with the aim to explore the dynamic aspects of the life and ideology of Faiz Ahmed Faiz as Pakistan marks the centennial celebrations of the subcontinent’s renowned poet.

The Faiz Ahmed Faiz International Conference has been organized by the Pakistan Studies Centre, University of Karachi; the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research; and the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi. The Conference spanning three days is based on multiple events. The inaugural session at the Karachi University was presided over by Dr Peerzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Vice Chancellor, University of Karachi said universities have a role in stirring debates, raising questions and then serving as intellectual platforms for serious dialogue on issues that matter to a society. The International Conference on Faiz is a similar initiative aiming to raise debate on the various aspects of Faiz’s work and ideology.

Full report here Pakistan Observer

The poet who waged a jihad within

A bit of accidental jazz was introduced into the subcontinent’s musical legacy by a rapturous crowd. Iqbal Bano was singing to a 50,000-strong gathering in Lahore at the height of Zia ul Haq’s regime. It was the time Zia had introduced the Hudood laws, prescribing Sharia-style punishment for ‘sins’ such as adultery. This move had deeply antagonised a wide swathe of Pakistan’s urban elite. Bano launched into Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Hum dekhenge— a song of resistance as electrifying as ‘We shall overcome’. When she came to the lines Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-harm/Masnad pe bithae jaenge/ Sab taaj uchale jaenge/ Sab takht girae jaenge (When we the faithful, who have been barred from sacred places/ Will be seated on high cushions/ When crowns will be tossed,/ When thrones will be brought down — as translated on ghazala.org), the crowd got into a frenzy. The rhythmic clapping went on and on, supported by cries of Inquilab zindabad. The accompanists, not knowing how to prolong the interlude, skidded sideways with the tune. And the unintended ‘jazz’ slipped  in.

It was the moment Faiz, a poet of revolution, got perhaps the most fitting reaction to his words. But it wasn’t all that Faiz was about. He could be as crushing on love as he could be rousingly on revolution. He could make universal expressions of very human conditions. Having felt intense isolation in prison (1951-55, on the charge of instigating a coup), he could depict the vastness of separation with the felicity of a master calligrapher, with few strokes. The blazing arc of this career has been captured well in 30 songs by various artists and three recitations by Faiz himself on a collection that is, thankfully, not titled ‘The best of...’. It comes at a time the subcontinent is beginning to plan celebrations of his centenary.

Full report here Hindustan Times

When in doubt, turn to Faiz, Ghalib

At a gathering of Indian and Pakistani businessmen in New Delhi that came to a close Wednesday, May 19, industry leaders from both countries mostly spoke to each other in English as they suggested ways to increase economic ties between the two countries.

But every now and then, when searching for the mot juste, they turned to Urdu and Hindi, and particularly to the couplets of famous Urdu poets like the 20th century’s Faiz Ahmed Faiz and the 19th century’s Mirza Ghalib, whose work is part of the courtly tradition of mushaira, a form of competitive but friendly spoken word shared by Pakistan and northern India.

Former Pakistani finance minister Shahid Javed Burki drew many laughs with an Urdu colloquialism about fools that he used when speaking about the difficulties that Indian and Pakistani leaders face in taking steps towards each other that might play badly in the news at home.

Wajid Jawad, managing director of Pakistani garment manufacturer Associated Industries, quoted not one but two couplets during his talk on the textile trade, repeating what he had said to a Pakistani journalist about his feelings just ahead of his upcoming trip to New Delhi.

Full report here WSJ

Indian poet honoured in Oman

Urdu poet Surender Bhutani, who is also an academic and journalist based in Poland, has been honoured by the Indian Social Association in Oman for his contribution to Urdu literature.

At a function organised at the Indian embassy auditorium Saturday, Anil Wadhwa, India's ambassador to Oman, congratulated Bhutani for his new collection of poems, "Unwan Badlata Raha" (Title Keeps on Changing).

"Bhutani has achieved great success in Urdu literature in the past three decades. His present collection is a milestone in Urdu literature and he is maintaining the true tradition of sensitive and progressive poetry established by Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Sahir Ludhianavi," Wadhwa said.

Full report here Little About 

Outsider, at home

The instructions on the board said:

Do not throw litter, use dustbin
Do not walk on grass, use cemented surface
Photography is allowed

Not an amusement park, or a museum or a botanical garden. This was at the Wagah border, instructions for everyone, including passengers on “foot” coming into or going out of India to Pakistan. Seems really innocuous after all the papers, permissions, waiting, angst and agony this kind of going across — as opposed to taking a flight or the bus — could really entail. On that I scored, given the general love that all kinds of people share for music and poetry in both countries. Really, culture needs to be taken more seriously, it cannot be just another Track on some Indo-Pak peace agenda.

Invited recently to perform by the Faiz Ghar as part of events for the launch of the centenary celebrations of the phenomenal poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, my trip to Lahore was a mix of exciting, pleasant, emotional and strange experiences. Faiz Ghar itself is an eclectic space set up in memory of Faiz to celebrate and express the culture of the country through dance, music, plastic arts, theatre and, of course, poetry.

Tracing the journey of music
My engagement with North Indian music genres generally has me interested in the travels of musicians at least in the last century and the transference of music across these countries. So this opportunity to perform in Lahore was indeed an honour I was happy to accept. Pakistan has also had a rich history of classical music and in fact it was in Lahore in the early 20 {+t} {+h} century that some of the best musicians of South Asia performed to very interested listeners. Partition, and with it the need to establish a separate identity, affected culture severely. So much so that it is said legendary Kirana exponent Roshanara Begum, who migrated to Pakistan, announced that she will give up her Riaz since it seemed like no one was interested in listening to her in the country and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan decided to return to India. Also, with Partition, several Gharanedaar Muslim musicians moved to India and so did their future Hindu and Sikh patrons. Except for Radio Pakistan, music was hardly ever heard. The setting up of the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) way back in 1959 came in response to this situation and made it possible for yearning audiences to listen to greats like Nazakat Ali Khan, Salamat Ali Khan, Amanat Ali Khan, Fateh Ali Khan and Barkat Ali Khan. These were some serious efforts to rejuvenate the seemingly lost but rich heritage of classical music in Pakistan. These concerts and seminars are held even now.

Full report here Hindu

Bollywood can take Faiz to youth, says daughter

Legendary Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz has been an integral part of Indian cultural psyche and his daughter Salima Hashmi believes that Bollywood can take Faiz's poetry to the youth, according to a PTI report.

"Gulon Mein Rang Bharay", a popular poem written by Faiz while he was in jail in Pakistan, has been used in the upcoming film Sikandar by director Piyush Jha. The film revolves around the life of a young boy growing up in violence torn Kashmir."Poetry is a powerful tool to bring people together just like Bollywood and in times of strife, artistes like Faiz become bridges to unite people from both sides of the border,"

Hashmi is in India for talks regarding a cross-cultural theatre festival for peace. Hashmi, who owns the copyright to all her father's work, said, "My father believed that once a poem is published it is people's property and I believe the same. Faiz is being used in India in films and theatre and it reflects how revered he is here." Jha, who took special permission from Hashmi to use the song in Sikandar, said "Gulon Mein" was one of his favourite poems while growing up and the poem kept coming to him while writing the story of the film.