A word about letters
By Kazy Javed
Punjab Writers' Conference
Despite the heat wave sweeping through the planes, the Pakistan Academy of Letters succeeded in assembling some two hundred writers and intellectuals under one roof for its Punjab Writers Conference past fortnight. They came, bearing their own expenses, from every nook and corner of the land of five rives. PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman had chosen very significant topics for the two sessions of the one-day moot. The morning session was devoted to discussions on the subject of 'distortions in the history of Punjab and how to remove them'. 'Humanism in the poetry of Punjab' was the topic for the afternoon session.

Kitab e Dil o Dunya

By Iftikhar Arif

Publisher: Daniyal-Karachi, 2009

Price: Rs750

Pages: 576

The latest publication of Iftikhar Arif's Kitaab e Dil o Dunya appears to be a collection of his works. He has been writing poetry for almost four decades yet it seems this attempt is the result of his vision and creative energy has got a lot more to offer.  

His poetry for well over four decades has been both relevant and contemporary. At the same time it may be said that he has not been experimenting outrageously by discarding the familiar imagery and the stock vocabulary of the Urdu language. His experimentation is well mannered. "Well mannered" may be a strange expression to use while evaluating poetry, but it somehow explains more adequately the path which Iftikhar Arif has chosen. He is fully conversant with the traditional stock and fund of our poetical heritage and is also acutely aware of the various experiments or the changes that have taken place in the vocabulary and syntax of Urdu poetry in the last century and a half. Some of the changes have been subtle, and if outside references are not consulted, gives the impression of stating the already stated, while some poetry has experimentation written on its sleeve and can be recognised from miles as an attempt to break away from the well wrought idiom of poetic expression.

It is usually said about him that he has employed the tragedy of Karbala at a metaphoric level where the metaphor stands for a ceaseless struggle for justice, honour and freedom. And in that case he has been advancing the metaphoric used that is said to have been initiated in our poetry by the likes of Iqbal and Jauhar. The tragedy in the earlier Urdu poetry was more mentioned in a narrative form, played out in its glory and the courage that goes with it on a grand epical scale. It was actually the recreation of that incident rather than a symbolic reference that had became a more standardised manner of expression before Iqbal.

In Urdu poetry the metaphor for sacrifice and not hesitating to offer ones best, even life was probably represented by Mansoor, who did not compromise and preferred to kiss the gallows for freedom, thought and speech. Urdu poetry as indeed Persian poetry is replete with references to Mansoor but the metaphor of Karbala was probably employed in the marsia and not in mainstream Urdu poetry. Our culture is known to have made divisions on the basis of what can be brought into the arena of public debate and what is beyond reproach and debate. Mansoor appeared closer to the Greek idea of tragedy, larger than life, courageous yet placed within the web of human fallibility. His divinity could be questioned and debated.

Since the colonial rule, this ceaseless breaking away from tradition has been the pursuit of our poets. Some have succeeded more successfully than others but it points to the two poles of realities –one that the experimentation has been a continuous process and two that the traditional criteria or the fund of knowledge or the bind of the traditional stock is so strong that even after one hundred and fifty years of experimentation it appears on the surface that very little has changed. It seems as if in the last two hundred years no change has characterised the literary landscape of prose and poetry.

It is only an illusion that it is static because static it has not been but the bond has been very strong almost umbilical and hence creates an impression that the change if any has been very little, not leaving a lasting imprint. The other argument which is quite plausible is that change in the poetic form will only reflect the change in sensibility and the lack of change in one and the change in the other would only be contrived. It will in no way reflect the change of sensibility which is the real test of creating new poetic expression.

The next question to ask is what has been the nature of change in sensibility, which is there and authentic but is not a radical departure, an earth shaking U-turn that creates a loss of direction. Iftikhar Arif may be a good example of the change that has taken place in our sensibility and it has been so silent that it gives the impression of being static. The change appears to be static because the sources of inspiration which bring about change have not changed. They are being tied down to the life giving centers which have been traditional and part of our culture for as long as the history of Urdu poetry and even its antecedents. In Iftikhar Arif, for example, the image of sacrifice for a cause has again being vitalized but it is an imagery that has been used widely and successfully. The source of meaning and vitality has not changed – the poet requires new inspiration from an ancient source. That is his challenge and the crux of his poetical endeavour.

In the case of Iftikhar Arif many critics have fallen into the trap of seeing the person and the poet as one, and find a paradox between no scars of want and poverty in his life and so much of frustration and lack of self-fulfillment. The creative anguish lies not wholly in society or has an objective face –it is the desire to create, to nourish a dream, to harbour a vision that has a universal imprint. The reason why he talks of lack of fulfillment is not because he has attained a level of material fulfillment, but having reached there has craved for more fulfillment - a fulfillment that may have a  spiritual  dimension, and is not another name for consumption of material goods.

By Dr Abrar Ahmad

Khuda Kay Din

By Shaheen Abbas

Publisher: Kaghazi Paerahen, 2009

Price: Rs250

Pages: 176

Shaheen Abbas is one of the talented poets emerging on the literary scene in 1980s, with his first collection getting published in 1992. At that point one felt his comrades were perhaps decisively better poets -- though Shaheen displayed an undeniable promise. Few volatile poets soon bubbled themselves out while a reasonable number continued their impressive journey ahead. With Khuda Kay Din, his fourth and latest collection, Shaheen comes convincingly at par with (or even better than) his contemporaries.

The title meaning, Days of God ( Khuda kay Din) sounds religious but in fact is symbolic of the poet's intense sense of loss and powerlessness in the face of time. To him the human life comprises of just one day while the rest belongs to eternity. He is a non-entity and believes life would go on beyond his own individual existence. One does find this element as an undercurrent at places but it is not the main theme of his ghazals. His main spiritual crisis stems from his being left out of the vibrant life around him which is so quick-paced that he finds it hard to cope with. This absurd existence throws him into a state where love and nostalgia come to his support.

He has a magnetic affinity with life with an uncontained tenderness -- but his subjective experiences imbibe a strong mystical element in his offerings. His exile finds apt expression in metaphors like khaak, khawab, ghar, and shaam with some others appearing sporadically here and there.

Each of his ghazals maintains a specific mood like a poem and is an organic whole. It is a sort of deviation from the traditional ghazal. His vocabulary too is non-conformist but since it isn't a structural change, it's hard to identify and even harder to define.

Shaheen's tone is mild and his thoughts are expressed in a bit complex manner, demanding careful reading in order to unfold, appreciate and enjoy what he intends to communicate. He has mastered the art and as a craftsman is flawless, fluent and astonishing at places. As a regular reader, one finds him convincingly improving with each offering and proves himself to be a brilliant ghazal poet of our younger generation.

He has maintained a level which never shakes and a seriousness never diluting. He has been averse to excessive public appearances and has concentrated more on his personal growth as a poet. As a modernist in essence, his poetry is replete with the mourning and shades of defeat of an aware and intellectual individual in our society which is becoming dismissive, hostile and unfriendly each day.

It was Dryden who wrote "A brave man seeks no popular applause". Shaheen Abbas falls definitely in the category of the "brave". We can expect further works of quality from him in years to come.

Rastay Ghar Nahin Janay Detay is the first collection of ghazals by Kashif Hussain Ghayer, a young Karachi-based poet of immense promise. There has always been a well-defined difference in expression, style and approach to poetry between Lahore and Karachi. It reminds one of the ancient Lucknow and Delhi schools of thoughts, although in our perspective no such compartmentalisation has been quite close to the classical diction in Karachi -- the majority of poets keeping the ever present outlines intact while the poets from Lahore/Punjab boldly experimented with the form, bringing few radical changes and have in fact transformed the typical fixed perception of this art form into a more contemporary one.

Kashif is yet another poet falling in line with tradition. Reading him proves the point that the inadequacy of form only limits.

His ghazals are simple and communicative; they unfold without difficulty but on little more focussed reading, unveil the layers of hidden meanings. His individualistic treatment of vocabulary and unique construction of lines display a clear promise though yet to be defined, but definitely there.

On the book's flap Mohsin Israr writes that all other art forms are limited in collective perspective while poetry is not so. He declares him a good poet and finds him in harmony with the modern age. He further adds, "The phenomenon of Iqbal's poetry is the basis of his creative works" -- clearly a contestable and incorrect inference. His offerings bear no inspirational link with Iqbal.

As a modern day poet and thinking individual, Kashif is influenced by the new spirit of time where a helpless man is faced with an unending confusion, insecurity and struggle for survival in a cosmopolitan city. In a vibrantly hostile environment, he advances but is forced to retreat. Consequently he bounces back but is further thrown away. This conflict creates in him frustration and alienation along with a strong willingness to keep his struggle intact and ongoing. His poetic themes originate from this traumatic experience in which love and home are his rescue locales. The dominant metaphor khaak effectively conveys his dilemma but reminds the frequent utility of the metaphor among ghazal poets of 1970's . khawab and ghar are the other metaphors which help the reader to reach the domain of the poet's existence and expression.

His lines are lyrical and fluent. This flow is captivating and enchanting. A typical poetic purity greets us in the book where the echo of the entire ghazal tradition can be heard and enjoyed. Contemporary in essence, he speaks of the times he lives in strongly bound to a domesticity, he wanders only to be called back. The mood of poetry unfolds an author completely surrounded by an ecstasy essentially the main shade of his creative self.

Khawaja Razi Hyder rightly admires him in the preface and it can be predicted easily that this well prepared poet is definitely poised to go for outstanding future excursions in Urdu ghazal and is likely to outshine others convincingly.

A word about letters

Despite the heat wave sweeping through the planes, the Pakistan Academy of Letters succeeded in assembling some two hundred writers and intellectuals under one roof for its Punjab Writers Conference past fortnight. They came, bearing their own expenses, from every nook and corner of the land of five rives. PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman had chosen very significant topics for the two sessions of the one-day moot. The morning session was devoted to discussions on the subject of 'distortions in the history of Punjab and how to remove them'. 'Humanism in the poetry of Punjab' was the topic for the afternoon session.

The conference was held in the auditorium of the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture in Lahore. The director of the Institute, Abbas Najmi, extended all the possible cooperation to make the conference a success.

Tahir Kamran, chairman of the department of history, Government College University, Lahore opened the morning session pointing out many distortions and misunderstandings regarding the history of Punjab. He was followed by Mohammad Amin who heads the department of philosophy at the Bahuuddin Zikirya University of Multan. Among the others speakers of the first session were columnist Afzal Tauseef, vice-chancellor of the Gujrat University Nizamud Din and Shafqat Tanvir Mirza.

Papers were presented by poet Shahzad Ahmad, Fatima Hussain, Tahir Taunsavi, Najib Jamal, Aqeela Shaheen, Riaz Ahmad Shad, Musarrat Kalanchvi, Mumtaz Balouch and Naveed Shehzad in the second session.

Earlier, in the inaugural session of the conference, Intizar Husain traced the interaction between the folk tales of Punjab and central India. Tales, he said, know no borders. They travel and introduce cultures to one another creating understanding and harmony. Afzal Ahsan Randhawa, celebrated Punjab novelist, spoke on the cultural achievements of the ancient Punjab.

PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman detailed future plans of his organisation that included the establishment of a literary television channel, an FM radio, a publishing house and institution of new literary awards. He also disclosed that the Academy of Letters was making arrangements for the writing of a standard literary and intellectual history of Punjab. Presently there is no book on this subject written in accordance with the modern principles of literary historiography. Similar histories of other provinces of the country will also be published by the Academy, he added.

The Punjab Writers' Conference provided a rare opportunity to meet intellectuals from various parts of the province. It was a pleasure to meet Mohammad Amin, Shaukat Moghul, Zahoor Dariga, Shahir Ali Shakir, Raziud Din Razi and Qasim Sial who came from Multan. Another dear friend Mohsin Mughiana from Jhang was also there.

Culture and

religion

The Lahore chapter of the Pakistan Academy of Letters arranged an evening with Zaiul Hasan who recently participated in an international conference on Allama Iqbal organized by the department of Urdu, University of Instanbul, Turkey. It was the second conference on Iqbal held by the same department and its topic was Allama Mohammad Iqbal. Twenty-two Turkish and fifteen international scholars presented papers at the conference. Foreign delegates included Zahid Ahmad and Yahya Sabir from India, Sataya Pal Anand from the United States, and Akhtar Awan from Britain. Others came from Iran and Germany.

Zaiul Hasan's review was that the approach of Turk scholars to the thought and message of Allama Iqbal was widely different from the approach of our scholars. Our Iqbal scholars are mostly conservative while Turk scholars are secular and enlightened.

Ziaul Hasan, a noted literary critic, poet and teacher of Urdu literature, also narrated the story of his 12-day stay in Turkey which he aptly described as the culturally most advanced country of the contemporary Muslim world. The Turks, he particularly pointed out, did not mix religion with politics. They also draw a line between culture and religion.