JEDDAH, 3 November — What is a poet? A rebel, a lover, an activist, a friend, a fighter, a historian, a chronicler — a poet is all this and much, much more. This was evident here in a mushaira or a poetry session organized as a part of the celebrations of India’s Independence Day, by the Consulate General of India, at the International Indian School auditorium.

Urdu poets drawn from all parts of India recited their poetic compositions to a jam-packed audience of over 3,000. In all 15 poets participated in the session and brought to fore the richness of Urdu poetry.

The evening started with the recitation of a "nazm" by Tajwar Sultana, a known poetess, and reached its crescendo when Professor Waseem Barailvi enthralled the audience with his renditions showcasing his poetic genius.

That was Waseem, the voice of the masses. There was Waseem, the sensuous lover too. In one of his couplets , Waseem raised the question of the war games in the world. "Nateeja jang ka jab kuch nikalna hi naheen; shaheedoon ka lahoo maidan mein kya rang layega," was a realistic portrayal of the present world crisis.

He successfully sent across his message about the Afghanistan war through his couplet, "Kisi maqsad pe mar mitne ki dhun kuch aur hoti hai; jahan jazba hi jazba hai wahan siasat lar nahin sakti."

Another of his couplet was an example of romanticism in his collection, "Bahut bebaak aankhoon mein taluq tik nahin pata; mohabbat mein sharmana zaroori hai."

Dr. Nawaz Deobandi recited a few of his composition which were appreciated well by the audience. One of his couplets, "Bila sabab mian tum udas rahte ho; tumhare ghar se masjid ka fasla kum hai," was to remind one and all that we should not lose hope and pray to God for everything.

One thing which was very much on display on Thursday night was the pain and agony being felt by almost all the poets in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Poets who are said to be the most sensitive lot of humanity; expressed their feeling about the ongoing clash of power. Jauhar Kanpuri in one of his couplets warned the world that, "Siyasat ko sambhalo ki sarhaden awaaz deti hain; siyastoon ki kharabi se baghawat jag jati hai."

One of the poetesses, Shabeena Adib successfully aroused the passion of the expatriate audience through one of her couplets, "Tum agar jaoge pardes saja ke ye sapna; aur ayoge jab chamka ke chehra apna; mere chere ki chamak khak ho jaigee."

Though almost all forms of Urdu poetry was lauded by the audience, it was ghazal, the traditional genre of Urdu poetry, which sailed across the hearts of hundreds of poetry-enthusiasts. It was proven once again that too, through the matchless composition of ghazal king, Kaleem Aajiz, that there may be new trends in ghazal, but its form is not dying. It is everlasting. But at the same time, it was also felt that extreme commercialization has brought deterioration in the standard of ghazal.

Poems recited by humorous poets and satirists like Shair Jamali and Ejaz "popular" Meerati, cracked laud laughter among the audience while referring to the oddities of today’s world. Haq Kanpuri, Himaytullah and Ana Dehalvi also added flavor to the evening. The anchor of the evening and a reputed name in contemporary Urdu poetry Anwar Jalalpuri was successful in acting as a bridge between the poets at the dais and the audience.

Earlier, the mushaira started with the introduction of the poets by Consul Arabic Press Rashid Khan, which was followed by the traditional lighting of the candle by Consul General Syed Akbaruddin. The consul general in his address assured the poetry lovers that mushaira will be a regular annual feature.

But at the end of the day, no one can deny that though mushaira is certainly helpful in bringing Urdu lovers back to its fold, works of poets like Waseem and Aaajiz should reach a far wider audience than only the Urdu-speaking people.

To save the language and to regain its lost glory, it is very important to ensure that the literary contributions of giants like them are brought before the world.