Mushaira brings Urdu lovers closer

Literature has no boundaries; and no better proof of this fact can be found than in a mushaira (poetry evening).
The mushaira held here on Wednesday in honor of prominent guest poets from Kuwait, Pakistan and the US drew many Urdu poets and lovers of literature.
A large number of expatriates hailing from India and Pakistan attended the event, obliterating political boundaries for the love of their common language.
“There is no boundary in literature. Wherever and whenever a mushaira takes place, the parwaane (lovers) flock to it and become the lifeline of the event,” said Hamid Islam Khan, general-secretary of the Aalami Urdu Markaz (AUM), while conducting the event, which was organized by the Markaz. Noor Amrohvi from US, Saeed Agha from Pakistan and Mohammad Kamal Azhar from Kuwait regaled the audience with high-quality poetic forms including ghazals, nazms and qata’as, not to forget some “hamd” and “naat.”
Athar Nafees Abbasi, president of Aalami Urdu Markaz; Tahseemul Haq, vice consul (welfare), Pakistan Consulate; and Irfan Hashmi, chairman, Majlis-e-Iqbal; joined the guests on the stage.
They were backed in equal measure by local poets, some prominent and some new ones, including young Faisal Tufail, who gave an electrifying performance.
Other prominent poets were Naeem Bazidpuri, Anwar Ansari, Muhammad Mujahid Syed, Mohsin Alvi, Zamurrad Saifi, Irfan Baranankavi, Mahtab Qadr, Naushad Usman and Nasir Burney.
Away from the daily humdrum of life, the audience often finds such events as an oasis of respite. “Who says mushairas and other poetic gatherings have no takers? The lovers of Urdu will keep aflame the torch of Urdu in the Subcontinent,” said G. Hassan, an engineer by profession.
M. Ameen, another Urdu aficionado, appreciated the staging of the event. “But it would have been better, if similar events are held by inviting the Urdu story writers and other forms of Urdu literature,” he said.
Spelling out the reasons of the downfall of Urdu literature in India, Bahjat Najmi, the secretary of Mufti Hifzur Rahman Seoharvi Academy, said: “The national language Hindi has dented the influence of Urdu. But Urdu is being revived and it is a pleasant surprise that Urdu is taking roots as far as the United States where the likes of Noor Amrohvi are doing a great job of reviving Urdu culture.”
Shakib Haider, adviser of the Urdu Markaz, presented mementos to the guests on behalf of the organization.