ALKHOBAR, 30 May 2003 — Aik shayar, aik shaam was recently celebrated to honor Pakistani poet Zain Siddiqui at the Al-Mahawis compound here recently. It was organized by the Overseas Pakistani Writers Forum in conjunction with the Friends’ Forum. A small Pakistani audience enjoyed the performances of various local artists who sang ghazals of the poet, well into the night.
Zain Siddiqui, who works as a librarian at KFUPM, is a noted Urdu poet and an established writer of children’s books.
Is he a man of few words, as his poems suggest? “I am, but not by deliberation,” he told Arab News. “I usually pace the floor while writing poetry. It comes to me that way. I do believe that the language used in poetry should be simple so that the average person can enjoy it.”
Many poets and writers described Zain’s work simple, beautiful and meaningful. Dr. Abid Ali Abid said Zain had the ability to “present a deep, philosophical message in a simple verse, like Kharay paani me ik kankar ka girna, sabab bunta hai kitnay dairon ka.”
Himself a noted poet, Hussein Sahar praised Zain’s poetry comparing it with that of famous poet Hali.
Singers Bakhtiar Ahmed, Rana Iqbal, Tariq Sayed, Ejaz Gul and Naved Sanjri all entertained the audience with a wide range of ghazals from Zain’s poetry.
Zain is well known in the literary circles of Pakistan. He has attended many international poetry sessions and his poems have been published in all reputable Urdu literary magazines and newspapers.
He is also one of the few Urdu poets mentioned in an American encyclopedia about Urdu poetry.
