Liaqat Ali Asim and Saeed Agha, both from Karachi, joined popular poets from Riyadh, Dammam, Jubail, Alkhobar and Bahrain, in casting a spell on the well-informed audience with their well-chiseled couplets.
They demonstrated the beauty and power of Urdu poetry in conveying some of the most complex thoughts through some of the simplest and most evocative lines.
The two popular poets have been in the Kingdom for the last few weeks having being invited by Aalami Urdu Markaz for their very successful mushaira (poetry recitation evening) in Jeddah.
Asim in particular is a highly acclaimed poet. He has been riding the crest of popularity ever since he recited two particularly wonderful poems at a mushaira in Dubai in 1994.
Since then, his popular couplet, “Warna Suqhraat Mar Gaya Hota, Us Pyaale Me Zehr Tha Hi Nahi,” has become so popular that it is now on every Urdu speaker’s lips. Many poets have since used those lines, though unsuccessfully, to create something similar.
Asim vividly remembers that historic mushaira in Dubai of 1994. “Those poetry sessions were the work of the late Salim Jafri. He used to organize and anchor those annual events. The whole mushaira would revolve around him. Through Dubai, those poetry evenings reached hundreds and thousands of Urdu lovers through video-cassettes,” said Asim. “In 1994, however, Salim Jafri’s health started deteriorating and instead of him an Indian poet, Anwar Jalalpuri, anchored the mushaira,” he recalled. “It was Jashn-e-Mahshar.”
According to Asim, the Indian anchor broke the tradition and invited him to narrate his poetry much before poets that were junior to him. “Everybody, including the legendary Peerzada Qasim and the late Jaun Elia, were stunned, but they waved at me and urged me to present my best, and I did,” recalls Asim. “The rest is history.”
The two poems became very popular and then there was no looking back for him. Asim has so far published five anthologies of poetry and continues to compose soul-stirring poetry. “It is not important for the poet to travel, it is his couplets that should do the traveling,” he told Arab News.
At the Alkhobar event, Asim weaved magic with his couplets. “Aik Se Log Aik Si Baatein/Ghar Badalne Ka Faayeda Hi Nahi// Dhoond Laate Wahin Se Dil Lekin/Phir Wo Mela Kaheen Laga Hi Nahin// Is Tarah Tokta Hun Auron Ko/Jaise Main Jhoot Bolta Hi Nahin.”
He recited many couplets, all of them unique, all them praiseworthy and worth imitating. The audience did just that, and punctuated his lines with incessant wah-wahs. “Aaj Kal Mere Tassaruf Me Nahi Hai Lekin/Zindagi Shehr Me Hogi Kaheen Do Chaar Ke Paas,” said Asim. “Jisne Ne Baanta Tha Hamein Aaj Se Barson Pehle/Phir Wahi Haath Chamak  Utha Hai Talwar Ke Paas,” and then, “Mere Nazdeek Ye Hanste Huwe Chehre Asim/Jaise Kuch Phool Hon Rakhe Huwe Bimaar Ke Paas.”
Saeed Agha was also in a class of his own. His humorous couplets sent everyone into howls of laughter. His lines were simple but extremely hilarious. His humorous take on Zakia Ghazal’s “Ye Ajeeb Soorat-e-Haal Hai” was particularly fascinating. For instance, “Hai Pachaas Saal Se Tees Ki, Wo Jo Ahlia Hai Raees Ki/Na Urooj Hai, Na Zawaal Hai, Ye Ajeeb Soorate-e-Haal Hai,” was incomparable. He literally brought down the hall at Darbas Compound.
The event saw the release of Qudsia Nadeem Lali’s book of poetry entitled “Ji Utthi Main Kalam Karte Hi”. The well-known poet Tariq Mahmood Tariq presented a critique of her work and appreciated her important poetic contributions to the Urdu language.
Among the local poets who won accolades were Iqbal Ahmed Qamar, Tariq Mahmoud Tariq, Suhail Saqib, Javid Akhtar Javid, Qudsia Nadeem Lali, Hanif Tarin, Waqar Naseem Wamiq, Shuja Anwar, Aqheel Asif and Shiraz Mahdi.
Sajjad Saleem anchored the evening with poise and managed to keep everyone’s interest at a peak.