Independence Day Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan held in Washington

(Article and photos courtesy, TCN News, deedahwar.com, twocircles.net and aligarh urdu club)

Washington DC: “Poets have played significant role in our struggle for freedom and their contribution shall remain in our heart forever,” said Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Missions, Embassy of India. Ambassador Singh was addressing the gathering assembled at the Universities at Shady Grove Auditorium in Gaithersburg, Maryland for the 6th Annual Independence Day Mushaira-Kavi Sammelan and release of two recently published books of poetry, on July 14.

“Hindi and Urdu are twin sisters, who have been marching forward side by side in India and all over the world,” he added. He praised the efforts of organizers for arranging an event which brought poets and audience of both languages under one roof. “I would like to especially recognize the efforts of Abdullah ji and Zafar Iqbal sahib, who have been actively engaged in bringing our diverse community members together,” he said concluding his remarks.

 

left to right Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Dr. A. Abdullah, Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Dr. Maina Singh, and Ms. Rashmi Sanan

Releasing Rashmi Sanan’s book of poetry, Tanha, Tanha, Ambassador Singh commented that he felt very elated in launching this book because the poet was a part of the Indian Embassy in Washington.

Mrs. Daler Deol Aashna’s book Rubaru was released by Dr. (Mrs.) Maina Singh, Professor at Georgetown University in Washington. Professor Singh said that as an academician with keen interest in poetry, she was very glad to be asked for this duty. She congratulated both poets for their work.

Coordinator of the program, Dr. Zafar Iqbal said that the goal of this program, organized by the Washington Aligarh Alumni Association (AAA) with cooperation of the Metro-Washington Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was to provide a forum where people could get together transcending political, religious, regional, and geographical boundaries promoting Ganga-Jamuni culture of the Subcontinent. He apprised the audience that for the last four years the Embassy of India has been supporting these programs. Last year, the Embassy of India, with our support organized an Urdu-Hindi poetry meet for the first time in the Embassy. It was very pleasing to note that such events are gaining increasing popularity, he added. The AAA President, Mr. Sayed Naved and GOPIO National Coordinator, Dr. Renuka Misra welcomed the poets, distinguished guest and audience for their time and participation.

Dr. Moazzam Siddiqui, in his address “Ganga ki mauj mein Jamuna ki lahreN: Urdu Hindi do zubainai” emphasized that it was misleading to label Hindi as the language of Hindus and Urdu as the language of Muslims. Muslims have contributed significantly to the development of Hindi and Hindus to the development of Urdu. He added that, “Urdu suffered heavily during the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947 and wrongfully blamed by bigoted politicians for the division of the country.” “Whereas in reality no other Indian language has the same amount of patriotic and nationalistic poetry, qualitatively as well as quantitatively, as produced in Urdu. Great literary centers of both languages are situated on the banks of Ganga and Yamuna and their tributaries (Delhi, Agra, Mathura on the banks of Yamuna and Allahabad, Patna and Banares on the banks of Ganga).”

left to right Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Professor Satyapal Anand, Dr. Maina Singh, and Mrs. Daler Deol Aashna

In addition to Ambassador Arun K. Singh and Dr. (Mrs. Maina Singh other distinguished guests included Dr. Maina Singh, Hon. Datta Padsalgikar, Minister Community Affairs, Embassy of India, Professor Rahman, Fakhrul Islam, Akmal Aleemi. Khursheed Usmani, AAA Secretary formally thanked all participants and the audience for their cooperation.

Dr. A. Abdullah, the evergreen conductor of poetry recitation sessions, mentioned in his introductory remarks that the AAA and GOPIO have been successfully providing a common platform for the interaction of Urdu and Hindi literary personalities under one roof for the last five years and that increasing number participants and audience is in these programs is a testimony to the desire of people to share the common heritage. The event was presided by Mrs. Ishrat Afreen, a guest poet from Houston, TX and participating poets included A. Abdullah, Akram Mahmood, Aziz Qureshi, Daler Deol Aashna, Fayyazuddin Saieb, Sadiq Bajwa, Ishrat Afreen, Narendra Tandon Sahil, Narendra Govil, Rakesh Khandelwal, Rashmi Sanan, Razi Raziuddin, Salahuddin Nasir, Satyapal Anand, Suman Vardan, Vishakha Thaker, and Zaheer Parvez.

A section of audience

-A section of the audience.

Samples of poetry recited are given below:

Narendra Tandon Saahil”

Jahan gul the, wahiN kaanTe aksar

Lab see liyae, riste zakham dhaNke aksar

Jism ko to milti rahi khoorak Saahil

Naseeb-e-Zahen meiN the taweel faaqe aksar

Fayyazuddin Saieb:

Tumhare zulm ki meeyaad ghaT bhi sakti hai

Yeh mere paaoN ki zanjeer kaT bhi sakti hai

DiloN ke beech jo doori hai us ko khatm kareN

Yeh sarhadoN ki rukawat To huT bhi sakti hai

Satyapal Anand:

SaaNp se khauf ab nahiN aata

SaaNp ka zaher to meiN jhail chukka

Ab mujhe been ke suroN se bahut

Khauf aata hai, un ka kaaTa hua

Awshadhdhi se kabhi nahiN bachta

Akram Mahmood:

Sochti aakhoN mei aks raegaaN rah jaey gaa

Khwab bujh jaeN gen, khwaboN ka dhuwaN rah jaey gaa

ChhoRna ho gaa zamane bhar k terey waste

Aur mere paas phir tu bhi kahaN rah jaey gaa

Rakesh Khandelwal:

Na radeef-o-baher, qaafia na wazan hum na jaane kabhi, hum anaRi rahe

Saltanat saheyri ki hai baRi bahut, duvaar par sirf hum bhikhari rahe

Par Dhali shaam meiN Tanha, Tanha, kabhi aeene ke raho Ru-Ba-Ru

to yaqiN maan le aey mere hum sukhan tere lub pe bayani hamari rahe

Saadiq Bajwa

Koi dawa-e-sukhan nahiN he phir bhi

Sunte jaiye gaa zara meri ghazal taza bhi

SaaNs ke saath bundhi aas ghanimat Saadiq

Kiya khabar kab yeh bikhar jae haa sheeraza bhi

Rashmi Sanan

Tum apne dil meiN koi ranjish na paal rakhna

ChhoTi si zindagi hai phir kiya malaal rakhna

Qeemat chukani paRti hai kamyabiyoN ki

Bas mushkiloN se laR kar koshish bahal rakhna

Saamil nahiN agar hum ab zindagi meiN teri

Phir bhi hamari yaadoN ko tu sambhaal rakhna

Rashmi koi sune to wo sun ke chauN uTeha

Kuchh apni shaeyri meiN aisa kamal rakhna

Zaheer Parvez

Karo ge kahan tak saman ham se parda, naqab apne rykh se haTaana hogaa

Jo badal ki chhaya hai chhaTna pare gaa, kabhi mah-e-kaamil dikhana pare gaa

Hamhi ko saraho, dil mein bathao ki ham se baRh kar koi nahiN hai

Yahi aarzoo hai mere hamsafar ki Zaheer aao ko saath dena pare gaa.

Daler Deol Aashna

Zinadagi bhaTak rahi hai apni talaash meiN

Khud hi ko DoonDh rahi hooN hare k laash meiN

Vineet DaaliyaN, shaleen patte, shadaab phholoN ki bharmar, ab posheeda nahiN

Javani ka bukhar, uryaaN flak tak, husn-e-bahar, jhuki nazreiN

Bhaar palkeiN, jhoomer laTke beshumar, mahek chali sarhad ke paar.

Razi Raziuddin

zindagee saahil-o-toofaaN ka nazara hi naheeN

kabhee darya meiN u’tar jaaney ki-bhee Baat kareiN!

khud meiN simtey hu’ey rahna to hai tauheen-e-junooN

saath maujoN key, bi’khar jaaney ki-bhee Baat kareiN!!

Vishakha Thaker

Mer dost ab meiN tujh se ya kisi apnoN se

Shikayet bhi bhala kaise karuN

Jab ki mere khud ke ghar ka aeina aksar

Hu bahu meri shakl dikha kar bhi

Mujhe pahchan-ne se inkar kar deta hai

Aziz Quraushi

Muhabbat dheeme dheeme be-rukhee ki aamad aamad ka ishaara hai

Muhabbat ek shikayaat-wo-gilonN shikvoN ka insaani ravayya hai

Muhabbat eik masjid, eik mandir, eik girjaa, gurduvaraa hai

Muhabbat hi ukhuvat-bahami rishtoN ka nuniyaadi nazariya hai

Abdullah

Har taraf bus aik weeraana hai, aur gahri ek khamoshi

mujh se jaisey kah rahi hai, daikh kitnaa hai mushaaba

waQt key pairon tale kuchley huey aiwaan se, tairaa sikashtaa dil

ki jo mayoosi ki taareekiyoN main, aaj gum hai

haN wahi dil, they kabhi jismaiN

haseeN armaanoN k faanoos roshan,

haN wahi dil, jis maiN ab kuch hai to bus

weeraaniyaN, khaamoshiyaN tanhaaiyaaN haiN

Salahuddin Nasir

YuN mangeay Nasir keh majrooh na ana ho

hathoN ko jhaTak deejiay khairaat sey pehlay

Aaya nazar na mujh sey baRa mujhay

lay aaee kis maqaam per meri ana mujhay

Ishrat Afreen

SaeeN meray khaitoN per bhi rut haryali bhaijo na

Sukhi parindon ki chehkarain geeton vali bhaijo na

Aik aik kar kay panchi uRtay jaeN ThoR ThikanoN sey

Chiknay maknay aangan maNgaiN roz doaeN parindoN ki

Kabhi to unki doaeN aur bhari kundali bhaijo na

She was also requested to recite two of her famous poems, Wajdaan and Dua.