By TCN News
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).”
-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 xxxx, 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 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.