Organized by the Aligarh Alumni Association, GOPIO.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: The 7th Annual Independence Day Mushaira-Kavi Sammelan, organized by the Aligarh Alumni Association (AAA), Washington, DC chapter and the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Washington-Metro, was held at the Fairfax County Library in Herndon, Virginia on August 30.
“The beauty of Ghalib’s poetry is that your appreciation of his poetry grows more as you listen to it”, said N. K. Mishra, Minister, Cultural Affairs, Embassy of India, at the meet, who also released a book, The Treasure: A Modern Rendition of Ghalib’s Love Poetry by Surinder Deol.
Mishra said that his study of Ghalib was limited, but he remembers Ghalib’s one verse distinctly: Ghalib ne yeh kah kar tor di tasbih /Gin kar kyon naam loon us ka jo bey-hisab deta hai.
“This book is a welcome addition to the slim corpus of Ghalib in English translation, not only because it has a sure method, but also because it does not sacrifice the essential Ghalib,” said Prof. Satyapal Anand, presiding over the book release ceremony.
“Surinder Deol’s rendition of Ghalib’s poetry into English is a reflection of his in-depth understanding and sincere love for Ghalib’s multifaceted poetic compositions”, said Dr. A. Abdullah, commenting on the book.
In his talk, Deol said Ghalib became popular because one can find expressions of innovative thoughts full of metaphors and similes, and also a wide range of topics and subjects in his poetry.
The president of GOPIO-Washington-Metro, Dr. Zafar Iqbal, said that the goal of the program was to provide a forum where people could get together transcending political, religious, regional, and geographical boundaries promoting the culture of the subcontinent.
Welcoming the audience on behalf of the AAA, the association’s president, Dr. Fazal Khan, mentioned that the association has been engaged in organizing literary and cultural events, as well as collaborating with other community associations for the last 40 years. This year, the association has planned special events to celebrate 40 years of its service to the community.
Dr. A. Abdullah, the most adored conductor of poetry recitation sessions, mentioned in his introductory remark that the increasing number of participants and audience in these programs is a testimony to the desire of people to share the common heritage.
“Hindi and Urdu are twin sisters, who have different attire and are marching forward side by side in India and all over the world,” said Dr. Abdullah.
The mushaira session was presided by Abdurrahman Siddiqui and participating poets included A. Abdullah, Aziz Qureshi, Baqar Zaidi, Daler Deol Aashna, Gulshan Madhur, Kiran Nath, Mohammad Hussain Imam, Rakesh Khandelwal, Razi Raziuddin, Satyapal Anand, Vandana Singh, and Vishakha Thaker.
Some samples of the poetry recited at the event:
Makhkhi ban kar waqt kuredey Hai khule ghao si zindagi
Vandana Singh
Kaisi preet rachai tu ne hum jaise deevane main
Jaise shama jee uThti ho pighal pighal mar jane main
Razi Raziuddin
UryaN falak tak husn-e-bahar Jhuki nazreN bhari palkain
Jhoomar laTke beyshumar Mahek chali sarhad key paar
Daler Deol Aashna
BaharoN key din kabhi mere liyae bhi the
Par aaya na koee qaafla sab muntazir to the
Vishakha Thaker
YaadoN ka roop miT gaya hai in boojhi pahelain hoN jaise
Dukh such mera khoob banNTi hoN bachpan ki saheliaN hoN jasie
Jeevan ki jab sham hui to socha ghar bhi ho aaeN
Kitne din yovan ke the kahaN guzaare bhhol gaey
Satyapal Anand
Sura gaate gaate main ghanshyam hua jaata hooN
Aur tulsi ke manas meiN rah kar main khd raan hua jaata hooN
Rakesh Khandelwal
Apne aaNgan se kaee sooraj huey the roo fishaN
Kiya khabar thi is tapish meiN saebaaN jal jae ga
Hussain Imam
Maghrib ki simt jaane ko jaate to ho magar
Aisa na ho ki tumheiN bhi wahanN ki hava kage
Aziz Qureshi
Insaan ka vajood hai israr meiN nihaN Itna samajh meiN aata hai jitna dikhaee de
Is shaher-e-na sipaas meiN sab ajnabi haiN Apna to koee mere maula dikahee de
Baqar Zaidi
Ghazal unko sunane lage hain Maze zindgani ke aane lage hain
KaTi umr saari to ghar yaad aaya Chalo hosh aakhir Thikane Lage hain
AbdurRahman Siddiqui