Lovers of Faiz Ahmed Faiz on Tuesday remembered him on his 23rd death anniversary. However, journalists remembered the renowned Urdu poet as they marched reciting his famous verse 'Bol ke lab azzad hain terey' ahead of their demonstration before the RIUJ Press Club, which entered its ninth day.
While this was happening in downtown Islamabad, at the same time, admirers of Faiz were gathering at the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) to pay him glorious tributes to mark his death anniversary.
Intellectuals and writers paid him homage remembering that while Faiz may have passed away on November 20 in 1984 but he was still relevant in the present context of the country.
Munno Bhai in his address said Faiz's poetry remained fresh for his readers because the times he spoke of were ever present in our national life. We find the same turmoil every now and then, and we turn to find solace in his poetry because he lyrically sublimates the tragedy of a bewildered people who did not know what the future held for them, he added.
Activist Harris Khalique said that people turn to Faiz's poetry in times of national distress because he speaks about the slow silent pain which tugs at the heart of the common people to see the plight in which the motherland had fallen.
Iftikhar Arif, the PAL chief, remarked that Faiz's was a definitive voice in the steam of Progressive Movement, emerging as one of the brightest star of Urdu poetry.
He said that the poet was taunted in his life time that his prominence was sponsored by a political cut and from an outside country but that had been falsified by the enormous readership that went on increasing after his death.
Arif then asked the audience to join him in reciting the famous poem from Faiz that says 'Ayee hath uthain ham bhi, ham jinhen rasm dua yaad nahin'.
There was a reason he was asking the audience for repeating this prayer and it was because sweetness and light had gone out from the life of our people.
Dr Najeeba Arif and Dr Shaheen Mufti also interpreted the poetry of Faiz saying he had many layers of meaning, which takes the reader to new horizons. However, Dr Mufti said he would take Faiz out of the Progressive Writers Movement context and deal him romantically, as one whose lyricism had put its arms around her.
Rahat Saeed, a trade unionist, said Faiz's thoughts for compassion of the poor and toiling masses lived in his works which were chiseled so well into a mould that everyone is lost in rhythm.
Professor Khwaja Masud, who presided over the meeting, paid tributes to Faiz whose works had stamp of beauty, and had compassion and understanding for the common people of Pakistan, and his verse was diverse and yet Faiz was a brave soldier in the war of the liberation of mankind.
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