25th death anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz observed

Chairman National Language Authority Iftikhar Arif and Dr Ludmila Vassilieva, scholar of Urdu literature from Russia paid glowing tributes to Faiz Ahmed Faiz, on his 25th death anniversary. Both scholars spoke at length about the services of the renowned poet of sub continent at a function organised in Toronto under the auspices of Urdu International Canada, said a press release received here.
The event was the culmination of Ashfaq Hussain's three literary events that he organised in Toronto in last three months. Faiz was the first Asian poet to be awarded the Lenin Peace Prize, the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Prize in 1963. Other notable recipients of this award included Pablo Neruda, Nelson Mandela, W. E. B. Du Bois, Bertolt Brecht, Fidel Castro and Nobel Prize winning Chemist Linus Pauling.
Before his death in 1984 Faiz was also nominated for the Nobel Prize. But for Faiz, the real award for a poet is the love and appreciation of his fans. Faiz enjoyed both for most of his life. Iftikhar Arif and Vassilleva, who both were very close to Faiz Ahmed Faiz during his lifetime, spoke at length on the life and achievements of the revolutionary poet.
Ludmila surprised many people when she came to the mike to deliver her lecture in Urdu. She said the freedom movement in India during British Raj attracted the attention of many people in her country. As for as Urdu is concerned, Russians loved to know about the other languages as well. "And for me and many other people in my country, Urdu is a sweet and heart throbbing language", she said.
Faiz, she said, played a major role in promoting Urdu literature in Soviet Union. She pointed out that many Faiz's poems were translated into various languages. Before the end of the event, Azalea Ray sang Faiz famous poems though she is not an Urdu speaking singer.
Earlier, Urdu International Canada presented Arif Iftikhar a cash award of $2,500 along with a 'Faiz Memorial Urdu International Award'. The award was presented by Qamar Siddiqui on behalf of Urdu International Canada. Dr Ludmila Vassilieva, the Faizian scholar, also received a plaque on this occasion. The plaque was presented to her on behalf of Urdu International Canada by Anwar Merchant.