Pakistan may have started 60 years celebration of independence with 31-gun salute, parades and public rallies. However, its literati have participated in the happiness of its birth celebration with equal enthusiasm.
An illustration is found in the latest Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) publication of Javedan Iqbal, an omnibus anthology, written in honour of the national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
The 734 pages book contains 355 poetical selection of poems praising Iqbal written by his contemporary poets, as well as the most recent ones, including some from non-Muslim Indian poets who were much taken up by the new subject matter, which Iqbal presented for kindling the spirit of patriotism among Indians.
This shows Iqbal's following in India as a patriotic poet speaking for all communities of the sub-continent until he came to a different view that the Muslim population was entitled to a separate homeland. Among his Hindu admirers were such people as Panna Lal Shishdar, Pundit Chand Narain, Talok Chand Mahroom, Jagan Nath Azad and Chaand Narain Chaand.
The last mentioned mourns iqbal's death in a poem that states 'Nay tera mizrab hai baaqi na tera saaz hai.' (The pain of your lyrics have departed with the silence of the tunes you would once strike). The earliest poem about Iqbal included in this selection is from Arzoo Akbarabadi who tells the world that Allama Iqbal was the brightest star in India's firmament. Faiz Ahmad Faiz described Iqbal as a 'good-throated saint who came to our city.'
The book includes poem written by 15 woman poets such as Begum Salma Tasadduq Hussain, Ada Jafary, Kishwar Naheed, Saadat Naz, Perveen Syed Fana, Rabya Nehan etc. PAL chief Iftikhar Arif, who spoke to the Media, before releasing the book in the market, regretted that the volume was intended to be released on the Independence Day but its printing delayed by 15 days.
He said it was a sequel volume to another anthology of poetry titled "Millat Ka Pasban" issued on Independence Day last year, and called it as an effort to document history of Pakistan as reflected in the writings of the country's literati. The editor, Rashed Hameed said he had collected poetry written about Allama Iqbal as published in newspapers and journals up to 1977.
Rashed Hameed was conscious that works of many recent poets might have been excluded from the volume but justified it by saying that there has to be some cut off date for collection of manuscripts, which have a bearing in history. However, he would attempt to enlarge this work by adding poems written after 1977 in a separate volume.