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Lahore:
Renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz's daughter Salima Hashmi says
the poet is beyond the politics of India and Pakistan and can be a
bridge between the two countries.
"During his exile, on his 70th birthday, Faiz was in Delhi at a
big meeting where his poems were appreciated. Faiz had said then
that he took this as a sign of India's affection for the people of
Pakistan," Hashmi told IANS here.
"Faiz was deeply connected to the struggles of Pakistanis. When
people celebrate Faiz in India, it's a message not just for Faiz
but his people," Salima says.
Faiz, born in Sialkot in 1911, was active in the political and
cultural space of India. After independence he moved to Pakistan,
where among other things he worked as a journalist, teacher,
college principal and activist. He died in 1982.
Week-long centenary celebrations in Lahore, which end on Faiz's
birthday Feb 13 and have been organised by the Faiz Foundation
Trust, includes an evening with Indian film personalities Shabana
Azmi and Javed Akhtar. A 20-strong delegation from India arrived
for the festival in Lahore Thursday and also includes singer Ila
Arun, writers Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari, director M.S. Sathyu,
actors Rajendra Gupta and Lubna Salim, and scholars Asghar Wajahat
and Suresh Chabria.
Hashmi was in Delhi last week for the same. Fans of Faiz in many
Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow, are holding
functions commemorating the poet.
"Everyone is susceptible to Faiz. Even the stubborn ones in the
corridors of power in India and Pakistan have kept their
differences aside to celebrate Faiz. He is beyond the reach of
their politics," Salima told IANS here about the effort that went
into holding the Faiz Ahmed Faiz centennial celebrations here.
Faiz's poems continue to ring true across world.
"I have found Faiz in my wanderings in Palestine, South Africa, in
Swat Valley, in the movements in West Bengal and the southern part
of India. The sense in his poems is so intrinsic that no amount of
terror can shake it. His work is a celebration of the fact that
there is a common future for all of us," says Hashmi.
"Urdu is not even spoken in most of these places. There has to be
something beyond language here," she says.
Faiz's major works include "Naqsh-e-Faryadi", "Dast-e-Saba" and "Zindan-Nama".
Faiz's poetry has been translated into many languages, including
English and Russian.
The deluge of requests she gets from people across the world,
mostly from India, to use Faiz's work in songs, films and in their
own literature, makes Hashmi realise that "something in Faiz is
beyond the problem of translation."
She says the Faiz festival was the strongest during the rule of
President Zia-ul Haq.
Most of his works were banned during the military dictatorship of
Haq (1977-88). These included 'Hum Dekhenge', an anthem for
liberty from tyranny, with its lines 'Sab taaj uchale jayenge, Sab
takht giraye jayenge (all crowns will be tossed up, all thrones
will be brought down)'. However, defying the diktat, famous ghazal
singer Iqbal Bano recited it at a 1985 programme in Lahore to a
50,000-strong crowd, which took up the chant.
"At a time when political activity was not allowed, Faiz's poems
became a way for people to vent their feelings. That is when I
realised that cultural activity is actually political," Salima
says.
And that is the reason she persists despite the problems. "For us
Faiz lives, and is rejuvenated every year. This year, considering
the political climate of the world, the need for Faiz is urgent,"
she concludes.
(Satyen K. Bordoloi can be contacted at satyens@gmail.com)
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