The 6th Canberra International
Urdu Poetry Festival (Mushaira) held on Sunday, 24 July 2005 in Canberra,
organised by Bazm-i-Adab, Canberra Inc. (Literary Society of Canberra) was an
excellent display of entertainment and thoughtfulness. Besides presenting latest
Urdu poetry it served as a tool to promote unity and understanding between those
Canberra residents who are tied to each other with the link of Urdu language yet
belong to different religions and cultures. A captivated audience, well above
hundred in number, enjoyed a perfect evening listening to the poetic thoughts of
the visiting Sub-continental poets. These poets included Mr Manzar Bhopali
(India), Mr Zafar Iqbal (Pakistan), Mr Talib Khundmeri (India) and Mr Farhat
Abbas Shah (Pakistan). Among the Australian Urdu poets who presented their poems
in the festival were Mr Mohammed Ali (Canberra), Mr Ateeq Siddiqui (Canberra),
Mr Furqan Choudhry (Canberra), Mr Om Krishan Rahat (Sydney), Mr Shuja Atif
(Sydney) and Dr Shabbir Haider (Wollongong). Mr Mohammed Ali, Secretary of
Bazm-i-Adab, Canberra, was master of the ceremony.
High Commissioner of Pakistan,
Hon. Babar Malik was the guest of honour on the occasion. Among other
dignitaries present were Mr Sarfraz Khanzada, Deputy High Commissioner of
Pakistan, Brig. Imran Malik, Defence Attache of Pakistan and Mr Omairi,
Director, ACT Multicultural Department.
Mrs Khalida Yasmin Qureshi,
President, Bazm-i-Adab, Canberra welcomed the visiting poets, the guest of
honour and Dr Shabbir Haider, President, Urdu Society of Australia. She thanked
all the Urdu loving audience. She also thanked Urdu Society of Australia for
their continued support of this annual event of Canberra, which has been
happening for last six years and has seen many leading Urdu poets and
philosophers coming over to Canberra from the Subcontinent.
One of the highlights of the
evening was the distribution of the special edition of Bazm-i-Adab's Urdu and
English magazine 'Bunyaad' which contained selected poetry of all visiting
poets. Mr Mohammed Ali, Secretary, Bazm-i-Adab and Editor of 'Bunyaad' thanked
ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, and ACT Multicultural Department for their
support for 'Bunyaad' and the Bazm-i-Adab. He also thanked for the Chief
Minister's message, which has been included in the magazine. He said that the
message has given the editorial board of Bunyaad (and Bazm-i-Adab's executive
committee) a real boost. The editorial board of Bunyaad is comprised of Mr Iqbal
Khan, Mr Abdul Qadir Qureshi, Mr Nadeem Sheikh and Mr Arshad Hussain, in
addition to Mr Mohammed Ali.
While the poetry of all visiting
poets was grand, Mr Manzar Bhopali and Mr Farhat Abbas Shah's was lot more
applauded. One of Manzar's couplet was:
Baap bojh dhota that kya jahaiz
dai pata
is liyay woh shehzadi aaj tak
kunwari hai
Translation:
The Dad was a labourer, earning
barely enough
How could he have arranged Dowry
for his daughter
Due to this reason her princess
(daughter) is
still spinster, still unmarried,
waiting and waiting
Farhat's couplet that won him much
appreciation was:
soch ki zaminoon par rastay juda
hoon to
door ja nikalnay main dair kitni
lagti hai
Translation:
If thinking patterns are different
it does not take for partners to
part
The evening will be remembered for
a long time as it provided people from different cultures and religion to sit
under one roof and share the same entertainment and thoughts.
Manzar Bhopali with Deputy
High Commissioner
Visiting
Poet Manzar Bhopali with Mr Mohammed Ali,
Pakistan, Mr Sarfraz Khanzada and Mr Mohammed Ali.
Editor
'Bunyaad' and Secretary Bazm-i-Adab, Canberra
and other members of Bunyaad's editorial board.
President Bazm-i-Adab, Mrs Khalida Qureshi welcoming the guests. Guest poets and some Bazm members with High Commissioner Hon. Babar Malik
Visiting Indian Talib Khundmeri with some guests. Visiting Pakistani poet and classical singer Mazhar Abbas Shah with some members of Bazm-i-Adab and guests
Omer Zubair
presenting Canberra Bazm-i-Adab Recognition
Guest poets with Members of
Bazm-i-Adab Canberra
award to Indian poet Manzar Bhopali
Reception Committee of Bazm-i-Adab, Canberra
Group photo with visiting poets from Pakistan and India
Guests at Parliament House
Brig Imran Malik Defence Attache of Pakistan with Visiting Pakistani poet Farhat Abbas Shah
Group of overseas guest poets with Australian Urdu writers and poets Group of poets with Shabbir Haider and Mohammed Ali
