By Abdus Sattar Ghazali:
The Urdu Academy of North America hosted popular Urdu poetess and writer, Farhat Parveen. The literary event was held at the Pakistan Community Center, Milpitas CA on September 15, 2019.
Nagesh Avadhany, a senior member of the Urdu Academy presented a well researched maqala on the creative work of Farhat Parveen.
Tashie Zaheer, President of the Urdu Academy chaired over the event.
An interesting feature of the event was singing of Farhat Parveen's ghazals by Surbhi Kaul, Muneeba Zeeshan, Nagesh Avadhany and Dr. Anshuman Chandra.
This was the second time the Urdu Academy has the pleasure to host Farhat Parveen. In August 2016 the Urdu Academy launched her first collection of poetry Guftum.
Farhat Parveen is a creative and prolific poetess and writer. Her poetry reflects the same depth of human feelings which is reflected in her short stories.
She has three collections of her short stories “The Frozen” “From the window of Restaurant” and “The rocks of glass.”
Farhat Parveen has started writing fiction in 1990s and soon become a known figure in the history of South Asian Urdu fictions. She has a post-modern approach in all her writings, she gives a real touch of truth fullness to her fictions. She has become an established fiction writer of her age.
In March 2009, the Dubai-based literary portal Urdu Manzil (www.urdumanzil.com) honored Farhat Parveen with its first literary award. Urdu Manzil under Sabiha Saba as editor-in-chief is catering the Urdu literary needs of the Urdu speaking Diaspora in the oil rich Arab/Persian Gulf states.
In an interview with the Khaleej Times, Farhat remembered how 1992 was a momentous year. “It was only 17 years ago, while I was living in the US, that I found time to explore my talent as a short story writer and poet,” she said. But she added, “I read more than I write. Reading is my passion and writing my necessity. Reading takes between five to six hours of my time every day. Writing is an effortless act for me, like breathing.”
Farhat tries to capture the various colors of life through her work. She credits her interaction with people during her travels, her observation skills, and her sensitive nature in helping her find the right subject for her short stories. Though most of the characters in her short stories undergo pain and sadness in life, Farhat seems to be a total contrast. “I spread happiness among others and keep my pain close to my heart... When I can’t hold them any more within me, I write,” she explained.
Amjad Islam Amjad, in an introduction to her short story collection “Kanch Ki Chatan” called Farhat Parveen among the contemporary rising writers like Nilofar Iqbl, Tahira Iqbal, Neelum Ahmad Basheer, Shabana Habib, Samir Naqvi. Amjad says that these new generation writers have no match with senior Urdu writers such as Esmat Chughtai, Hijab li Imtiaz, Quratul Ain Haider, Hajra Masroor, Khudaija Mastoor, Bano Qudsia, Jeelani Bano, Wajda Tabassum, Jameela Hashmi, Khalda Hussian and Nisar Aziz, however the creative work of the new writers will echo loud in the future for a long time. Continued on next page
