By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California celebrated Sir Syed Day 2018 with an International Mushaira.The event was held at the India Community Center in Milpitas, CA on November 10, 2018.
The International Mushaira was presided over by guest poet from Pakistan, Javed Saba.
Tashie Zaheer, President of the Urdu Academy of North America, was MC of the Mushaira. Welcoming the guests Tashie Zaheer stressed the importance of poetry in human life. He said that poetry is not simply the sequence of words but a reflection of subtle thoughts. A poet lands us in an unknown world where weare introduced to delicate human feelings and thoughts.
To rephrase it,poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings according to Aristotle. For William Wordsworth poetry is the revelation of a feeling that the reader or listener recognizes as his or her own. Poetry is described as the universal language by William Hazlitt.
The Sir Syed Day International Mushaira included eight poets, two poets (Javed Saba & Ahmad Salman) from Pakistan,two poets (Dr. Nusrat Mehdi & Madan Mohan Danish) from India who joined four local poets:Fayyaz Uddin Saieb from Phoenix, Arshad Rasheed, Dr. Aifra Ahmed and Kausar Saiyed from San Francisco Bay Area.
Tashie Zaheer, who is also a Saheb-e-Deewan poet, invited Kausar Saiyed to begin the Mushaira. Kausar Saiyed, from Junagarh, inherited poetry from her maternal grandfather. She drew wide applause from the audience for her poetry:
Who Mere Dil MeiN Base Kuchh Is Ada Se Kia KahuN
Bas Unhi Ke Naam Ye Dil Dharakta Reh Gaya
MeiN Ke Too-fanouN Se Guzree Surkh Roo Wo Pur Waqar
Dil Magar SasooN Me Ashke Gham Pe Rota Reh Gaya
Dr. Aifra Ahmed was the next local poet who mesmerized the guests with her graphic poem Time of Death which was based on her experience at a doctor.
Arshad Rasheed, a popular Urdu Diaspora poet was next in line from the Bay Area. He amused the audience with his poetry:
Kashmakash Aek Ajeeb Hai Dil-wo-JaaNMeiN Ab Ke
Ham KeMujrimHaiNHameeApniGawahiDeiN Ge
Fayyaz Uddin Saieb travelled from Phoenix, Arizona, to attend the International Mushaira. Like Arshad Rasheed, he is also a popular Urdu Diaspora poet. His two collections of his poetry have been published. Two of his popular verses:
AlfaazGuftugooKeLiye Ab NaheeNRahe
Mehsoos Ho Rahaa Hai Mere NaheeNRahe
ManaaKeFaasleHaiNBuhutPhirBhee Ye Bataa
Ham TereSaathBhalaKabNaheiNRahe
