Kaifi Azmi remembered for his words and vision
The programme was organised by the All India Kaifi Academy and featured literary discussions, poetry recitations and theatre presentations.
: Tributes were paid to legendary poet Kaifi Azmi on his 107th birth anniversary at the Kaifi Azmi Academy auditorium on Wednesday. The programme was organised by the All India Kaifi Academy and featured literary discussions, poetry recitations and theatre presentations.
The event was attended by the Academy’s vice president Syed Khursheed Mehdi and noted fiction writer Ayesha Siddiqui. It began with Ajra Jirvi’s evocative recitation of Kaifi Azmi’s famous poem Aurat, followed by a seminar titled Memories of Kaifi.
Delivering the keynote address, prof Nalin Ranjan Singh said that while Kaifi Azmi is widely known as a poet, his contribution as a columnist is often overlooked. He recalled that between 1964 and 1972, Kaifi Azmi regularly wrote the column Nayi Gulistan for the Urdu weekly Blitz, addressing politics, socio-economic issues and global developments.
Singh highlighted Azmi’s sharp use of satire, his strong response to Pakistan’s then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s remarks, and his views on bank nationalisation and social equality. Speaker Sameena Khan noted that Kaifi Azmi wrote his first ghazal at the age of 11 and described him as a poet who voiced the pain of society through his work. Rajesh Yadav from Azamgarh said that Azmi used his pen as a weapon against injustice and exploitation.
Presiding over the programme, Ayesha Siddiqui observed that Kaifi Azmi’s prose writings also secured him a respected place in the history of Urdu literature.
The event concluded with the screening of the play Hum Mukhtara, written and directed by renowned theatre personality Usha Ganguly, highlighting women’s struggle, collective strength and self-reliance.
