Hyderabad: If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Yes, this is what the crass indifference and utter negligence of Urdu knowing public calls for.
The poet who gave so much for Urdu literature was ignored by the community when the weekly lectures on him touched a milestone. The other day Hyderabad saw the Iqbal Shinasi sessions clocking in the 1101 mark. But sadly, the Jama Masjid Aliya at Gunfoundry did not record many footfalls. Of course, there were a little more than the usual numbers that turn up for the weekly programmes but certainly not enough to mark a landmark event.
There were no new attendees either. The same old faces – mostly on the wrong side of 60s and a few nonagenarians. Students and youth were conspicuous by their absence. Just remember what Allama Iqbal had prayed and wished for the youngsters:
Tadapne phadkne ki taufeeq de
(Give the strength to vibrate and throb
Dile Murtaza, soze Siddiqu de
Lend it the heart of Murtuza, the fervour of Siddiqu)
Jawanon ko soz-e-jigar baksh de
(Endow the young with fervent soul
Mera ishq, meri nazar baksh de
Grant them my love and vision)
Imagine what would have been the case had it been a movie programme or a standup comedy show. Nothing short of a stampede, surely. This indifference of the community was noticed and commented upon by many a speaker who addressed the programme. They pointed out how through his poetry and philosophical works, Iqbal sought to guide the community to overcome the impediments in the pursuit of excellence and to remain unfazed in the face of adversity. Iqbal experts like Prof. Majeed Bedar, Dr. Rauf Khair and Ziauddin Nayyar explained the message of unflinching faith, continuous struggle, hope and self-respect given by Iqbal. “Even now his poetry is the perfect remedy to troubled souls,” they opined.
The Masjid-e-Aliya and more particularly its president, Ghulam Yezdani, deserves credit for organizing the marathon lecture series on Iqbal. Except during the COVID-10 restrictions, the lectures have continued without a break over the last quarter century. The first lecture was given on October 8, 1997, by Zaheeruddin Ahmed of Iqbal Academy. At that time none thought that the lecture series would continue this long. Nowhere in the world, not even in the neighboring Pakistan, where Iqbal is considered the national poet so many lectures have been held on his art, craft and thought.
For sheer numbers the Iqbal Shinasi lectures have no match. Thanks to the indomitable zeal of Ghulam Yezdani, senior advocate, the weekly lectures touched the 100th mark on December 4, 1999. They reached the 200th figure on (March 9, 2002), the 300th mark (May 16, 2004), 400th lecture (July 12, 2006), 500th lecture (August 31, 2008), 600th lecture (December 5, 2010), 700th lecture (February 6, 2013), 800th lecture (April 3, 2015), 900th lecture (July 12, 2017). The landmark of 1000 lectures were reached on October 9, 2019. A grand programme was organized at the Urdu Hall to mark the occasion. The lecture series touched the 1100 mark on December 14, 2022.
Eminent scholars have held forth on various aspects of Iqbal’s poetry – expounding his poetical and philosophical merit. They include Dr. Ziauddin Shekeb, Dr. Taqi Abedi, Prof. Mohsin Osmani, Prof. Khaja Naseeruddin, Dr. Murtuza Siddiqui, Maslehuddin Saadi, Dr. M.M. Taqi Khan, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani and Dr. Yousuz Azmi to name a few. They have dealt at length on Iqbal’s concept of Mard-e-Momin (the perfect man), taqdir (destiny), faqr (destitution), Qalandar (symbol of the evolved man) and Shaheen (falcon) – motifs that often figure in his poetry.
“The message of Iqbal is the message of Quran”, remarked Ziauddin Nayyar who delivered the keynote address on Iqbal ka tasawwure deen. He quoted several verses of the poet to drive home the point. The pathetic situation Muslims find themselves in today is the result of their distancing from the holy Quran. Those who recite it also fail to fathom its meaning. He quoted this popular verse of Iqbal to say how the poet wanted the scriptures to be read:
Tere zameer pe jab tak na ho nazool-e-kitab
(Unless the Book’s each verse and part be revealed unto your heart
Girah khusha hai na razi na sahib-e-kashaaf
Interpreters, though much profound, its subtle points can’t expound)
According to Prof. Majeed Bedar, Iqbal remains the most talked about and written about poet. While there are 1500 books written on Mirza Ghalib, the number of books on Iqbal is 1700. He is also the most quoted poet by politicians, scholars and preachers since his poetry is the poetry of purpose and life. It boosted the morale and spirit of man.
Scholars who addressed the session were felicitated. Ifthekhar Husain of Faize Aam Trust donated Rs. 1 lakh to the Mahfile Iqbal Shinasi for purchase of cameras. In his address, Ghulam Yezdani, urged people to bring youngsters to the Iqbal lectures so that they can draw inspiration.
| 
