Several renowned Urdu poets from across the globe will be participating in a grand Mushaira (poetic evening) at the United Beach Camp here Wednesday, Jan. 4. The event, organized by Aalami Mushaira Committee, is to honor the doyen of Urdu poetry in India, Dr. Gulzar Dehelvi, for his life-long contribution in keeping alive and developing the Urdu language in the subcontinent. Poets who have given their consent to participate in the event include Dr. Majed Deobandi, Dr. Popular Meeruthi, Muzaffar Razmi, Prof. Dr. Syed Nusha Asrar (Alig) and Dr. Syed Nayeem Hamid Ali Al-Hamid, who is a US-based scientist and highly-acclaimed Urdu and Persian scholar and critic. Bahrain will be represented by Khursheed (Alig). Padam Shri Dr. Gulzar Dehelvi is a true symbol of secularism. A contemporary of Josh Malihabadi, Jigar Moradabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Azad and Rajinder Singh Bedi, Dr. Gulzar Dehelvi contributed to the inclusion of Urdu in the United Nations. Dr. Gulzar Dehelvi visited Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz in 1955 and presented a long poem in King Saud's honor in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. Abu Asim Azmi, firebrand leader from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, will be the chief guest. Those interested to attend the event can obtain free passes from Meraj A. Ansari (0506816138), Dr. Wajahat Farooqui (0504638132), Habib Shaikh (0554300770), Mohammed Shibli (0569680950) and Mohammad Saqib (0530311036), a press release issued here said.
