Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — Humor, pun, sarcasm and satire was at the pinnacle in a humorous mushaira (poetic session), organized by HADAF (Human Abilities Development and Advancement Foundation) at the picturesque Lulua Event Hall in Aziziyah Corniche here last week to pay tribute to popular poet of humor and satire Sulaiman Khateeb, who had penned poems to highlight social ills. HADAF mushaira, which has become an annual event in the Eastern Province, is keenly awaited by people, and many travel from Dammam, Ahsa, Jubail and even Riyadh for the event. This year nearly 1,000 people attended and they were immersed in an ocean of laughter amidst the beautiful settings and environ that adorned the hall. The voice of Khateeb and recitation of his poems kept the audience in awe and excitement as they marveled at the insight and literary dexterity of the legendary poet. They also appreciated the efforts of HADAF in preserving the rich culture and literary works of great Urdu poets and scholars by organizing such literary evenings. In the keynote address, Nayeem Javed, founder of HADAF, highlighted the life and works of Khateeb. Born in 1922 in Bidar, a small town in today's Karnataka State, Khateeb lived for 55 years and in this relatively short span of life, he had carved a niche for himself not only in Deccani Urdu literature but also as a social reformer and activist, Javed said. He popularized Deccani Urdu poetry not just by his literary masterpieces but also by weaving social issues like dowry, patriarchal society, injustice and inequality in a unique manner laced with humor and satire. Tamkeen Sulaiman Khateeb, welcomed the idea of a Mushaira in Dammam in the memory of his father. Local poets set the tone of the session by highlighting local issues faced by expatriates. Their couplets warmed up the evening and several times the hall broke into frenzied laughter. It was joy and fun all over, with the traditional tears and lamentation of Urdu ghazal taking a back seat. Javed, who conducted the proceedings, initiated the session with his own couplets on people's appetite and speech. He tried to establish a connect between men's stomach and his tongue. ‘Yeh mard ki zubaan sa mardaana pait hai Khush khoriyon ke dher sa paimana pait hai Baaligh badan pe dekho yeh bachkaana pait hai Uljhay hoey plot ka afsaana pait hai' (This belly is like a man's tongue; Filled with an unending appetite; On mature body, see this childish belly; It is like a confused plot of a story) A well known Khobar-based poet Shiraz Mehdi Zia heightened the mood with his ghazal on the plight of Urdu. ‘Ab taraste ho ke bachay tere urdu bolain; itni angrezi padhaney ki zarurat kya thi' (You now yearn that your children speak Urdu; what was the need to make them learn only English) Shaukat Jamal, a popular name in the region and who had come from Riyadh, covered different topics with many of his humorous couplets presented with a local touch and Arabic phrases. Chauthay nikaah may joh mai ek dost ko gaya Poocha ke yaar, teri yeh shaadi hai aakhri Pehlay toh ussnay dekha idhar udhar Phir muskara ke bolaa wallahi maa idree (When I went to attend fourth marriage of my friend; And asked, my friend, if this is your last marriage; He looked here and there first and then said with a smile, by God I don't know) Dr. Abid Ali, a physician from Riyadh, took his turn and added laughter with a pun on his own fraternity. Tu bhi tadpe meri tarah dentist Jaan mushkil may daal di tuu nay ial rahi thi jo daadh rehnay di Thi jo acchi tu ne nikal di (You too suffer like me oh dentist;You have made my life miserable; The tooth which was loose, you retained; And the one which was good you extracted) By the time Dr. Popular Meeruthi was invited to the dais for the first round, the auditorium was fully charged and he took full advantage of it and fired salvos after salvos to keep the audience on their toes and took them to dizzying heights. His poems revolving around the themes of men craving for marriages and love sent the audience in frenzied laughter. Har haseena ke ghamon ki dawaa mein hi to hoon Aaj Kal hasnay hasaaney ki dawaa maii hi toh hoon Har kisi say poochta rehtaa hoon hans hans kar mizaaj Hoshiyaron ki gali may baaola mein hi to oon (I am the cure for every beautiful girl's woes; I have the laughter and smile to cure all pains; I keep asking everyone their well being; In the lane of wise, I am the only dumb fellow) Belan Nizmabadi, a Hyderabadi poet based in Jeddah, was at his best with his Deccani humor filled with words of wisdom. His renditions mostly reflected the Deccani dialect and his ghazal with ‘Nakko bola tha' radeef (scale) caught the imagination of the audience. Nakko ji kolsoun ka dhandaa, pun goray miya kis ki suntain Tawwe ki soorat ho gayi naa, mai pehlaich nakko bola tha (Don't do the business of coal, yet, the fair man never listened; The face has turned like black pan, I had already warned) Yeh kaisa daur hai pyare, yeh kaisi mehngai re Kapdey ki qeemat say badh kar kapde ki silwaai re (What an era where cost of living has gone so high that stitching cost is higher than the price of cloth) Sardar Asar, a young poet who had come from Hyderabad, where Deccani Urdu poetry flourished, took full control and left the audience spellbound with his poetry which was a mix of humor and satire. Ghupp andheray may guzaraa zindagi saari asar Ghar padosi ka jalla ko raushni to naii kara (Spent the whole life in sheer darkness; But didn't burn the house of neighbor to get light) On demand by audience, he presented one ghazal "Kidhar gaya ki" (where is it gone) Doctor sahib to sachi mahir hai apne fun mein Patient to samne hai, gurda kidhar gaya ki (The surgeon is very skilled in his job; The patient is lying on bed, yet, where has the kidney gone) Highlighting the importance of an elder in the house: Ghar mein har ek apni man maani karte jaraa Joh toktaa thaa sab ko Buddha kidhar gaya ki (It is free for all in the house; Where did the old man go who used to reprimand) Iftikhar Raghib, from Bihar, India, had come from Qatar. He has his unique way of reciting poetry and his parodies of legendary poets like Ghalib, Mir and Dagh set the house on fire. He reminded the audience of Daagh Dehelvi when he recited. Joh zarra jis jagah hai wahi aaftaab hai Kaissay karuun na qadr mai ginti kay baal ki Urdu hai jis ka naam hum hi jaantey hain daagh Raghib hum hi hein wajah uskae zawaal ki (Wherever is the atom, he is the Sun of his own; How can't I value these hairs which are countable; Whose name is Urdu, we know very well oh Daagh; Raghib, we are the cause of Urdu's downfall) Earlier, the President of HADAF, Jaweed Masood welcomed all to the third grand annual Mushaira of HADAF and briefed them about the group's mission and vision. HADAF is determined to uplift the downtrodden section of the society through education and personality development and he requested the audience to promote the organization. HADAF has undertaken several projects and one of them is to make children learn Urdu language in Noon School in Hyderabad, India under its motto ‘catch ‘em young'. Mohammed Asgharuddin Ahmed, vice president-operations of HADAF, thanked the sponsors and supporters and presented plaques in token of appreciation. He said that the event would not have been possible without the support of OSN, Focus Softnet Solutions, Atlas Travel, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Yousef Saleh Dossary Est. Saleh, Saleh Yousef Dossary and Sons Co.; Future Flags, Indus Novataeur. He also thanked Saudi Gazette for supporting the cause of HADAF and being its media partner. Safi Hyder Jannaty, vice president – education and learning of HADAF anchored the first session of the proceedings and welcomed the guests and poets. He also announced the Saudi Gazette gesture in giving away six annual subscriptions to members of its audience as well as offering a promo price for new subscriptions during the event. The audience included several prominent scholars and leaders of different social and cultural organizations : Zaheer Baig, president, Hyderabad Association; Shahryar Ahmed Khan, president, Bhopal NRI Association; Syed Waheed Abdul Lateef, president Hyderabad Deccan Connections, Jubail; Abdurahman Saleem, president Bazme Urdu, Riyadh, Farouq Shah Bandari, Bhatkal Association, renowned classic music maestro, Dr. Abdulghani of Al Ahssa, Wajahat Siddiqui, and Meraj Al Ansari. The businessmen and executives of several leading companies and establishments including Hameeduddin of Atlas Travels, Omar Farooq Osmani of Future Flags, Parvez Ahmed Wani of Kanoo Group, Shamsuddin of Saleh Yousef Al Dossary Sons Co. Ltd.; Mohammed Azhar Shaikh of Yousef Saleh Yousef Est. Mohammed Ansari, Syed Minhajuddin, Mumtaz Ali Akram, Meraj Ansari, Anees Baksh, Sadeq Sait, senior executives of Focus Softnet, Oman Air and OSN were also among the attendees and several of them were honored by HADAF. The Youth Ambassador, Ehshan Ahmed played a vital role in organizing the event. HADAF announced that it would conduct a Mushaira in the memory of the poet and philosopher Allama Mohammed Iqbal in November, 2016.
