JEDDAH — “Jeddah has become a cradle of Urdu language and literature. The year-round mushairahs and other literary activities create headlines in journals and newspapers back in Pakistan, India and even Western countries that host large numbers of Urdu speaking people,” said famous Pakistani poet Moshin Changezi during a dinner and Mushairah here recently. The event was hosted in honor of three eminent Pakistani poets, including Changezi, Azam Kamal and Uzair Ahmad at Salt and Pepper Restaurant. Nasir Barni was the master of event. After briefly introducing local Indian and Pakistani poets, he praised the guest poets for their contribution to the development of Urdu poetry and literature. In his brief speech, Muhammad Ashfaq, a former announcer of Radio Pakistan and patron of Halqa-e-Danish, Jeddah, lauded the guest poets. The audience enthusiastically listened to Pakistani poet Azam Kamal when he shed light on his poetic innovation “Rujooie Ghazal”. Faisal Tufail, host of the program, welcomed and thanked the participants. Faisal Tufail, Anwar Hussain, Anwar Ansari, Nasir Barni, Muhammad Mukhtar Ali and Mujahid Syed recited their poems. Socialites Himayat Ali, Seth Abid, Chaudhry Shahbaz and other dignitaries attended the program.
