PWC officials pose for a group picture after celebrating the Faiz Ahmed Faiz centenary celebration in Riyadh last week. (Courtesy photo) SHAHID ALI KHAN Members of the Pakistani community in Riyadh acknowledged the contributions made by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a revolutionary Urdu poet and a renowned Pakistani figure. Members of the Pakistan Writers Club (PWC), a Riyadh-based association comprising of writers, poets and journalists, commemorated the literary works of the late poet by reading out his poetry, prose and articles written on his life at an event organized in Riyadh last week. Safdar Hayat, Head of Chancery (HoC) at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh, was the chief guest on the occasion and Chaudhary Yousaf, a leading Pakistani businessman, was guest of honor. Hayat said Pakistan has inherited the wealth of Faiz's poetry and Pakistanis are required to comprehend the messages he left in his work and pass them on to the next generation. “I appreciate the great fervor with which the PWC has organized this function to mark Faiz's centenary,” he said. Syed Bashir Ahmed, PWC's President, hosted the event while the Secretary General Chaudhary Rehman Ali, anchored the proceedings. Faiz, one of the most prolific poets of the 20th century from the subcontinent, is remembered for his far-reaching effect on a society that included both the wealthy and the less fortunate. Faiz achieved several accomplishments that included books such as “Mairay Dil Mairay Musafir” and “Ghubar-e-Ayyam”, which were later translated into several other languages that earned the poet international recognition for his works. He wrote several inspirational pieces in both poetry and prose, and became the first Asian poet to be awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize shortly before his death in 1984. A large number of Pakistanis from all walks of life attended the function. Bashir said Faiz as a poet was the inspiration for the people of South Asia and he won the hearts of millions through his poetry and prose. “The year 2011 will be celebrated as the 100th anniversary of Faiz (1911–1984) by those who loved the poet,” he said. He added that Faiz had not only won the hearts of the people of South Asia, “but through his writings, many of us have also got comfort and the courage to stand up against human rights' violations and seek equality and justice in the society”. Professor Gohar Rafiq, a PWC member and instructor at Pakistan International School Riyadh (PISR), impressed the audience through his informative speech on the life of Faiz. He explained that the essence of Faiz's poetry was his brevity of expression that still drew a lot of attention to the social injustices that were taking place in society. “The celebration of Faiz 100th anniversary across the world is evident that the poet has occupied a pre-eminence place in the hearts of the people,” PWC's Patron-in-Chief Faiz Al-Najdi said. Faiz graduated from the Government College in Lahore, where he obtained a Master's degree in English Literature, and went on to pursue another postgraduate degree in Arabic Literature at the Oriental College, also located in Lahore. His open expression of revolutionary ideas was not without its share of consequences. Although he was imprisoned several times, he spent his life fighting for the cause of truth.
