Anees K Rang “The Many Shades of Anees (1802-1874)”
September 12, 2022: Chief Speaker: Celebrated Urdu Scholar and Political Activist Dr. Aliya Imam
Introductory remarks by: Firasat Rizvi
Featuring a demonstration of the “Art of Sozkhani” by: The classically trained Syed Qasim Zaidi & Brothers.
Venue: G & T Auditorium Main campus IBA
Date: 12 Sep 2022 (5 to 7 pm).
The event that happened on 12th September focused on diverse aspects of Mir Anis’s towering poetic stature in the world of Urdu literature and Islamicate literature more generally, with special emphasis on his portrayal of women of the Prophet’s family. The discussion will also highlight how Mir Anis’ literary and cultural legacy continues to tie the two cities of Lucknow and Karachi together, as exponents of marsiyah-khani and soz-khani preserve these classical arts and breathe fresh life into them, turning today’s Karachi into the foremost arena in this respect in all of contemporary South Asia.
Chief speaker: Dr Aliya Imam
Introductory remarks: Firasat Rizvi
Featuring a demonstration of the Art of Soz-Khani (فنِّ سوزخوانی) by the classically trained Syed Qaseem Zaidi & Brothers, who have been students of the late Ustad Sibt-i Ja‘far Zaidi.
About the speakers:
Dr Aliya Imam is a celebrated scholar of Urdu and political activist. She was born in Barabanki, India, and completed her schooling in Lucknow, before going on to pursue her doctoral studies in the United Kingdom. She has taught at universities in diverse parts of the world such as China, Russia, Germany, and Iran. She is the author of 28 books on politics, religion, and Urdu literature, including Sha‘ir-i Inqilab, a work of literary criticism on the poetry of Josh Malihabadi; Rang-i Sahar, biographical sketches of famous women from the Prophet’s family; and 1857 Qaumi Shu‘ur ki Awaz, a study of Urdu poetry with reference to the sepoy rebellion against British rule. She has been active in the struggle for people’s rights in Pakistan. Due to her fame as a public speaker, she has received the title of ‘Tuti-i Pakistan’ from Faiz Ahmad Faiz and ‘Shahzadi-i Qalam’ from Josh Malihabadi. She is a recipient of the ‘Sitara-i Imtiaz’ award from the Pakistani government.
Firasat Rizvi is a famous Urdu poet and scholar. He teaches at SZABIST and at the Aawaz Institute of Media & Management Sciences. He is the author of nine books, including several works of devotional and political poetry such as Ayat-i Mahabbat and Salam Falastin.
Syed Qaseem Zaidi is a highly accomplished and prominent young sozkhan who studied Urdu and Persian at the University of Karachi. He is a poet and composer, and works at a textile company. He will be accompanied by his younger brother Mufeed Zaidi, who is a student of Computer Science at FAST; Kamil Naqvi, an IoBM graduate who works in the corporate sector; Salman Jaffri, a Federal Urdu University graduate who is an entrepreneur by profession; and Syed Shawzab Hussain Rizvi, who is a graduate of Iqra University and an award-winning singer and composer affiliated with the audio recording industry.
