‘Shaikh Ayaz made Sindhi poetry universal’

Literati pay tribute to progressive poet, writer

No creative writer can be universal without being recognized locally, noted the literati gathered on Monday to pay homage to the stalwart Sindhi and Urdu poet Shaikh Ayaz.

“Shaikh Ayaz was among the most prominent and well recognised Sindhi poets of modern era,” said poet, author and intellectual Iftikhar Arif. Arif was expressing his views in his presidential address during the online Sheikh Ayaz National Literary Seminar organised by Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of modern Urdu and Sindhi poet Sheikh Ayaz marked on January 4.

Taaj Joyo, a leading Sindhi writer, was of the view that Sheikh Ayaz was the poet who gave innovation and modernity to the primitive genres of Sindhi poetry including bait, wa'i, and kafi.

The welcoming address was delivered by Dr Yousuf Khushk meritorious Prof. Chairman PAL. “Shaikh Ayaz through his creative artistic thinking and vision as well as literary achievements made Sindhi literature more enriched, prolific and worth mentioning throughout the world.” Ayaz also paved the way for the writers of Sindhi literature. His writings mostly addressed issues of ill-treated classes and oppressed strata of society.

He further said that literary history of South Asia is incomplete without mentioning Sheikh Ayaz. Ahmad Saleem, Dr Ghafoor Memon, Dr Anwar Hakkaro, Dr Ishaq Samejoo, Dr Abdullah Jan Abid, Dr Fayyaz Latif, Dr Makhmour Bukhari, Mehboob Zafar, Dr Zia-urRehman Baloch and Sindhoo Perzado also expressed their views. The Seminar was conducted by Dr Hakim Ali Bararo. The most well known writers and poets participated as guests of honor in the seminar.