Remembrance: Quran khwani for Parveen Shakir on Monday

A Quran khwani for late Parveen Shakir will be held on Monday at H-8 Graveyard at 3pm to mark the 17th death anniversary of the legendary Urdu poet, said a press release issued by Parveen Shakir Trust.

Born in 1952, Shakir started writing at a very early age and would often write columns for newspapers besides penning down prose and poetry. Her first volume of poetry, Khushboo, was published in 1976, which was appreciated by people to a great extent.

She also served as a teacher for nine years, before joining the civil service. In 1986, she was appointed at the second secretary of Central Board of Revenue.

Soon after her death in 1994, the Parveen Shakir Trust was formed to keep her legacy alive. The trust has launched various projects in her memory since then.

The trust has so far published eight books to honour the great poet, including translation of her poetry to English.

In addition to that, literary magazine “Lafz Log” has also been initiated, where young writers are encouraged to write poetry.

The trust also invites foreign scholars working on their PhDs in literature to conduct research on Shakir, and a thesis on the poet has also been written in French.

This year, Shakir’s poetry has been translated in Italian language by Dr Sabrina Lei, an Italian scholar. The book, “Soliloquio”, will be published and launched in Rome and Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2011.