Recital Haiku poetry: Celebrating old ties, in traditional style

Event was held to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic ties with Japan.

ISLAMABAD:

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Japan, a recital of Haiku poetry was organised at the Rawalpindi Arts Council on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Haiku Society had invited a string of well-known poets to participate in “Haiku Mushaira- a Tribute to Yosa Buson”. The event was organised to highlight the poetry of Buson ( 1716-1783) who is among the most popular Haiku masters. Haiku itself dates back to the 17th century and is known for its condensed and precise form of poetry in which the verses do not necessarily rhyme. Usually consisting of three lines, its subject was related to nature. Haiku first became popular in Karachi in 1993 and soon spread to other cities including the capital.

Counsellor of General and Public  Affairs at the Japanese Embassy Toshikazu Isomura highlighted the strong relationship between the two countries. He said that the traditional artists have always been well-respected in Japan and perhaps this has been one of the focal reasons for the country’s fast-paced development. “Haiku is not just poetry for poetry’s sake but it always has an underlying message,” he said.

Professor Rafiq Sandeelvi was the first to recite a few lines of Haiku poetry that had been translated in Urdu. His verses reflected the plight of a divorced woman in rural areas who had to go out to work in the fields for the first time without her husband. She relates her love for nature and its interaction with every living being.

Following his poem, Haiku-based poetry resonated in the auditorium as diverse subjects as a woman’s beauty, love of nature and even friendship. The event came to an end with an ode to friendship between the two countries and a promise to keep the tradition of Haiku alive every year.

Iftikhar Arif, Abid Sial, Ali Mohammad Farshi, Asghar Abid, Ayesha Malik,  Daud Rizwan, Khawar Ejaz, Nasim-e-Sahar, Qayumm Tahir, Sarfaraz Zahid, Sharfuddin Shami and Shaukat Mehdi also participated in the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.