Poetry through art: Afghan painter honours deceased scholar

The exhibition is held at Cultural Museum in the University of Peshawar.

PESHAWAR:

Afghan artist Arbab Hameedullah on Thursday commemorated the work of late scholar, writer and poet, Dr Muhammad Azam Azam through his paintings.

The exhibition, held at Cultural Museum in the University of Peshawar (UoP), was organised by Hunerkada and Youth in Action Association (YIAA). The artist is regional head of YIAA in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

Dr Azam was born in Rajar on December 21, 1940. He completed his doctorate in Pashto literature and was a prolific writer. His work was easy to relate to as Dr Azam was a nuanced social critic.

“In each sketch of Azam, I have featured one of his poems through which he presented a clear view of society,” said Hameedullah. His 30 paintings reflect many themes from the professor’s work, such as the importance of knowledge, love and brotherhood. “We are pleased that an artist from Afghanistan is here to highlight the wisdom of Dr Azam. It’s sad our own people forgot the man after he left the world,” said Nadia Rehman, a Pashto literature student at the UoP.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.