Over tea: Iftikhar Arif’s poetic genius lights up gathering at PAL

Legendary poet walks participants through his literary journey

ISLAMABAD: Renowned poet and intellectual Iftikhar Arif enthralled a select gathering of writers, poets and thinkers here at the Pakistan Academy of Letters (Pal) on Thursday. 

The gathering aptly titled “Meeting over a teacup” saw the legendary poet sharing some of his finest romantic poetry with the participants as he walked them though his literary journey.

Iftikar Arif read several beautiful and romantic verses at the session, which were thoroughly enjoyed by the participants of the session.

He said that there was no bigger pleasure in life than to turn your passion and interest into work and way of income. “This is what I have experienced and this is the reason behind my satisfaction,” said Iftikhar Arif.

During the session, the writer spoke at length about the time he spent in Iran. “Iran has very strong cultural and literary traditions. It has the biggest bookstores and the widest collection of novels and books,” he said.



“Some of the libraries in Iran stay open 24 hours, which shows the importance they give to reading and literature,” Iftikhar Arif said.

He said that the country enjoyed an ideal balance between culture and religion. “All of Iran’s citizens, regardless of where in the world they are, are very proud of their heritage, literature and culture,” the poet said. Iftikhar Arif further highlighted that Iran was very proud of its pre-Islamic period, which was not quite the case in Pakistan.

“One of the most distinct things about Iran is that it has a very strong theatre, cinema and film and its innovative youth is gaining prominence all over the world”, said Iftikhar Arif.

He said that Lok Virsa’s literary department was the best in the country and literary festivals should be held regularly in order to promote literature and heritage.

The writer also highlighted that there has been a decline in the importance given to literature across the globe. Particularly talking about translations, Iftikhar Arif said that the books that were older than 50 years should be re-translated since meanings and perceptions had changed over the course of time.

Pakistan Academy of Letters Chairperson Prof Dr Muhammad Qasim Bughio told The Express Tribune that the academy was in a constant effort to preserve poetry and literature.

“We are aiming to aid social causes and solve societal problems such as gender inequality and discrimination towards women through poetry,” he said. “Fortunately, we have the support of the government and the future seems bright,” Dr Bughio added.

Prominent writers including Dr Fateh Muhammad Malik, Kishwar Naheed, Jaleel Ali, Dr Akbar Hasan, Prof Iqbal Shamim, Dr Waseema Shehzad, Hassan Abbas, Masood Mufti and several others attended the gathering.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.