Members of one of the oldest literary community organisations, Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (BUQ), recently bid farewell to their chairman and renowned poet Amjad Ali Sarwar at a grand reception attended by members and a large number of Sarwar’s admirers.
After decades of association with Ashghal in Qatar, Sarwar is heading back home to Mumbai, India, where he intends to spend his post-retirement days. During his stay in Qatar, Sarwar has been an active member of the literary community. He has authored many books of poetry in Urdu including Zia-e-Harmain, a collection of Hamds (hymns in the praise of God) and Naats (praise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)). 
Speaking at the occasion, Sarwar thanked his friends and colleagues for acknowledging his contribution to the promotion of Urdu in Qatar. “It was a privilege to be the chairman of Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar. I worked together with the team for the last 27 years and enjoyed being part of this very old Urdu literary organisation in Qatar,” said Sarwar, speaking at the farewell reception hosted at Grand Palace Hotel Doha. 
The function was presided over by chief patron of BUQ M S Bukhari, Managing Director of SATCO Group. The other patrons of BUQ present at the occasion were Hassan Abdul Kareem Chougule, a businessman and Chairman of DPS-MIS School, Bilal Ahmed Khan and Khalid Dad Khan. Mohamed Habibun Nabi, the deputy chief patron and Shaukat Ali Naz were invited as special guests. 
In his traditional style, Ahmed Ashfaq, general secretary of Bazm, conducted the programme which began with recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Qari Abu Hazma.  Bukhari presented a memento on behalf of executive committee members to Sarwar, the guest of honour.
Sarwar’s friends and colleagues paid rich tributes in their speeches and comments. Speaking at the occasion, Shahid Sultan Azmi, Ashfaq Deshmukh, Zawar Hussain Zahir, Raquim Azmi, Athar Azmi, Tahir Jamil, Mansoor Azmi, Ijaz Haider and Shaukat Ali Naz acknowledged Sarwar’s contribution to Urdu poetry. 
Furqan Ahmed Peracha from Majlis-e-Faroug-e-Urdu Adab Qatar, Mohsin Habib (Halqa-e-Adab Islami), Khalid Dada Khan, Ibrahim Khan, Nadeem Mahir and Aziz Nabeel from Anjuman Mohibban-e-Urdu Hind, Obaid Tahir from Radio Qatar Urdu Service and Shakil Ahmed Kakavi from World Bihar Organisation said Sarwar has always been there to help the emerging Urdu poets in Qatar. 
M S Bukhari, Hassan Abdul Kareem Chougule, Bilal Ahmed Khan, Mohamed Habibun Nabi also praised Sarwar’s efforts and literary contributions. “He is a person who is very well-known for his humbleness, dedication, kindness and love for his friends and juniors. Sarwar always helped and taught the new poets to improve their poetry,” said M S Bukhari. There are many renowned poets in Qatar and elsewhere who are Sarwar’s students, he added. 
Ijaz Haider proposed the vote of thanks while a large number of Urdu lovers attended the reception. Other prominent guests included Najmul Hasan Khan (Jamia Milia Alumni), Dr Atta ur Rehman (scholar), Liaqat Malik (journalist), Dr Mohammad Noor (poet from Canada), Mohammad Khursheed and Irshad Faridi ( Bazm-e-Alig), Shahbuddin (Bazm-e-Sadaf), Shafiq Akhtar, Mahfuz Hasan, Riaz Mansoori , Aqeel Ahmed and Altaf Gohar.
Established in 1959, Bazm is one of the oldest Urdu literary organisations of Qatar with members from India, Pakistan and other countries. The organisation has played a key role in the promotion of Urdu language and literature in Qatar. The forum invited various poets from outside Qatar in 1984 and paved the way for international mushairas in the country.
From 1991 onwards, the forum has been holding objective seminars on legendary maestros. The seminars included Mir Seminar (1991), Iqbal Seminar (1992), Ghalib Seminar (1993), Afsana Seminar (1994), Amir Khusro Seminar (1995), Mir Anis Seminar (1996), Akbar Allahabadi Seminar (2003), Hali Seminar (2006), Zauq Seminar (2007), Nazir Akbarabadi Seminar (2009) and Bahadur Shah Zafar Seminar (2011).
Bazm’s office-bearers include Amjad Ali Sarwar (former chairman), Syed Fahim-ud-din (president), Mansoor Azami (senior vice-president), Ijaz Haider (vice-president), Ahmad Ashfaque (general secretary), Anwar Karim (senior joint secretary), Qaisar Masood (joint secretary), Tahir Jamil (media secretary), Fakhruddin Razi (PR secretary), Mahfuz Hassan (treasurer) and Salal Yousuf (media adviser).
Shaukat Ali Naz, Shafique Akhtar, Aziz Nabeel, Zawwar Hussain Zair and Ashfaque Deshmukh are members of the advisory board. M Sabih Bukhari is chief patron, Habibun Nabi is vice chief patron while Hassan Chougule, Shakeb Ayaz, Rana Ayub, Bilal Khan and Khalid Dad Khan are patrons.


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