The session by Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar was organised
to mark the launch of Iftikhar Raghib’s new book

Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (BUQ) on Thursday organised a mushaira (recitation of poetry) at Hotel Crystal Palace, where Qatar-based poets enthralled a good number of poetry aficionados.
The event marked the launch of a new poetry book by Iftikhar Raghib, BUQ’s general secretary. The name of the book – his fourth – is titled Yani Tu (That is you) and it is an anthology of Urdu ghazals (sonnets).
The mushaira was presided over by Jaleel Nizami, a well-known Urdu poet of Indian origin living in Qatar, and founder and president of India Urdu Society. Chief guests of the evening were Farooq Ahmed, ex-president of Bihar Association in Qatar, and Haseeb-ur-Rehman, founder of Karwan-e-Urdu, another organisation working in Qatar for the promotion of Urdu language and literature. Raghib was the guest of honour.
The conductor of the mushaira was BUQ president Mohammed Rafique Shaad Akolvi.
The evening started with the singing of ghazals of famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib by Nishad Ahmed and Qazi Abdul Malik. They also rendered some ghazals beautifully from Raghib’s new book, on request of some of the listeners.
The mushaira started with a beautiful Hamd (poem in praise of Allah) written by Iftikhar Raghib. As many as 10 local poets living in Qatar recited their poems and sonnets. The audience appreciated them for their efforts. Some of the poets also read out fresh ghazals from Yani Tu.
BUQ Chairman Dr Faisal Hanif praised Iftikhar Raghib for his mature poetry through the presentation of an imagined dialogue between two famous Urdu poets, Mirza Ghalib and Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq. In the dialogue penned by Dr Hanif, the two poets visit Qatar to attend a BUQ mushaira and are particularly impressed by the work of Iftikhar Raghib.
The dialogue praises Raghib as a young and emerging Urdu poet who has the command over Urdu vocabulary to put his imaginations into verse. He said that the young Raghib, if he continues to work hard, will make his name in Urdu poetry in the coming years.
The hallmark of the mushaira was the poetry of Jaleel Nizami, better known in Urdu literary circles of Qatar as Shair-e-Khaleej (Poet of Gulf), and Fakhar-ul-Mutaghazileen (Pride of Ghazal Poets). Nizami was scheduled to be the last to read his poetry, and everyone stayed seated till the very end of the programme, as if just to listen to him. He did not disappoint, spellbinding everyone with his poetry.
“I really enjoyed the evening – the poetry of Nizami and Raghib was very beautiful. I have been in Qatar for the last three months. This is my first ever attending of an Urdu mushaira here. I think I will keep coming whenever there is a mushaira,” said Dr Shakeel Ahmed, a Pakistani doctor working at Hamad General Hospital.
He added, “I also write poetry and I was also allowed to read it out today and was appreciated. This has encouraged me and I will write more and will try to improve my work.”
Iftikhar Raghib said, “I was very happy to get high appreciation for my new book. It has been received with warmth back in India. I live and work in Qatar and when my book is praised here, I am happier. BUQ is a platform for everyone in Qatar. If someone thinks he or she can write good Urdu poetry, they are welcomed in these mushairas.”