MEN OF VERSES: Amjad Islam Amjad is a playwright and poet from Pakistan.

By Umer Nangiana

Once in a while, During these sultry nights; When all voices seem, To have fallen asleep, In the somewhat bruised; Silence of half-sleep, A wonderful dream awakes; I see, That across the veil of dust; Which hangs between us, You too are all alone, And wide awake. (Poem: Once in a while)
Amjad Islam Amjad, who penned these lines, has been chosen to rekindle the spirit of Urdu poetry in Doha this time. Last year, it was Prof Waseem Barelvi from India, who stole the show at the poetic symposium attended by hundreds from different South Asian communities and organised by Majlis-e-Frogh-e-Urdu-Adab (Organisation for the Promotion of Urdu Literature), Qatar.
Among others, Amjad from Pakistan is the chief guest at this year’s Aalmi mushaira (poetic symposium) to be held on October 1. The mushaira will follow this year’s 19th annual Aalmi Frogh-e-Urdu Awards (International Awards for Promotion of Urdu literature) presented every year by the Majlis to people who rendered services to the propagation of Urdu language and literature.
This year, two awards will go to Pakistan’s Prof Dr Khurshid Rizvi and India’s Musharraf Alam Zauqui in a ceremony to be held in Al-Majlis Auditorium, Sheraton Hotel here on October 1. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari will be the chief guest.
“It is a matter of great pride and pleasure for us that the Minister and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage are continuing to extend their support and co-operation to our annual functions, which we have been holding every year since 1994,” said Majlis Chairman Mohammad Atiq.
“Launched in 1996, the Aalmi Frogh-e-Urdu Adab Award comprises a gold shield and cash award of Pakistani Rs 150,000 and are presented annually to two Urdu writers; one from India and the other from Pakistan, for their contribution to the promotion of Urdu language and literature,” added the Majlis chairman.
The 2015 Awards were decided by two independent juries headed by Prof Dr Gopi Chand Narang, former Chairman of India’s Sahitya Academy, and included Prof Shafey Kidwai, Prof Akhter-ul-Wasey and Dr Waseem Begum as members in India. From Pakistan, Intezar Hussain, renowned Urdu scholar and fiction writer headed the jury that also included Prof Dr Salim Akhter, Masud Mufti and Amjad Islam Amjad.
Amjad along with Anwar Shaoor from Pakistan and India’s Urdu scholar Prof Shafey Kidwai and renowned poet Munawar Rana will be guests of honour at the awards and mushaira ceremonies.
Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, is a combination of Persian, Arabic and Turkish languages and is spoken and understood in India and other parts of South Asia. Amjad, an award-winning poet and playwright from Pakistan, has been a proponent of Urdu literature for decades. An acclaimed playwright, Amjad is one of the most celebrated poets whose poems and ghazals (form of poetry) have been given voice by singers in both Pakistan and India.
A recipient of Pride of Performance (1987) and Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1998), the two of the highest civilian awards in Pakistan, Amjad has penned multiple plays and books of poetry that have been translated into many languages. Recently, one of his books, a collection of poetry, was translated into Italian language and was launched here in Doha as well.
Besides Amjad, the international mushaira will feature top Urdu poets from India, Pakistan, USA, UAE, Kuwait and Oman. The mushaira will be presided over by Prof Dr Khurshid Rizvi, the award winner from Pakistan. Majlis will release a special souvenir on the occasion.
The guest poets from India include Munawwar Rana, Popular Meeruti, Mehshar Afridi, Madan Mohan, Danish and Rashid Anwar. From Pakistan Prof Dr Khurshid Rizvi, Anwer Shaoor, Amjad Islam Amjad, Aslam Kaulsari and Shahid Zaki are participating.
Rehana Qamar from USA, Dr Sabahat Wasti from Abu Dhabi, Khalid Sajjad from Kuwait, Riaz Qamar from Oman and Doha-based poets Shaukat  Ali Naaz, Syed Fahimuddin and Amjad Ali Serwer will also present their poetry.