JEDDAH — Around 200 Urdu poetry lovers of India and Pakistan were invited to enjoy a “Grand Urdu Mushaira” (poetry symposium) on September 11 at the Odis Al-Attas hotel. Rohail Khan was invited as the chief guest and he said that such noble gestures and vibrant literary events are necessary for expatriate communities to socially sustain in the country. A die-hard lover of the Urdu language, Khan said: “Let's serve Urdu. Let's promote those who promote Urdu”. The four-hour event was presided by popular poets – Aslam Farshori, Nawaz Deobandi, Mehshar Afridi, Masroor Abedi, Sardar Asar, Naeem Bazaidpuri and Nasir Burney – who entertained the audience with their humorous, satirical, philosophical poetry. Poet Mehtab Qadr proactively participated as Mushaira's “Nazim” (moderator). The event was organized by renowned poet and social worker Aleem Khan Falki and Sayeed Haroon. It was co-sponsored by literary societies, namely, Khak e Taiba Trust, Urdu Gulban, Bazm e Shagufa, Bazm e Ittihad, JeddahIndians and Urdu Academy. Khan congratulated the poets, organizers, sponsors for another memorable poetic evening in the city. Everyone acknowledged the Consulate General of India for arranging the poets' visit to Saudi Arabia. On behalf of the city's expatriates and event organizers, Khan presented Ajrak shawls and boxes of dates to the poets as tokens of gratitude. The event was attended by literary figures, dignitaries, socialites, and representatives from all walks of life notably: Sharif Aslam, Shameem Kausar, Jamal Quadri, Seth Lukman, Dr. Syed Ali, Siadat Ali Khan, Afzal Siddiqui, Aseem Hanif, Abbas Khan, Abdul Rahman, Hamid Islam Khan, Mubassir Azam, Nasir Khurshid, Ameen Ansari, S.M. Arshad, Hasan Alam, Zaeem Qureshi, Naeem Waziri, Riyaz Qazi, Wahid Qidwai, Mohammad Nadim, Wasim Mukadam, Mir Arif Ali, Imtiaz Ali, Syed Atharuddin, Abdul Rafay, Altaf Almelkar, Qudrat Baig, Shoukath Khan, Seher Shafiq, Hana Turki, and Amrina Qaiser. – SG
