Standing (From left to right) Indian engineer Shujauddin, 2nd left, and Pakistani engineers Aziz, 3rd left ,and Khalid Jawed, 4th left, with the attendees of Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab, Jeddah's program. — SG photo by Muhammad Mujahid Syed. Muhammad Mujahid Syed Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab, Jeddah, one of the oldest literary societies that had honored many expatriate Urdu poets, intellectuals and professionals living in the Kingdom, recently feted senior Indian and Pakistani engineers. Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab organized an Iftar party for them, with Indian engineer Shujauddin and Pakistani engineers Aziz and Khalid Jawed being felicitated by the group. The program began with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an by Syed Muhammad. Pakistani naatkhwan Muhammad Jamil recited many famous Punjabi and Urdu naats. Muhammad Mukhtar Ali, a Pakistani poet before reciting his naat, presented two naats of Anwar Hussain and Faisal Tufail that were sent for this program. Mujahid Syed recited his naat too. Almost all the speakers in the second session were of the opinion that the Ramadan festivities in Saudi Arabia are unforgettable and this blessed country resides deep inside in the hearts and souls of expatriates. Mujahid Syed gave a brief introduction of the guest engineers and highlighted their achievements during their long stay in the Kingdom. “My brothers Shujauddin, Aziz and Khalid Jawed have been very successful during their long professional careers and they have been able to elevate their souls due to the nearness to the Two Holy Harams. The three are stalwarts in the Indian and Pakistani community. As prominent community members they have been able create a social and literary awakening in their communities, he said. Later, the guest engineers were invited to the podium to express their feelings. “The Kingdom is our spiritual center as well as an important cultural center for all, especially for the Urdu-speaking people. It's not a matter of surprise if even we, the technical people, got enlightenment by the spiritual, literary and material atmosphere from our second home, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Shujauddin. Khalid Jawed “thanked the audience whole-heartedly” and said he “will never forget the love and honor bestowed on him by the Indian and Pakistani communities here.” Aziz got emotional and in his speech he thanked the organizers Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab, Jeddah, and the audience for the felicitation program. “When I came from Pakistan to this land of Two Holy Harams almost 4-decade ago, I had never dreamt of such a long stay in the Kingdom. But the golden sandy soil of the Kingdom sticks to the hearts of expatriate people and the people stick to it too. Even many of them even die here happily,” he said. Faisal Imtiyaz was master of the ceremony. The vote of thanks was proposed by Syed Amir Naqvi and the supplication was offered by Syed Najmuddin.
