Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 31: Continuing its laudable initiative to give platform to foremost practitioners of literary arts in the State, Jammu Regional Office of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, organized ‘Triveni’, an intimate meet with three leading Urdu poets, at the Press Club, here today.
Held under ICCR’s fortnightly ‘Horizons’ series, today’s ‘Triveni’, was a confluence of the ‘Trimurti’: Vidya Rattan Aasi, Pritpal Singh Betab and Arsh Sehbai, three celebrated poets of Jammu who have emerged as shining stars of contemporary Urdu poetry in the sub continent.
In his welcome address Regional Director of ICCR Jammu, Balwant Thakur, said that going beyond the specific mandate of bringing nations together through cultural initiatives, ICCR Jammu in the past almost one year has organised about twenty programmes under its Horizon series, showcasing local musicians, performers, singers, poets and traditional artists.
The first in the series Vidya Rattan Aasi was introduced by Liaqat Jafri who also conducted the programme in a professional as well as artistic manner. In fact it was Liaqat Jafri’s poetic description of Aasi’s life interspersed by his poetry that set the tone of today’s program.
The simple but profound poetry of Vidya Rattan Aasi coupled with Aasi’s poetry recited in his unique manner mesmerized the audience. Born in 1938 in the back hills of Shree Mata Vaishno Devi, Vidya Rattan Aasi is a quintessential poet with Sufi countenance. His lone collection of poetry ‘ Dasat-e-Talab’ is in such a demand that it is being reprinted to cater its popularity.
Pritpal Singh ‘Betab’ was introduced to the audience by Khalid Hussain. Born in 1949, Pritpal Singh ‘Betab’ retired as Commissioner/Secretary from the J&K has many awards and honors to his credit. Prominent among them included J&K Cultural Academy Award for Best Book, ‘Bhasha Bharti Samman’ of Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore and UP Urdu Academy Award for the book ‘Nazm Ikksvni Saadi’.
The programme culminated with the poetry recitation by Arsh Sehbai. He was introduced to the audiences by Khursheed Kazmi. Born in 1930 in Seri Battal, Punjab, Arsh Sehbai has been awarded and honoured by many literary organisations and Institutions within the country and outside. The J&K Cultural Academy awarded him thrice for his best books. He has also been honoured with Alma Aarzoo Lakhnavi by the Urdu Foundation Mumbai.
Today’s function was presided over by Prof Quddoos Javed, Former Head of Department, Urdu, Kashmir University, who congratulated ICCR for the initiative and said that the three poets represent three schools of Urdu poetry.
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