– Raheem Khan
Kota: Mohammed Asim, the sole councillor of Welfare Party of India (WPI) in Rajasthan, marked the successful completion of his four-year tenure by organising an All-India Mushaira titled “Shaam-e-Mushaira” at Anjuman Islamia Secondary School, Chandraghata here Sunday. Renowned poets from across the country attended the gathering. Asim serves as the councillor for Ward 52 under the Kota North Municipal Corporation.
Speaking about the event, Asim said the Mushaira was a gesture to celebrate the completion of his four years in office. The event featured prominent poets, including the chief guest, senior poet and journalist Arshad Nadeem from Delhi. Other notable participants included actor and poet Siraj Talib from Mumbai, Ahsan Firozabadi, Tanveer Mohsini from Uttar Pradesh, and Kota-based poets Dr. Zaiba Fiza, Riyaz Tariq, Shoaib Ansari, and Rashid Khan, among others.
The Mushaira witnessed a mesmerising performance by Siraj Talib, whose heartfelt poetry moved the audience. One of his celebrated verses read:
तू ग़नी है जिसे चाहे तवंगर कर दे, मेरे मालिक मेरे हालात को बेहतर कर दे।
मैं तो क़तरा हूं फक़त मेरी औक़ात ही क्या, तू अगर चाहे तो क़तरे को समंदर कर दे।
(You are the Omnipotent Who can make anyone powerful if you wish, my Lord, improve my condition/ I am just a drop; if you like, you can turn a drop into an ocean.)
Equally impactful was Ahsan Firozabadi’s poignant verse, which drew thunderous applause:
इंसान टूट जाता है एक घर बनाने में, तुमको तरस नहीं आता बस्तियां जलाने में।
(A person breaks down in building a house/ you don’t feel pity in burning down settlements.)
Riyaz Tariq, a young poet from Kota, ignited patriotic fervour with his verse:
वो अंधे हैं जो फूलों को यहां पर ख़ार कहते हैं, हम अपने मुल्क को जन्नत का एक गुलज़ार कहते हैं।
सदा तैयार रहते हैं वतन पर सर कटाने को, यहां कुछ सिरफिरे फिर भी हमें ग़द्दार कहते हैं।
(Those who call flowers thorns here are blind. We call our country a garden of heaven and are always ready to sacrifice for it, yet some madmen still call us traitors.)
Other distinguished poets, including Dr. Zaiba Fiza, Noor Shams Allahabadi, Tanveer Mohsini, Aqeel Zaitpuri, Fani Jodhpuri, and Athar Ujjaini, added to the event’s grandeur with their poetic brilliance.
The Mushaira was presided over by WPI’s former State President Saifullah Khan. As a token of appreciation, Councillor Mohammed Asim honoured all participating poets with mementos.
