Indian authors may not get visa: official
Friday, 06 Feb, 2009 | 07:00 AM PST |
Courtesy and Thanks: Daily Dawn
HYDERABAD: Three Indian experts on the verses of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai had been invited to participate in the literary conference, part of official programs to mark the Sufi saint’s 265th Urs celebrations, said Sindh Culture Secretary Shams Jafrani on Thursday.
Talking to journalists at the Sindh Museum, the secretary, however, expressed the fear that visa problems, in the present tensions between the old foes, might hinder the guests’ arrival.
He said that writers from Multan, Islamabad and the NWFP besides those from Sindh would attend the conference. Six books would be launched at a cultural village to be established in Bhit Shah during the three-day Urs, beginning from Feb 10, he said.
A 10-volume compilation of Shah Latif’s verses by Dr. N.A. Baloch, result of his 30 years work on the Sufi poet, would be the first to be launched, he said. Dr Baloch consulted 49 manuscripts and 16 printed versions of Shah Jo Risalo, while working on the compilation, he said.
‘The work has produced an authenticated version of Shah jo Risalo in which tone and tenor of Shah Latif’s poetry has been well taken care of after massive research work,’ he said.
He expressed his gratitude to Dr. Baloch for accomplishing the larger than life work voluntarily and allowing culture department to publish it.
He said that the second book was that of Dr. Earnest Trump of Germany, who had first compiled and published Shah Jo Risalo in 1866. The culture department had stopped publishing it after 1986 and it had now been republished in its original form, he said.
He said that the third book was a compilation of 250 selected verses of Shah Latif with translation in Arabic by Faiz Mohammad Khoso.
The third book was the fourth and final volume of Melodies of Shah by Agha Saleem, in which translation in English and Urdu ran alongside original poetry, he said.
The fifth book, ‘Bait na par Aayatoon’ by Azizur Rehman Bughio was a selection of verses of Shah Latif which had direct link with the verses of Holy Quran, the secretary said.
The last book was on Sur Aasa, part of a series of books on different Surs of Shah Jo Risalo, Jafrani said.
A cultural village named Shah jo Bagh would be established this year where artisans would be shown at work. ‘Everyone has seen Ajrak and Sindhi cap but hardly anybody is aware of stages they pass through before landing in the market.
Similarly, Kashi tiles are used in buildings but not everyone has seen them in different stages of manufacturing. So we have tried to show all these things to people. Visitors can also purchase finished items from the stalls,’ he said.
He said that folk singers would keep performing in one of the village corners, complete with an Autaq. ‘It will be a Sindhi village, depicting rural life. If people respond positively to the experiment then it will be made annual feature of the Urs,’ he said.
He said that one sughar would be given Latif Award this year, and expressed satisfaction over arrangements for maintenance of law and order.
Industrial exhibition, cattle show and Sugharan ji katchehry would be held on the first day of Urs, followed by a Sufi concert, he said.
On the second day, a literary conference would be held, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah would be chief guest on the closing ceremony of Urs and Latif awards would be distributed on Feb 12, he informed.
About beautification of Bhit Shah, he said that an integrated Bhitshah development and beautification project was in the pipeline for which PC-I had been prepared.
Courtesy and Thanks: Daily Dawn
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