The universal appeal of great poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal was eulogised at a seminar organised on Monday to mark the 76th anniversary of his death at the National Press Club, Dhaka.
Eminent intellectuals and poets who addressed the function said that the great poet was revered in India, Pakistan, Iran and greatly valued elsewhere in the world but less evaluated in Bangladesh for his being a Muslim and a dreamer of Pakistan. The exceptionally gifted poet is revered in India for not only composing the best lyric representing India – Sare Jahan che Achchha Hindusthan Hamara – but also the universality of his thoughts. He is referred to as the best poet in Urdu and Persian in the last 500 years, they said.
Former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof. Emajuddin Ahmed was the chief guest at the seminar which was addressed by Poet Asad Chowdhury, Poet Al-Mujahidi, eminent singer Mustafa Zaman Abbasi and eminent lyricist KG Mustafa. The keynote paper was presented by Poet Kazi Zakir Abu Zafar. The function was organised by the Allama Iqbal Society, Bangladesh.
Eminent political scientist Emajuddin Ahmed said Poet Iqbal, like ancient Greek philosophers, abhorred ‘democracy’ of numbers, and instead preferred rule of representatives who could take informed, enlightened and correct decisions. A one-time elected member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly he at one stage had joined the then Muslim League but sided with the faction which was opposed to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Prof. Emajuddin said.
Mustafa Zaman Abbasi said that like Poet Nazrul Islam, Poet Iqbal was also declared a ‘kafir’ (non-Muslim) for one of his verses. But both the poets earned permanent places in the hearts of all people including Muslims as their verses reflected that they sided with the common people and the humanity at large.
Other speakers called for giving up the attitude of seeing Poet Iqbal through a narrow prism just because he was a Muslim and Islam was his faith. Viewing him with narrowness would not affect Poet Iqbal, but our society would miss the opportunity of being enlightened by the versatility and universality of his thoughts, they added.
