“Aei gham-e-dil kya karoon, vaihshte dil kya karoon,” a timeless poetic creation and many more alike established the literary prominence of Urdu poet, Asrar-ul-Haq, better known as Majaz Lukhnavi. In their endeavour to revitalise the grandeur of rich Urdu language the Haryana Urdu Akademy, as part of the crusade, has organised a two-day International seminar on the life and achievements of legendary poet at Haryana Niwas here today.

Dr AR Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, said poet is an omniscient person who represents the ethos of the masses from time to time and Majaz, though a poet of romance and popular among youth, enthused them to join the freedom struggle through his poems on patriotism and love for motherland. It is as such imperative to extol and disseminate the viewpoint of such legends to the coming generation through such seminars, he maintained.

Education minister, Mange Ram Gupta, read out the choicest couplets of Majaz.

Earlier, introducing Majaz, akademy secretary KL Zakir hailed him as John Keats of Urdu poetry who died at 44. Prof Sharib Radaulavi from poet’s native place presented the keynote address while Toronto based Dr Sehba Lukhnavi, niece of Majaz and Dr Liaqat Ali from Canada disclosed that he looked at woman with a different perspective, as a ‘hamsafar’ and yearned for an intelligent, enlightened and equal life partner.

Acclaimed Urdu and Hindi scholars are presenting papers on the myriad traits and literary works of Majaz Lukhnavi.