KARACHI: One of the well-attended sessions was a conversation with poet Amjad Islam Amjad hosted by Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim. Dr Q asim in his introduction to the poet underlined the salient features of his poetry.

Amjad thanked the moderator for his kind comments. He said Ghalib in one his letters has claimed that he was only well versed in a single art; the truth is that he was well versed in many.

`Usually what we see that artists spend all their lives focusing on a single facet. It`s God`s munificence if you can work in more than one genre and also get acceptability for it [from the masses]. Af ter his speech Amjad recited a latest ghazal whose opening two verses were: Zarrey mein aaftab agar hai to kis tarha Sehra mein yeh sarab agar hai to kis tarha Kya baat us mein hai jo kisi aur mein nahin Wo husn-i-intikhab agar hai to kis tarha[How is it that the sun can be seen in a speck? How is it that this mirage exists in a desert? [What is that s/he has that no one else has? What makes the choice so distinct and distinguished?] Four books were also launched on the occasion Faateh Ka Geet by Sarwat Husain, Aik Lehr Ki Chhagal by Sabir Zafar, Zindagi Se Darte Ho by Tahira Naqvi and Phirta Hai Falak Barson by Asghar Nadeem Syed.

Shedding light on the finer points of Asghar Nadeem Syed`s effort, poet Harris Khalique said the book wasn`t just about sketches of individuals; it`s also about Pakistan`s socio-literary history.

Apart from other sessions, the first of the two mushairasthat are on the programme list for the conference was also lined up for the evening on the second day. -By Peerzada Salman