IT was a week marked by some memorable cultural activities. On May 5, 1975, Afaq Siddiqui`s Aks-i-Latif, a book in Urdu on the life and work of Sindh`s great mystic poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, was launched at a local hotel in Karachi. The chief guest on the occasion, Hakim Mohammad Saeed, described the publication as a valuable contribution to Urdu literature and a step towards greater national unity and integrity. Pir Hisamuddin Rashdi, congratulating the author for translating Shah Latif`s poems, said there was a need for more and more translations from Urdu to Sindhi and vice versa. Mr Siddiqui, talking about the genesis of the publication, said he was drawn to Shah Latif`s poetry in the early 1950s. The author was of the view that there was a big scope for research on the poet`s verses and his book was only a step in that direction. Among other things, he had tried to bring Urdu and Sindhi languages together by compiling a list of words used by Shah Latif which were commonly used in the Urdu language.

Another man of letters was the focus of media`s attention on May 10 when tributes were paid to Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, the noted short story writer and poet, for his contribution to Urdu literature at an event held in the city to celebrate the publishing of the literary magazine Afkar`s Nadeem Number. Mr Qasmi himself was the chief guest at the function, which was chaired by Akhtar Hussain Raipuri. Mr Raipuri, addressingthe audience, claimed Mr Qasmi`s impact on Urdu literature was getting stronger with the passage of time. He felicitated Sehba Lakhnavi, the editor of Afkar; for bringing out the special edition of the magazine. `Our writers aren`t usually financially sound, but at least they should have the satisfaction of seeing their work recognised during their lifetime,` he remarked.

While bouquets were offered to Mr Qasmi for his peerless style in prose and poetry and his provocative thoughts on issues faced by society, there was one discordant note struck on the occasion by a young journalist Taj Mohammad Baloch. He praised Mr Qasmi`s services to Urdu literature but complained that the litterateur from Lahore had paid little attention to the problems of Sindh. He also pointed out Mr Qasmi`s lack of concern for Sindhi literature.

The above-mentioned note of dissent suggests interprovincial harmony is important for the collective growth of society. One of the ways to achieve that goal is to visit different cities in the country on a regular basis. For that to happen, a viable tourism structure is essential. On May 7, it was reported that the government was studying plans to set up a chain of one and two-star hotels for promoting tourism for the budget conscious domestic travelers. It was stated by the Minister of State for Tourism, Malik Mohammad Jaffer speaking at the conclusion of the `Customs Courtesy Week` at Karachi airport. He added, several other proposals were also being implemented to construct three, four and five-star hotels in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and motels in northern areas.