REFERENCE Asif Farrukhi`s article `The shadow of Karbala` that appeared inSunday magazine was indeed a painstaking effort on the part of the writer who undertook an in-depth study and highlighted the contribution of some iconic personalities of Urdu literature on various aspects of the tragedy of Karbala one of the greatest tragedies of mankind.

However, the piece left much to be desired as the writer overlooked some very prominent poets of Urdu language whose contribution to the depiction of the tragedy is no less than those who occupied the space in the write-up.

The tradition of Marsia Nigari or elegy form of poetry which is specifically associated with the tragedy of Karbala about the lives of those who laid down their lives for protecting the basic tenets of Islam is quite rich in Urdu poetry with an impressive list of poets.

By ignoring a complete generation of poets who have made tremendous contribution towards the school of Marsia Nigari, the writer has not done full justice to this otherwise good ef fort.

Prominent amongst those who were found missing in the article were Syed Al-e-Raza who produced the immortal Salaam-i-Aakhir (L ast Salute), a true specimen of colloquial diction of Urdu poetry. Salaam-i-Aakhir has now become an integral part of radio and television transmission during Muharram.

Other poets of his generation who failed to draw the attention of the writer included Naseem Amrohvi, Dr Safdar Husain, Najam Affendi, Jamil Mazhari, Umeed Fazli, Waheed-ul-Hasan Hashmi and, above all, Dr Hilal Naqvi who is a reliable name in the present time.

One wonders as to how one can avoid such a galaxy of poets whose literary contribution on the tragedy cannot be further emphasised Kabir Ali Karachi