HYDERABAD: Several sessions were held on the second day of the `9th Ayaz Melo`to reflect the stature of great poet Sheikh Ayaz and his poetry at the well attended event at Sindh Museum on Friday.

Noted writer and journalist Yusuf Shaheen, speaking at a session on Ayaz Sadigan Jee Sada said that Sheikh Ayaz had written extensively against retrogressive forces when partition of the subcontinent occurred along religious lines.

He said Ayaz`s prose became too popular like his Sindhi poetry. Ayaz had literary circles during the anti-One Unit struggle on literary front, he recalled, and said that poets like him were born in centuries. He said Ayaz produced his poetry when G.M. Syed had already raised his slogan of `Jeay Sindh` and Syed had been threatened with dire consequences (hanging) by the Zia regime to which Syed replied to the regime that he would embrace death but would not give up his slogan.

Poet Atiya Dawood said that Ayaz wrote world literature and wondered that whether Ayaz had been introduced to the rest of the world like Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Ayaz was a big poet but why the people outside Sindh could not be educated about him. She said his Urdu poetry was quite strong because had he hadextensive study.

Ayaz Ja Bait was another session addressed by writer Taj Joyo. He said Ayaz introduced new trends in poetry and had an element of Sufism. Joyo said Ayaz included all concepts in his Sindhi poetry.

Poet Adal Soomro said Ayaz struggled for Sindhi language from research point of view. Ayaz understood the importance, influence and effectiveness of words.

He said that the path of the late poet should be followed tosave the Sindhilanguage.

At yet another session, a discussion was held on Zahid Hussain`s book, `Face to Face with Benazir`.

Zakia Aijaz moderated the session in which renowned journalist and analyst Ghazi Salahuddin and biographer of Benazir Bhutto Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh participated.