HYDERABAD: Authors and intellectuals have underscored the need for countering negative populism with alternative populism in order to project masses` real heroes like Shaikh Ayaz and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. They observed that literati would have to find new modes to fight censorship which aims to control minds of writers.

They were speaking at a session on the second day of sixth Ayaz Melo in Sindh Museum on Tuesday evening. The session on Ayaz`s verse `Sach wadho dohari aahey` moderated by Amar Sindhu was wellattended and the highlight of the day with analyst and intellectual Jami Chandio, novelist and author Syed Kashif Raza sharing views while celebrated author Mohammed Hanif spoke from New York through a video call.

`We need to find new modes for fighting censorship that seeks to control our minds.

I have seen that now even before writing something, a journalist starts thinking whether his piece will make it to page. It is indeed a big success of the state, remarked Hanif.

He said it was painful to see his book A Case of Exploding Mangoes translated by Syed Kashif Raza was not allowed to be marketed, but he was still lucky to have concession of not f alling in the list of `missing persons`. He said that such forums provided a platform for those banned on television or not allowed to write.

He agreed with Raza that no immediate respite was in sight as far as censorship was concerned. A remedy to it was that one should keep quiet for some time, he said and called for exploring new modes of fighting censorship. `New form of censorship is in trying to intrude into your minds. Once an officer used to sit in newsrooms, but now brains are beingintruded and this seems to be state`s big success. This remains our last front and we need to ponder over it,` he said.

Syed Kashif Raza said seizure of the translated version of Hanif`s book showed ithad greater reach soit pained quarters concerned. Elites writing in English did not make their presence felt because their work remained confined to the elites alone, but something produced in the masses`language always had huge impact, which was reflected from the action against the book.

He said visual media in fact produced populism and those playing football or cricket were presente d as political heroes.

Alluding to Imran Khan, he said that when such a hero gave his political views, it was projected; thus populism was born.

He said intellectuals knew that nobody could produce change in 90 days if it was not from the grass-root level and some apolitical individual could not lead change.

He said that a similar scenario was seen in India where emotions were exploited.

He said the entire world was paying the price for that populism, but that circle had apparently been completed and Donald Trump was soon to leave the White House.

`Visual media presents sportsman as heroes. People accept them. Those who lead resistance and freedom movements are never seen on channels, yet they are widely acclaimed,` he said.

Raza said that an alternative populism must be created to project Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Shaikh Ayaz as heroes as they were alternative heroes who used to advocate masses` rights and cause strongly. He said that today media houses were run by those who were either selling gold or cigarettes and share power in power corridors. He regretted that the trend would continue and therefore mainstream media did not project Manzoor Pashteen and Balochmovements.

Jami Chandio said Shaikh Ayaz`s era was marked by revolutionary movements around the world. He said those movements centred on the rights of women, farmers and workers. Shaikh Ayaz had represented that era and paid its price.

Ayaz was part of universal literature of resistance and he had snatched his freedom when telling truth was a hug task.

Intellectuals could never be expected to look towards state for having some leniency if they wanted to write. He said Sindh had been part of that resistance in the shape of Ayaz.

He said the regimes of Ayub and Zia were the worst for intellectuals. Even the Z.A. Bhutto-led government targeted writers. Still, quality work was produced, buttoday conditions were different globally. In the present era of postmodernity, values were showing decline and dreams were shattered. Ayaz`s era was marked by modernity. He said the conflict of modernity and postmodernity needed to be understood.

Noted writer Ejaz Mangi said the title of the session was in fact essence of Ayaz`s poetry.

He said the intellectual must scrutinise things before speaking truth to apply it in the society lest it proved to be falsehood in future. A Turkish poet and Ayaz had faced tough conditions only for their literary work and Ayaz was an advocate of human liberties.

Dr Fehmida Hussain while speaking online at a session on `Ayaz aaeynSindhi boli key darpaish jaded daur ja challenge` said Ayaz proved his love for Sindhi language and he consciously preferred writing in that language. She termed him a great poet after Bhitai. She said Bhitai had revolted against Persian language during Kalhoro period and when Shaikh Ayaz wrote in Sindhi, he got eulogised.

Hero Thakkur who joined the session from India declared that Ayaz was a bigger poet than Bhitai. He said that despite being a universal character, Ayaz remained connected with his motherland Sindh and wrote on all genres of poetry.

Translation of his work into English could bag Ayaz Nobel Prize.

Dr Adal Soomro and Asha Chand also shared their views in the session.