Urdu lights up Sharjah: Famous poets Anwar Maqsood, Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi honoured

Sharjah: The Urdu language took the spotlight at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), as Bazm-e-Urdu Dubai, in collaboration with the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), hosted a vibrant “Mehfil-e-Urdu” celebrating Urdu’s humour, poetry, and literary excellence.

The event, dedicated to the birth anniversary of famous poet-philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal, drew a packed hall of Urdu lovers at the Sharjah Expo Centre, uniting prominent writers, poets, and performers from Pakistan, India, and the UAE.

The evening’s top honour the Josh-e-Urdu Award 2025 went to legendary satirist Anwar Maqsood, who received a standing ovation. In his trademark blend of wit and intellect, Maqsood delivered a fictional “letter from Iqbal,” seamlessly blending humour and social critique, a performance that resonated deeply with the audience.

The “Mushaira Zinda Dilan”, a lively session of humorous poetry, followed reviving a beloved South Asian tradition that once defined Urdu’s cultural gatherings. Poets and humorists from India, Pakistan and UAE including Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi, Popular Meeruthi, Surender Sharma, Inam-ul-Haq Javed, Dr. Zubair Farooq Al-Arshi and Dr. Tahir Shaheer filled the hall with laughter, nostalgia, and applause late into the night.

During the ceremony, Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi received the Josh-e-Urdu Award 2024 for his lifelong literary contributions, while Dr. Sayeed Alam, noted playwright and academic, was honoured with the Alamdar-e-Urdu Award 2025. The Pasban-e-Urdu Award 2025 was presented to Indian poet Chhabi Saxena Saba for her work promoting Urdu literature globally.

Bazm-e-Urdu also launched its annual literary magazine and unveiled several new titles under its publishing initiative Gosha-e-Kutub, aimed at encouraging emerging Urdu writers.

Shakeel Ahmed Khan, President of Bazm-e-Urdu Dubai, thanked the SBA for its collaboration, noting that the event aimed to “connect younger generations with Urdu’s cultural beauty and timeless humour.”

Public Relations Secretary Syed Tabish Zaidi shared that the Mushaira Zinda Dilan tradition was founded in 1985 by his grandfather, the late humorist Dr Azhar Ali Zaidi, and once featured icons such as Dilawar Figar, Zamir Jafri, and Anwar Masood. “We are proud to keep that legacy alive in Sharjah,” he said.

The evening, emceed by Rehman Khan, concluded with remarks from Kanwar Muhammad Saleem, who thanked participants and the government of Sharjah for supporting Urdu’s continued prominence in the region. “As long as gatherings like this continue. Urdu will never lose its voice,” he said.