Online International Urdu Mushaira

Conveners: Imre Bangha, Sowaibah Shahbaz and Rukhsana Bibi

Speakers: Dr Shaista Nuzhat; Prof. Dr Saima Iram; Dr Tariq Hashmi; Dr Mohammad Afzal Butt; Dr. Ambreen Ashar; Zahid Mayo; Hamza Sahi; Sowaibah Shahbaz   

Dr Shaista Nuzhat 

اتنی نہ بے رخی کی سزا دیجیے مجھے 

 

ایسا نہ ہو کہیں کہ گنوا دیجیے مجھے 

Dr. Shaista Nuzhat is a Punjabi linguistic and cultural expert, and the Founding Director of the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture. She is a poet in Punjabi and Urdu, a columnist, and a writer. As well as a broadcaster on radio and live TV talk shows. She is a civil servant with the Government of Pakistan, working with various ministries. The topic of her basic research work is Sufism. For this purpose, she has visited various countries for delivering lectures on the topic of “Sufism – A Road to Peace.” She has,15 books and Around 50 published short stories in different magazines. 

 

 

Prof. Dr Saima Iram 

 

اپنی تخلیق ہی سامان بقا تھی اپنا 

 

ورنہ ہم ایسے ہی گمنام بھی ہو سکتے تھے 

 

Dr Saima Iram is a professor of Urdu language and literature, currently working as the first Female Head of the Department at Government College University Lahore, established in 1864. She attended University of Oxford for her post-doctoral studies. She has two books and numerous research articles on her credit. She actively advocates for women rights and also does her part for the betterment of LGBTQ community. As a fiction writer, some of her short stories were translated into Hindi, Gurmukhi and English and one of them was recently selected for a class work course at University of Chicago.   

 

 

Dr Tariq Hashmi   

 

ابھی تفتیش غم باقی تھی طارق 

 

یہ دل زیر حراست  مارا گیا ہے 

 

 

 

Dr Tariq Hashmi is a associate professor of urdu language and literature of the  Government College Women’s UniversityFaisalabad. He is an well known poet, writer, critic, editor and researcher of Urdu. He has 10 books and 50  research articles on his credit. He has represented his institution on various national and international  platforms for development of Urdu language and literature. 

 

 

Dr Mohammad Afzal Butt  

 

آگیا مجھے بھی ہنر منافقوں سے لڑنے کا 

 

اب انھی کے تیر سے ان کا شکار کرتا ہوں 

 

Dr Mohammad Afzal Butt  is a well known  Urdu writer, poet, translator, critic and researcher.He is currently working as  the head of the department of Government College Women's University in Sialkot, Pakistan. In 2017, he received a grant of Rs. 4 million for thematic research assistance from the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. He has one book and 33 research articles on his  credit. As chairman of the Department of Urdu, his practical efforts to promote research and criticism are commendable. In addition to teaching work, he organizes seminars, discussions and other literary forums.   

 

 

Dr Ambreen Ashar 

 

رگ حیات میں پیوستہ یہ نشہ ہے عجب 

 

میں کار خیر کی،   پیاروں کی بات کرتی ھوں 

 

Dr Ambreen Ashar is a nano-chemist and has done her doctorate in Chemistry. She is a writer of four( 4) books of urdu poetry and two (2) scientific books. Three (3)  Mphil thesis have been written on her poetry. She is patent holder of nano-medicines. She has been awarded the Fatima Jinnah Gold medal. In 2019 she was declared Lady of Layalpur. She was recently awarded by  AAUW post doc fellowship. 

 

 

Zahid Mayo  

 

میں آدم زاد بت اک مٹی دا 

میری ڈوہنگی ہستی 

 

 Zahid Mayo is a Lahore based visual artist and Punjabi poet. He moved to Lahore from rural Punjab in 2005, where he studied art at National College of Arts. His work is centered around issues of time (زمانہ), space, and people. Many of his paintings are part of public and private collections. He has also created public art works in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Hunza, while others are scattered around his motherland Punjab. 

 

Hamza Sahi  

 

نماز ادا نہ ہوئی وضو روز کیا 

اور دوں ثبوت کیا سائبا تیری خدا بندی کا

 

 

Hamza sahi is an Urdu poet, writer and painter. He writes short stories to inform about domestic issues, providing insight on the life of the oppressed. Along with exhibiting his artwork to spread awareness on the growing quandaries of Pakistan. 

 

 

Sowaibah Shahbaz 

 

دل رنجش ميں مچلتا رہا کسی نے کبھی دستک نہ دی 

 

‎يوں اندھيروں ميں بھٹکتا رہا 

 

‎چاند شرم و حيا بھلا کے دور سے بےبس کو پرکھتا رہا 

 

‎موسی نہ عیسی اس درد بھری کہانی کا نبی کون؟ 

 

‎سہاروں کی دبی خواھشوں ميں مومن سر رکھتا ہوا رگڑتا ہوا۔ 

 

Sowaibah Shahbaz is an English and Urdu poetess, sketch artist and curator for Ehsas Outdoor Gallery in NYC. She comes from a background in public policy primarily an expert in the bill and law making process of the U.S federal and New York State government. Currently she’s completing her MSc in Modern South Asian Studies at University of Oxford. She co-organized this event along with Rukhsana Bibi.

 

To book please email: rukhsana.bibi@orinst.ox.ac.uk