LAHORE: International Islamic University Islamabad Rector Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik has called Noon Meem Rashid a pioneer of Urdu poetry who had broken the monopoly of traditional Urdu poets and brought recognition to the modern free poetic genre.
He was addressing at a seminar on the 100th birth anniversary of a renowned Urdu poet Noon Meem Rashid, organized by the Oriental College Urdu Department at Sheerani Hall on Tuesday, which was followed by launching ceremony of books by the college’s Urdu Department. Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Noon Meem Rashid’s daughter Nasreen Rashid, Dr Fakhar-ul-Haq Noori, Dr Mazhar Moeen, Dr Hafiz Mahmood Akhtar and other eminent Urdu scholars also addressed the audience. Malik said Rashid was a poet first and then a prose writer and a critic. He said Rashid belonged to a rare breed of Urdu poets who had a unique command over Urdu language and was known for his love for humanity.
Oriental College Urdu Department Chairman Prof Fakhar-ul-Haq Noori gave a brief account of Noon Meem Rashid’s life and his poetic contributions. Jamshaid Chishti presented popular free verses of the late poet before the audience. Prof Dr Mahmood Akhtar said that thriving nations remembered the services of their national benefactors, paid homage to their linguistic and literary services and sought guidance from their contributions.
PU VC stressed the importance of research work in universities and said that his main focus has always been on the research activities of the university. He said the reputation of universities depended upon the strength of their PhD faculty who contributed to the country’s economic success and its intellectual and cultural development through generation and application of new knowledge
and innovations.
He said ever since its establishment, the Oriental College had rendered an enviable role in the promotion of Urdu poetry and literature in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Appreciating the works of scholars from Oriental College, he expressed the hope that the scholars will continue their tradition of contributing research papers and new books to promote cause of Urdu language.
