In regard with International Women’s Day, prominent poet and writer Shabnam Shakeel was remembered on Friday by renowned names of Urdu literature and by her many fans.
The “Literary Reference” was held at Pakistan Academy of Letters.
Speaking at the occasion, Iftikhar Arif called her a poet whose work was entrenched in classical traditions. He acknowledged her as a woman with a strong point of view, and admired her poetic expertise.
“She wrote a major part of her verses in first-person-singular but it does not mean that she was a poet for herself only. Shabnam’s poetry and other work made its place on the canvas. Her voice still echoes in a very unique manner,” Iftikhar Arif said.
He further said, “She was very close to me. We spent a long period of time with each other but she left all of us alone at the end.”
While presenting her paper, Kishwar Naheed said, “We met in 1955. She was very fond of music. Shabnam was very courageous woman. She was an active poet and after her marriage she left the literary outings for 12 years. She came back with great potential and guts,” Kishwar Naheed said in her paper.
Shabnam’s son Jahanzeb Ahmed also spoke at the event and told the audience about her mother.
“I am a proud son of Shabnam Shakeel. Today, whatever I am is due to her. She loved to read books and I inherited this habit from her,” he said.
He added that she wrote many poems particularly in regard to women’s problems in our society.
Pakistan Academy of Letters Chairman Abdul Hameed, in his address, admired the efforts made by Shabnam Shakeel to improve the society. He put her on the top among all women writers and poets.
