The Pakistani Spectator

9th November was the day when the thinker of nation Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, 132 years ago, born. Many things have been written so far, and for now when I am writing this many things must have been said. This year, as always, I was in quest of an answer that is IQBALISM still alive today? Does the youth remember him? And Do the children know what Shair e Mashriq (Poet of East) really is?

Staying at home and digging the brain to figure out the answer is an old habit of mine. This time I wanted to have some change. Last evening after “Wake Up Lahore” even Shoaib Bhai of PYR told me about an event to be held on 9th November at noon.

“Apna Mukam Paida Kar” (Create your position) was the title of the program. How I and Shoaib Bhai managed to reach the venue is a story itself but it is not the core topic. This event was arranged by the management, and the students of the school which is run by “Message Welfare Trust”. This trust started its operations in November 2007. The main goal of this trust is to provide education to the poor and disabled children and to struggle against child labor. Their motto is “Hope for those who only Dream”.

Mr. Mudassir, an engineer by education, is the leading figure behind “message”. Amina Usmani, a PYR fellow, is also associated with this trust. While talking to her, I got to know that they are providing education to these poor children for free and the curriculum is also of good standard. They are also planning to do some good to the government schools in the future and they are doing there home work for this.

The arrangements of the event were really good and the whole program was really a disciplined one. The show was having Speeches on Iqbal, poems and verses from Iqbal’s Poetry, and performance based on poems, but I forgot to mention that the show begun with the recitation of Holly Quran by one of the student and Naat-e-Rasool right after it.

The hosts of the show were amazing, being a student and during such age they are really good they both were the real soul of the show as it’s so hard to keep the stage for that long. All the participants were like a gem of a kind. To me it was like someone is presenting a better or finer gem one after the previous one from a bag full of such fine gems. I really appreciate the kids who recited the verses of Allama Iqbal in a sweet way and in innocent language. I believe that all the children are really talented they all have unique skill regardless the financial status that they have. The only thing, they need is right direction, guideline, and exposure.

While the show was in its ending moments; I thought that somehow I have got the answer to my question. The IQBALISM is still alive and by grace of Almighty Allah it will remain alive for ever as mysticism is beyond time and space, age and location, it is something which is evergreen. The kids really make me feel proud as they might don’t know who Iqbal is but they are atleast having some experience of IQBALISM they are talking about him and they remember some of his verses. I am sure one day they will understand what Iqbal and Shair-e-Mashirq means. As in the words of Allama Iqbal:

Nahin hai na-umeed Iqbal apni kisht e veraan say
Zara nam ho to yeh mitti bari zarkhez ha saqi.
(Iqbal is not hopeless from the youth. they can do wonders if the have proper direction)

At the end of this post; I really want to congratulate all those people, behind this program and I pray that Allah Almighty to bless them with all the possible success and ease in the hardships in their way.