ISLAMABAD: A grand launch ceremony of young writer Shah Jamal Hashmi’s book “Rumi and Tagore’s Praise” was held at the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad, in collaboration with Bazm Tasleem Adab. The event was presided over by prominent scholar, intellectual, and poet Iftikhar Arif, and Ms. Najiba Arif, Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, attended as a special guest. Iftikhar Arif, while mentioning Shah Jamal Hashmi’s family background and his long-standing relationship, said that Shah Jamal belongs to an academic and literary family. This book highlights the natural relationship between Rumi and Tagore. The book contains all these in different shades, but within all of them, monotheism comes out clearly everywhere, and this is a new struggle. This is a good effort by Shah Jamal. It has become a very important book for readers and the younger generation. He said that this book has an appeal that draws us towards Rumi and Tagore.
Ms. Najiba Arif, Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, while expressing her views, said that this is not a book to read, but rather an absorbing book in which a person becomes absorbed. He said that breaths are not counted, but the intensity found in them can be felt as the knowledge within a person. He paid tribute to the young author and said that that intensity is present in this book. Shah Jamal has presented not only scientific research but also the mysticism and spirituality of Rumi and Tagore in a prominent manner.
Dr. Farooq Sattar said that this book is a valuable addition to Urdu literature. The author has explained in his book how one connects with Allah Almighty. What is monotheism? How to establish a special relationship with the Creator and the Absolute. I would like to thank Shah Jamal for opening new windows of reading and thinking in literature, in our culture, for our intellectuals and youth.
Former Member of the National Assembly Shakeel Baloch said that such books are immortalized in history. The feat that Shah Jamal has accomplished at such a young age will always be remembered in golden words in history. Professor Rashid Noorani, citing the book’s articles, explained the relationship between Rumi and Tagore in detail in a rich discussion on the ‘ne-nawaz’ between the two. This book has brought people together for centuries, and the connection between the two has never been written about before. Shah Jamal has brought this relationship to the fore in the book with the help of a new style of writing, which is a masterpiece of the young author Shah Jamal.
Colonel Zahid Iqbal said that it is unbelievable to me how a young man can write about Sufism in such depth. I am both surprised and amazed by this. It is a great skill to simultaneously combine Tagore, Rumi, and Khalil Gibran in your words. This author’s work includes many dimensions at once. This is a difficult subject, as Shah Jamal has adopted.
Professor Mahmood Ejaz Butt said that Shah Jamal’s creation is in the style of the Taj Mahal, in which each and every element has been skillfully carved. Dr. Rashid Jamal, while directing the program, said that the author’s book is a masterpiece of Hassan Jamal, in which a rainbow of scattered colors is included in the form of a beautiful painting. In addition, guest of honor Professor Dr. Fawzia Sahar Malik, Lubna Qureshi, and Taslim Ikram also expressed their views. Finally, Bazm Taslim Adab founder and late Taslim Ikram thanked the guests.
