Kaifi Azmi honoured with special postal tribute, mushairas on his 24th death anniversary

Renowned poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi was remembered on his 24th death anniversary on Sunday with the release of a special postal cover, cultural performances and literary gatherings celebrating his legacy. The late Urdu poet and lyricist is noted for bringing Urdu literature into the film industry.

Renowned poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi was remembered on his 24th death anniversary on Sunday with the release of a special postal cover, cultural performances and literary gatherings celebrating his legacy. The late Urdu poet and lyricist is noted for bringing Urdu literature into the film industry. Some of his notable work includes the song from the 1972 movie, ''Pakeezah'', ''Chalte Chalte'', ''Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye'' from Mahesh Bhatt-directed ''Arth'', ''Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil'' from director Chetan Anand's movie, ''Heer Ranjha'', and the poem ''Aurat'', which are considered some of his finest contributions to Urdu and Hindi languages. The Postal Department in Mumbai released a special cover dedicated to Azmi, which Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra and Goa, Amitabh Singh unveiled. This was followed by a screening of the film ''Raag Shayari'' at G5A foundation for contemporary culture. The film, based on Azmi's poetry, features his son-in-law Javed Akhtar, also a lyricist-writer, reciting Urdu verses, while Azmi's actor daughter, Shabana reads the translations. Musician Shankar Mahadevan has composed music for 13 of Kaifi's poems and has also sung them, and the late tabla player Zakir Hussain and Purbayan Chatterjee playing the sitar. This program, originally staged as a live performance during Azmi's 100th birth anniversary celebrations, has now been adapted into a film directed by Feroz Abbas Khan. The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is also hosting a festival in honour of the poet, bringing together artists and performers to revisit his contributions to literature and cinema. Meanwhile, in Lucknow, All India Kaifi Azmi Academy organised a mushaira and a play based on Kaifi's celebrated work, ''Zehr-e-Ishq''.