Marathon lecture series on Allama Iqbal: Hyderabad scripts history

The historic city will witness the marathon lecture series on Allama Iqbal, one of the best known poets of Urdu, crossing the 1100 mark.

Hyderabad: As the year draws to a close, Hyderabad is on the cusp of making a record of sorts. No, it has nothing to do with its rich culture, monuments or cuisine. It is a unique achievement, which unfortunately, not many are aware of.

It’s a literary feat which has no parallel in the world. The historic city will witness the marathon lecture series on Allama Iqbal, one of the best known poets of Urdu, crossing the 1100 mark.

The honour of holding this long drawn talk goes to the Jama Masjid Aaliya, Gunfoundry. More particularly to senior advocate Ghulam Yezdani, also president of the Masjid Managing Committee. On Wednesday evening its conference hall will hold the 1101 lecture on the poet of East as part of the ‘Iqbal Shinasi’ programme. Mohammed Ziauddin Nayyer of the Iqbal Academy will deliver a talk on “Iqbal Ka Tasawwure Deen”.

It has taken a quarter century for the city to clinch this record. And also the indomitable spirit of Ghulam Yezdani. What started as a one-off lecture on the celebrated poet in 1997, touched the 1100 mark last week. The first lecture was delivered by Mohammed Zaheeruddin Ahmed, President, Iqbal Academy, on October 8, 1997. There is no looking back since then. The weekly lectures under the banner of ‘Iqbal Shinasi’ have continued without a break except during the Covid pandemic.

“The idea behind organizing these lectures is to let people take inspiration from the poetry of Allama Iqbal”, says Mr. Yezdani.

At 93 he is agile enough to hold the weekly lectures. Come Wednesday evening and he is at Masjid-e-Aaliya. So are scores of Iqbal lovers. Over the years the lectures have remained both scholarly and intellectually stimulating. Eminent scholars have shed light on various aspects of Iqbal’s poetry and spoken about its present day relevance.

There is enough material, they feel, in Iqbal’s shayari to last for another thousand lectures.