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Sultan Jamil Nasim The Legacy Upheld It is said worldwide that poetry is the art of saying the unsaid; revealing what has never come onto the horizon of knowledge, yet it is described as the language to speak out the agony, desire, deprivation and. Indo-Pak, especially, Pakistan has been lucky that it has been able to produce poets of highest caliber. Whether it is Faiz Ahamed Faiz, Perveen Shakir, Ahmed Faraz, Habib Jalib and the list goes on, Pakistan has a lot to present to Urdu Literature over the years. All the poet lovers must have heard about the great poet, Saba Akbar Abadi. “The Financial Daily” presents our readers with Saba Akbar Abadi’s son, Sultan Jamil Naseem who has a literary legacy to carry on with. He is a drama writer who is of the view that literature is very much like the art of paintings as both have the creed of presenting the truth with no sublime adulteration. TFD: First of all please tell our readership about what do you think of poetry; what is poetry for you? Sultan Jamil Naseem: Poetry is the way of living, as far as I am concerned. My father, Saba Akbar Abadi, was one of the greats of the Urdu literature, and when I went through his poetry along with other greats of the literature, I started to think that it would be very difficult for me to become a poet. I can’t even say better verses than my father, then how come I would compete with the all-time greats like Ghalib and Dard. I, then, decided to write dramas and I have been able to put up a good show up till now as 4 of my books consist of dramas have been published and have widely recognized all over the globe. TFD: What was the main inspiration for you to become a drama writer, rather than becoming a poet, as your father was a great poet as well? Sultan Jamil Naseem: Well, when we talk about the inspiration, it is always there, whatever you do in your life, but for me, as I mentioned earlier that I could never think of me as a poet and yet I had a lot to say about myself and the society in which we lead our lives, so I decided to portray my feelings and aspirations through writing dramas. I must tell you, it’s not an easy job at all, it takes its toll out of you, when you have to write about every minute issue of the society. Yeah, of course, my main inspiration was my father, Saba Akbar Abadi. The way he brought up and groomed his 9 issues; none of them are less educated than the post graduation. His approach was quite practical towards life. I was also inspired by the Karachi riots in 90s, and had written about it very much. TFD: Are you working on a project nowadays? Sultan Jamil Naseem: Well, nowadays, I don’t live here in Pakistan. My children have got settled in Canada and USA, and hence they have divided me into two parts. If this time around, I am able to stay here in Pakistan for a longer period of time, then Ia m sure that I would be able to get my 2 collections of Fiction (Afsana) and a book of dramas published. Apart from my own projects, this time I am looking four to five books of my father as well, that’s why this trip of mine has prolonged a little bit. TFD: As you have spent your whole life in rendering your services to Urdu literature, what do you think where Urdu stays at present internationally, and what is your message to the upcoming breed of poets, and drama and fiction writers? Sultan Jamil Naseem: What I have observed internationally, Urdu has touched unmatched heights in the recent past, but regards to speaking only. As far as written literature is concerned, I think that it’s on the decline as very few people now decide to translate their feelings by converting into poetry or fiction. Therefore, I think that Urdu literature, as a whole, is not all that progressing as it deserves. My message for the young kids is that they should go through the classical masterpieces of the greats of the literature such as Ghalib and Nazeer akberabadi& also Meer , in fiction Ghulam Abbas, Manto & Quratul Ain Haider. The more they will read, the more they will be able to have a grasp over the language as well as the literary techniques which have been used by the great poets and writers.
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