COLUMN THE COLLECTED IFTIKHAR ARIF.

It is time to rejoice about the successful arrival, in both Pakistan and India, of Sukhan-i-Iftikhar [Verse of Iftikhar], the collected poetic works of Iftikhar Arif.

This month is also the beginning of the 80th year of his life. His birthday was March 21, which was both Nauroz - the arrival of spring in Iran and Central Asia, but also celebrated by many in South Asia - this year, as well as International Poetry Day.

I find it a befittingly coincidental tribute to Arif's life and works that the Indian edition of the compendium was launched online on March 21, with him and publisher Hoori Noorani speaking from Pakistan. The collected works, published in Pakistan by Maktaba-i-Daniyal in the middle of last year, have been published in India by the Majlis-i-Tarraqqee-i-Urdu. The book's cover is designed by leading artist and architect Nayyar Ali Dada and features introductory notes from formidable scholars such as Dr Syed Nomanul Haq and Dr Nasir Abbas Nayyar.

Sukhan-i-Iftikhar combines Arif's collections Mehr-i-Do Neem [The Split Moon], Harf-i-Baryaab [The Letter Accepted to be Blessed], Jahaan-i-Maloom [The Known World] and Baagh-i-Gul-i-Surkh [The Garden of Red Flowers] in chronological order, with all their respective prefaces and endorsements. The first preface to the first book is by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

It is not essential for a creative artist to be politically active. But it is essential for any artist of significance to be politically conscious.'

There is always a human story that underpins creative achievement - a human story of love and loss. Arif was born in the dreamy, self-indulgent and enchanting city of Lucknow in pre-Partition India. He had a rather difficult childhood, but remained surrounded by women of substance and men of letters.

His formative years shaped his cultural being, his mannerisms and his style - both as a person and as a poet. He earned a master's degree in literature from the University of Lucknow before moving to Pakistan. He worked hard and rose to prominence in his adopted homeland at a considerably young age. In his career, he held summit positions at various institutions of language and literature, besides holding senior management positions at Pakistan Television (PTV). During the late 1970s and the 1980s, he spent long years in London and ran a cultural centre there as well.

Something peculiar about Arif's poetry is his sensibility, woven by the two strands of suffering and ecstasy. Both are distinct from...