A special Mushaira organized by Gulshan Cultural Forum Kashmir was held here today at Munshi Hotel Tangmarg, in which many representative poets of the valley participated. Forum’s president Syed Bashir Kausar presided over the meeting, while as well-known poet Shahnaz Rasheed was the chief guest and leading social volunteer Mukhtar Ahmed Munshi was present on the occassion as a dignified guest. Forum’s General Secretary Gulshan Badrani delivered the welcome address while as the program coordinator Khursheed Khamosh performed the cordination duties.
The representative poets who enthralled the audience by presenting their peotry in the mushaira include Ali Muhammad Gowhar, Nisar Azam, Latif Niyazi, Abdul Ahad Dilbar, Mumtaz Gofbabli, Rahim Rahbar, Shahnaz Rasheed, Syed Bashir Kausar, Abdul Ahad Shahbaz, Sarwar Bulbul, Amin. Ashraf, Rahat Rafiq, Khursheed Khamosh and Gulshan Badrani were included.
At the end of the mushaira, a lively debate on literary matters was sparked during the presidential sermons. Frivolous literary institutions were targeted for criticism during the debate, and the silence of serious writers and poets reflected that the culture flourishing in literary circles was undermining the literary spirit.
During the mushaira, the sad news was received that the mother of Shabnam Tilgami, the general secretary of the famous literary center, passed away, and during the program, the forum and the house paid their respects to her. The audience in the Majlis appreciated the artists’ creations and insisted on organizing such programs. Mukhtar Ahmad Munshi, a leading social volunteer and owner of Munshi’s Hotel and Restaurant, and Shabir Ahmed Wani, a winter sports expert associated with the Tourism Department, were lauded for their commitment to offer their support to organize literary meetings.
