Zubair Qureshi
Noted poet, critic and a familiar name in literary circles, Tariq Naeem has come up with the ‘Kuliyaat’ or Collected Works titled ‘Aankh say AsmaanJaata Hay’ combining his three books of poetry.
Tariq Naeem is also known for reciting his ghazals in different Mushaira or poetry recitals in the town. He enjoys a big fan following on social media (Facebook) where he can be seen and heard reciting his ghazals and winning accolades.
The 480-page book has been artistically designed and compiled by the poet himself who has a rich experience in publishing of books. Books are in fact Tariq Naeem’s lifeline, his passion as well as profession. He takes immense pleasure and pride in grooming and patronizing poets and writers, particularly of the twin cities and then publishes their works in book-form. A recipient of ParveenShakir Trust’s “Aks-e-Khushbu” and many other prestigious literary awards, Tariq Naeem has been lucky in the sense that throughout his service, his job had an indelible link with books, literature and writers in one way or the other.
In the beginning of his career, he worked in AGPR as senior auditor for a brief period of time. Then he switched over to the National Book Foundation (NBF) and worked as Public Relations Officer (PRO) under the chairmanship of Ahmed Faraz. In the NBF he was also Editor of the Monthly Magazine ‘Kitab’ or ‘Book.’ After the NBF, he joined Aiwan-e-Sir Syed as Director (Media) and edited the quarterly magazine “Ilm-o-Aml.”
Coming back to his collected works, ‘Aankh say AsmaanJaata Hay’ the book combines his three representative books of ghazals and poems “DiaymaiJaltiRaat,” “RukihuiShamoki Rah Daryan” and “WaqtkaIntezaarKaunKaray.” He has dedicated his Kuliyaat to eminent literary figures of our age DrFarhat Abbas and Naseem-e-Sehr.
In his own words, he has tried to untie the knots of mystery and truth in his poems. “When I try to describe a scene it becomes so misty that I get lost in it and then I try to come out of that murkiness with the help of my couplets,” he says. His contemporary AnjumKhaliq describes Tariq Naeem as a seeker of truth, love, beauty and mysticism.
However, besides these elements, we also have in his poetry a fair and ruthless comment on the injustices done to the people by the successive rulers. He gives voice to the voiceless in his poems calling upon the ‘Ameer-e-Shehr’ to take pity on the unprivileged people. While listening to Tariq Naeem, you find a constant streak of all these elements and cannot give a sweeping judgment about his literary journey, says AnjumKhaliq.
