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Urdu Academy pays tribute to Saleem Kausar
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
The Urdu Academy of North America held its monthly literary session on March 20, 2016. The Event, dedicated to the life and work of a prominent Urdu poet Sleem Kausar, was held at the Chandni Restaurant, Newark.
Mirza Tarkash Siddiqui, an old resident of Bay Area and social activist, presided over the event.
Zeeshan Abbasi was MC of the program. He presented a well researched maqala on the life and work of Saleem Kausar, born in Panipat on the Haj day in the year Pakistan came into being.
After partition, Sleem Kausar family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan. He received his primary and secondary education there. Later he with his family moved to Kabeerwala. In 1972, he shifted to Karachi, Sindh, where he has worked in various newspapers before joining Pakistan Television (PTV).
Saleem Kausar began his literary career from Kabeerwala, where he met with well-known and national poets and learnt and practiced Urdu poetry. He also attended poetry gatherings.
After moving to Karachi, he joined Urdu newspapers and wrote Qat'aas (quatrains), a form of Urdu poetry on a daily basis. He has written five collections of Urdu poetry. 
Saleem Kausar became famous after his ghazal "Main khiyal hoon kisi aur ka" sung by various singers, was breakthrough in 1980.
He has five highly popular poetry collections, including Muhabbat aik shajar hai, Khali haathon mein arz-o-sama, Yeh chiragh hai tau jala rahai and Zara mausam badalnay dau, to his credit that have run into multiple editions.
Saleem Kausar has visited several countries to participate the poetry gatherings, including Doha, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Middle East and India.
Naseer Ahmad writing in the daily Dawn, points out that Saleem has not received any government award and is not bitter about it either. He says his award is the love of his admirers who have made all his books bestsellers. “I do not aspire to have government awards. And thank God for the appreciation and love I have received from the reading public. I am so pleased with what God has granted me in life that I believe I cannot thank Him adequately.”
All of his seven children have done their Master’s in one subject or another. Three daughters are married. One is a lecturer at Karachi University, teaching biochemistry. A son is a doctor, specializing in child diseases at a private university hospital.
As usual, a number of Urdu enthusiasts read Saleem Kausar's poetry: Arvind Kamal, Abdus Sattar Ghazali,Hatim Rani, Kausar Saiyed, Khalid Rana, Moiz khan, Mobeen Khalil, Muneeba Zeeshan, Nagesh Avadhany and Zafar khan.
In the second session of the literary event, Dr. Priya Satia gave a presentation on her latest creative work "Poets of Partition."
The event was held at the residence of Gita & Ashok Vaish in Atherton, CA.
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