The renowned poet, writer, and scholar Farzand Ali Hashmi’s debut collection of ghazals, titled “Mohabbat kay Bahattar Chiragh” (Seventy-Two Lamps of Love), has been published by the National Book Foundation.
This marks the Farzand Ali Hashmi’s sixth book to reach his readers with his earlier works on literary criticism, research, and Pothohari poetry having received considerable acclaim from the scholarly and literary community.
This new poetic work comprises seventy-two ghazals, and is graced by reflections and commendations from some of Urdu literature’s most esteemed voices—adding to the authenticity and artistic stature of his poetry.
According to Dr. Khurshid Rizvi, a prominent and respected name in Urdu poetry, “Farzand Ali Hashmi has caused the flowers of innovation to bloom upon the soil of tradition. He imbues the tip of his pen with the flame of thought, rendering fresh impressions of poetry upon the page.”
Prof Dr. Najeeba Arif, Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, remarks, “Hashmi has carved out new poetic terrains and proclaimed a fresh cadence. His tone resists the stale and repetitive; it is neither borrowed nor worn.” Literary critic Khawar Ejaz observes that “Farzand Ali Hashmi’s ghazal captures the hues of contemporary poetic expression, infused with vivid, novel ideas.” Meanwhile, Dr. Rafiq Sandailvi associates the metaphor of the lamp—one that threads through the tradition of the ghazal from Quli Qutb Shah to the present—with Hashmi’s poetic essence. In the words of Dr. Mehnaz Anjum, “Farzand Ali Hashmi’s poetry seamlessly blends metaphor, symbol, mystique, and introspection into a coherent and evocative whole. His verses contain that rare literary substance which lends enduring worth to any age’s literature.”
