Ahmad Alqadi from Cairo’s Al Azhar University drew the attention of the gathering of Delhi’s poetry lovers. When he rendered his Urdu translation of an Egyptian poet’s ode to the martyrs of his country’s revolution, at the annual Jashn-e-Bahar Mushaira organised in Delhi on Friday night.
Mr Alqadi studied Urdu at Delhi University, now teaches Urdu at Al Azhar University. His country that overthrew the autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak through a landmark peaceful revolution did pay a price, losing 300 young men and women to bullets. Alqadi says the sacrifices of the young Egyptians can never be forgotten.
“For the cost of a bullet, we can buy a piece of bread….,” went out his translation of Egypt’s famous poet Farooq Juwaida’s verse that he wrote following the recent revolution.
“I am not a composer myself, but it is such a pleasure to bring to the people of Delhi the words of Farooq Juwaida, who is a very famous poet back home,” said Alqadi. Many poets from Pakistan, Canada, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia joined their Indian counterparts under Delhi’s night sky in what many called a celebration of Urdu language.