Poet of East remembered

Iqbal Day marking the 132nd birthday of national poet Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal is being celebrated on across the country with national fervour and enthusiasm today, reported Dunya News. Countrywide celebrations started with the change of guards at Iqbals mausoleum in Lahore. Rangers handed over security duties to Pakistan Navy. Alert and active contingents of Pak Navy laid floral wreath on the mausoleum and prayed for the departed soul. Ceremony of changing guards was delayed for some time due to rain and bad weather and drizzling continued during the ceremony as well. Allama Iqbal, who originally belonged to the Himalayan State of Jammu & Kashmir, was born in Sialkot on November 9, 1877. He went to Government College Lahore and later received advanced degrees at Cambridge University, the University of London, and the University of Munich. While in London, he also studied law. On his return home, he practiced law and was praised nationwide for his poetry. He had become a Muslim activist after his return, as indicated in a speech - Islam as a Social and Political Ideal - at Aligarh in 1910. He promoted ideals of brotherhood, justice and service among Muslims. The Song of Eternity, written in 1932 was his masterpiece. He died in Lahore on April 21, 1938. Thought-provoking poetry of Allama Iqbal has been an inspiration for many and he has been admired throughout the subcontinent.Intellectuals say his undying poetry has freshness and hope and a message for all, and his god-gifted ability to transform complex feelings into rhyming words and phrases is beyond that of a usual poet. He is known to be a man of great vision. Iqbal emphasises the role of youth in Saqi Nama, saying the young are full of passion and new ideas, and outdated rituals should not stop them from exploring new horizons.