Nazir Akbarabadi remembered on birth anniversary

Urdu poet Nazir Akbarabadi, whose verses touched every aspect of common man's life from festivals like Diwali and Eid to nondescript objects of daily use, was fondly remembered on his birth anniversary here. Nazir's modest tomb near the Taj Mahal in the Taj Ganj area, which wears a desolate look for most part of the year, lit up as fragrance from flowers greeted his admirers who queued up to pay homage to the 18th century "people's poet". Agra civic body and Agra Development Authority took the initiative to provide a canopy to cover the tomb and spruce up the area to draw tourists. Nazir Akbarabadi is credited with giving Agra a new identity through his poetry. His writing touched the hearts of Muslims as well as Hindus as he wrote about their festivals and their simple enjoyments like bird fights and kite-flying. The disdain for royalty and fundamentalists was evident in his works. His birth anniversary coincides with Basant Panchami festival and a 'Basant Mela' is organised at the venue since 1930s. Jashn-e-Basant was organised here with poets reciting his poems. "'Sab thaath pada rah jayega jab laad chalega banjara' or his poems on 'roti' and 'muflisi' are instances of his concern for the common man and the realities of life," said Syed Jafri, director Ghalib Research Academy. Mirza Ghalib, Mir and Nazir are the pillars of Urdu literature and all three have connection with Agra, pointed out Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.