Bhopal, March 14: An All India "Mushaira" (Urdu poetic meet) is being organised by Bhopal Adabi Sangam, a literary society, in the memory of Urdu litterateur late Akhtar Saeed Khan here on March 15 at Iqbal Maidan.

Addressing a joint Press conference Akbar Mohammad Khan and Naseem Ansari, president and secretary respectively, of Bhopal Adabi Sangam informed that about two dozen leading poets from all over the country would be participating in the "Mushaira". Local veteran poet Ishrat Qadri will preside over the "Mushaira" while Mansoor Usmani of Moradabad would conduct the proceedings.

Naseem Ansari throwing light on the life and works of Urdu litterateur late Akhtar Saeed Khan said he was among the leading poets and writers of Indian sub-continent and was one of the front-runners of Progressive writers. His contributions to Urdu prose and poetry in the last 50 to 60 years cannot be ignored, he observed.

Replying to a question Ansari said Urdu and Hindi are very similar to each other and differ only in script. They are like real sisters and no other two languages in the world bear such similarities. As such to promote Urdu and Hindi both Bhopal Adabi Sangam after "Mushaira" would organise a "Kavi Sammelan" (Hindi poetic meet) on May 1st this year, he added.

The poets who are scheduled to participate in the Mushaira include: Ishrat Qadri, Prof. Wasim Barelvi, Mansoor Usmani, Popular Meeruthi, Sunil Kumar Tung, Naeem Akhtar Khadmi, Altaf Zia, Ashok Sahil, Tahir Faraz, Akhtar Gwaliori, Nazar Etahwi, Habeeb Hashmi, Dr. Anjum Barabankwi, Sheikh Nizami, Typical Jagatyali, Ms Gulnar Aafri, Ms Naseem Nikhat, Ms Shyama Singh Saba, Ms Shaista Sana, Ms Tarannum Naaz, Vijay Tiwari etc.