Dr Saif Mahmood, Atul Tiwari, Dr Arfa, Dr Chammak, Nandita Das, Zehra Nigah. Faiz Festival 2025 - Photo by Zarminae Ansari
Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra: Transcending Borders
By Zarminae Ansari
This Sunday, for the first time in a decade, the legendary educationist and historian Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra will not be with us for an online event organized by Joy of Urdu , of which she was Chief Advisor and mentor.
Joy of Urdu is a bilingual, international, volunteer-run organization , launched in 2013. This Sunday we will commemorate the birth centenary of legendary Urdu poet Nasir Kazmi, with panelists including iconic contemporary poet Iftikhar Arif, and well-known singer Fariha Pervez, among others.
Arfa Apa, as I and many called her with respect, was an integral part of the trio forming Joy of Urdu’s core team. She was there for our online programs from the start, if not as a host or panelist, except for the last two years when ill health occasionally prevented her from joining. She still joined as a viewer whenever she could.
Now, Aleem Zubair, finance professional, amateur poet, Urdu poetry connoisseur and Joy of Urdu Advisor, and I, will be left holding the fort. Arfa Apa will be conspicuous by her absence.
Reverence
The reverence which Dr Arfa commanded, not only in her country Pakistan but across the border in ‘enemy’ India, was all too evident at the annual Faiz Festiva l in Lahore this past February.
There was thunderous applause and a standing ovation at the end of her session with Zehra Nigah, one of Urdu’s greatest contemporary poets, moderated by the well-known Indian author Dr Saif Mahmood.
The packed 700-seater Alhamra Hall I, with the audience overflowing into the aisles and the floor in front of the stage, witnessed an unforgettable and moving sight. As the session ended, members of the Indian delegation – led by poet Dr Arvinder Chammak, with actor and filmmaker Nandita Das, award winning script-writer, theatre director and museum maker, Atul Tiwari – went up on stage to touch the feet of these giants of Urdu literature in the traditional mode of respect, devoid of problematic geo-politics.
Since Dr Arfa passed on last month, there has been a deluge of articles and eulogies about this beloved icon, exploring various aspects of her personality, her influence, and her deep impact on people of all ages, from all walks of life.
At Faiz Festival 2024: Zehra Nigah and Dr Arfa Sayeda, at the launch of ‘Three Tales From Gulistan-e-Saadi ‘, Joy of Urdu’s first bilingual book launch, with moderator Aleem Zubair - Photo via Joy of Urdu
“Through her career, she showed that speech without compassion and ethics empties both language and faith of meaning,” comments Dr Saif Mahmood in his tribute published in The Indian Express . He recalled how poetically Arfa Apa praised his book Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets (Speaking Tiger Books, 2018), saying “Look at the wonder Saif has wrought”.
She was, as he writes, “a rare breed — the last of a generation that exemplified the very best of our shared cultural heritage.”
Our online sessions on Urdu language and literature included the weekly Facebook live show, “Dr Arfa Sayeda Aur Zarminae Ansari Ki Himaqatein,” an informal live reading exercise with Dr Arfa correcting my pronunciation in real time, and explaining the meanings of words and long-forgotten proverbs). It ran to over 80 sessions since 2020.
Rekhta
In January 2024, at Jashne Rekhta, we launched Three Tales from Gulistan-e-Saadi, Joy of Urdu Publications’ first, award-winning, bilingual book. At the event, we saw firsthand the deep affection, but especially the respect with which she was held by Sanjiv Saraf, founder of Delhi-based Rekhta Foundation, arguably the most important Urdu organization in the world. This was true also of all the organizers and guests from India, even an individual she debated politely and fiercely.
Rekhta founder Sanjiv Saraf with Dr Arfa, Dubai, 2024 - Photo by Zarmiinae Ansari
Incidentally, this award-winning publication is the only one in print to my knowledge that has her name on the cover.
Indian actor, poet, storyteller, and theatre director Danish Husain, known for co-reviving Dastangoi, the traditional Urdu oral storytelling art form, who contributed to the #JoyofUrduRemembersArfaApa social media video campaign with a recitation of an Urdu couplet by Mir Taqi Mir . In one verse, he replaces the word “dil” (heart) with “Arfa”.
The two had appeared together on several online Joy of Urdu sessions about Dastangoi. Arfa Apa had always lauded his talent and effort, and he once even joined us for a ‘Himaqatein’ session . Acclaimed Delhi-based ghazal singer, Dr Radhika Chopra also contributed to this campaign with a heartbreakingly emotive rendition of the song “Aap Ki Yaad Aati Rahi, Raat Bhar” (Your memories kept me awake all night), from the film Gaman – a song that was Dr. Arfa’s mobile phone ring tone.
Many who grieved her passing, despite never having met her, include the prominent Indian writer and translator Rakhshanda Jalil who commented on Facebook that this will remain a “lasting regret.”
Another is Bala Chauhan, media professional in India, a linguist and ardent lover of Urdu who describes herself as a “practitioner of independent thought”. Her parents are from Lucknow; she shared on a video call. So, she grew up with “a lot of emphasis on sophistication in language”.
My father said that whatever language you speak, speak it well,” she told Sapan News over a video call. “Dr Arfa used to say ‘sabut qadam rahiye’ (be accountable and clear in your conscience), something my parents always advocated”.
I have heard Arfa Apa lament that as right-wing ideologies in India gained ground, she hesitated to message certain scholars, writers, and intellectuals with whom she had been in contact, because she did not want to cause any trouble for them. Knowing this, a visitor to Pakistan earlier this year offered their international cellphone for Arfa Apa to call or send a video message to anyone in India.
Accepting the offer gratefully, Arfa Apa observed that this limited contact and communication was a great disservice to the cause of Urdu language and literature.
One is reminded of the iconic poem by Gulzar:
Aankhon ko visa nahi lagta,
Sapno ki sarhad nahi hoti
Band aankhon se roz main
Sarhad paar chala jaata hun
Milne Mehdi Hasan se
(Eyes don’t need visas,
dreams have no borders;
With closed eyes I cross the border, every day,
to meet Mehdi Hasan)
Arfa Apa embodied values like the importance of civil dialogue regardless of disagreements, as the journalist Asma Shirazi reminded listeners during an online tribute recently organized by Bazme Naz , Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan), and Joy of Urdu.
Another participant commented about how, as a Baloch student, he was initially critical of the Urdu-speaker Dr Arfa. When they met for the first time, she listened patiently to his views, winning him over with her good humor. “I became one of her many admirers,” he added.
Empathy
One is reminded of another advisor and mentor Joy of Urdu has lost: Sabeen Mahmud , who Arfa Apa talks about in this video . Sabeen, too, would convert adversaries into friends over a cup of tea. She, too, listened with empathy.
It’s not just the obvious realm of Urdu or literature lovers who feel her loss.
She also charmed academics and professors of business studies like Indian origin Dr Ashwin W. Joshi at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, and gender studies, Dr Kiran Mirchandani at the University of Toronto. They had met Arfa Apa while helping to plan the Toronto- Mississauga Chapter launch of Joy of Urdu for the Urdu-speaking diaspora some years ago.
Dr Ashwin Joshi and Dr Kiran Mirchandani with Dr Arfa - Photo via Dr Joshi
Originally from South India, Dr Joshi shared how intrigued he was “at this personage” . He said that he had never seen as much interest in any talk in his entire university teaching career, as for the proposed launch lecture by Dr Arfa on 27 July 2022.
“She embodied my idea of a University Professor,” says Dr Joshi, in a text message to Joy of Urdu after Arfa Apa’s passing. “Learned, empathetic, engaged, and fearless…oh so fearless. Her warmth and generosity of spirit have stayed with me. With due apologies to Maya Angelou… another equally important source of wisdom and courage… I remember what Dr Arfa said, I appreciate what she did, and most importantly, I will never forget how Dr Arfa made me feel. Thank you for your contributions to humanity, Dr Arfa and thank you for your contribution to my life.”
Most of Arfa Apa’s friends and family, her students and colleagues would echo Dr Joshi’s sentiments. As would I.
(Writer, multimedia producer and cultural tourism consultant Zarminae Ansari trained as an architect from National College of Arts, Lahore, and went on to obtain her master’s from MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As the founder of the volunteer-run Joy of Urdu, launched in 2013 she worked closely with Dr Arfa, the organization’s Chief Patron and Advisor over the past decade. This is a Sapan News syndicated feature http://www.sapannews.com )
