Received ‘Samaj Gaurav Samman’ by @BSKoshyari ji @maha_governor yesterday at Raj Bhawan Mumbai for my social work. Thanks to Mumbai Hindi Academy for considering me for the award.

Revising my own writings…

India has been a land of Sufi & Saint, spreading messages of love, peace & coexistence. They taught us the culture of putting the requirements of the needy before self, to dedicate life for the society. Addressed a conference on Sufism recently highlighting these issues.

On the occasion of Women’s Day, if we take just this pledge: to treat all women in the family as equal, entitled to the same privileges & responsibilities as the men, much of the injustice will be done away with. Education, health, opportunities, personal growth to begin with.

Avanti Amber officers’ colony is a vibrant social space where different festivals are celebrated in harmony. Today we celebrated Holi where even the former residents joined to be a part of the family. Music, food brought by each family, laughter & bonding made it memorable!

My earliest memories of Holi are from childhood: playing with colours, singing “Phag” the drum procession to different households in the village, kids getting rewarded thereby becoming one body & soul. A simple & highly effective way of promoting humanism. No vulgarity!Happy Holi

Mumbai University @MumbaiUnivOrg has always been a place of great learning and cultural activities. The Department of Urdu in collaboration with other departments of the university organised a literary event recently for the benefit of post graduate students. A photo post event

As Patron @jashneadab it’s not only my responsibility to attend sessions, listen carefully and sum up the discussions but duty to felicitate the speaker after the session. Felicitating Shri Surendra Sharma, famous humorist and poet.

Encouraging young talent has always been our goal @jashneadab Awarding young singer Dr. Anamika Singh, singer with a soulful & melodious voice, original regional songs and wonderful diction. She has sung in a of albums & given large numbers of performances. We wish her the best!

When the quality & class speaks, seniors too take notice, listening carefully & analysing the poetry right away! Criticism is integral part of the literary tradition which keeps it pure, free from copying, obfuscation, vulgarity, promoting originality & ideation! Grateful!

Last minute revision of a new poem followed by its recital @jashneadab Poetry is the ultimate expression of the volcano of thoughts & emotions engulfing your mind & soul. Penning it down successfully is the ultimate release & making people part of the journey the ultimate bliss!

Discussing the medium of expression in short stories: the roaming characters with @Sachchida_Joshi at @jashneadab Dr. Joshi read out his short stories to convey the issues discussed. Characters & their expressions convey more than the written words! Reading becomes experience!

Had a fruitful discussion on problems of education and regional/ sectoral disparities with Mr. Hamid Ansari, former Vice- President of India. Appraised him about the effort being undertaken by us in the field of education, guidance & bringing people to the national mainstream.

Moderating sessions is a challenging assignment especially @jashneadab where the dignitaries present are the masters of their craft. Asking questions, discussing issues, containing the discussion in the desired direction & in the time frame & learning from them…invaluable!

Addressing members of Mumbai Bus Owners’ Association on their roles & responsibilities for enhancing road safety. India ranks 1st globally with over 4.5 lakh road accidents & over 1.5 lakh fatalities per year. Suggested improving driver training, road discipline & other measures.

Delivered key note address on the poetry of Quaisarul Jaffery, renowned poet and released his complete work in book from at Mumbai University with Dr. Zaheer Qazi, Prof. Abdullah Imtiyaz, Shahid Lateef & other renowned personalities. Released his selected poems in Hindi @Rekhta

RT @AkashMallareddy: I had an honor to meet @quaiser_khalid sir today and had a great conversation.

Marriages of batch mate’s children is also an occasion for meeting friends especially from different services to reflect on what we have done & what our children are doing. It takes us back to the days of training & brings back the informal side which is a rare sight these days!

Travelling to the city of famous ruler & poet, Quli Qutub Shah. Now the city of pearls & technology. Hyderabad to attend a family function. Will squeeze some time to meet friends today & tomorrow. Welcome

Took session on how to write poetry, the form, content, style, individuality and how to avoid repetition and how to bring flavour in writing. The students, mostly professionals were well read. It was a wonderful session culminating in recital of my own verses as example.