Sindh HEC Inter-University Bait Bazi Competition-2024 enchants audience with verses of love, melancholy at SU

In a grand display of poetic eloquence and the timeless beauty of Urdu verse, the Sindh HEC Inter-University Bait Bazi Competition-2024 unfolded in the main auditorium of the Institute of Commerce & Management at the University of Sindh on Thursday.

Organized by the Bureau of STAGS, this lyrical battle brought together teams from various departments of the university to dive deep into the realms of love, longing, beauty and heartbreak through their recitations.

Each team, consisting of two members took the stage with anticipation as the judges began the contest with a carefully chosen two-line verse. From that point on, the artful challenge began: each team had to weave the next verse starting with the last letter of the previous one. What followed was an exquisite exchange of poetry as students invoked the words of legends like Allama Iqbal, Parveen Shakir, Wasi Shah, Ahmed Faraz, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Nasir Kazmi, Munir Niazi, Mir Taqi Mir, Jaun Elia, Rahet Indori and Ghalib, transforming the auditorium into a poetic realm that resonated with love and melancholy.

The poetry brought forth themes of romance, the pain of separation, the mysteries of beauty and the poignant sorrow that often accompanies unrequited love. Each line was met with thunderous applause from the audience, who filled the auditorium to its capacity, hanging onto each word and bursting into cheers with every beautifully recited verse.

The judges including Dean of the Faculty of Arts Professor Dr. Muhammad Khan Sangi and Assistant Professor of the Urdu Department Dr. Abida Huma savored each moment, their expressions mirroring the emotion of each poem shared.

Presiding over the ceremony, Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Abdul Sattar Shah acknowledged the students' passionate efforts and their commitment to keeping the rich tradition of Urdu poetry alive.

The event was further graced by the presence of the Director of the Bureau of STAGS Dr. Sanober Rahman Shaikh along with numerous faculty members and students who were transported by the mesmerizing verses that painted pictures of moonlit nights, stolen glances and whispered heartaches.

The Sindh HEC Bait Bazi Competition left the audience spellbound, with students and faculty alike captivated by the power of words to bridge souls across time.

The University of Sindh’s auditorium, for one enchanted afternoon, became a haven of poetry—a space where love, in all its forms, found its voice.