F aiz Ahmed Faiz and Muhammad Iqbal were both born in Sialkot district. However, with the redrawing of district boundaries, Kala Kader, where Faiz was born, now falls in the Narowal district. Both initially attended school and college in Sialkot before moving on to Government College in Lahore.
Iqbal was born on the 9th of November; Faiz passed away on the 20th of November. Faiz’s death and birth anniversaries are typically observed by private organisations, unlike those of Iqbal, which are often held under state patronage. Initially, the 21st of April was observed as a state occasion and a public holiday.
Later, this was switched to Iqbal’s birth anniversary, the ninth of November. However, this date was eventually scrapped as a public holiday but has been sporadically reinstated in the past few years. Before the day arrives, there is often much speculation about whether it will be a public holiday or not.
Iqbal’s poetry has been sung by the country’s leading vocalists. The first to take advantage of his kalaam were the qawwals . Likely after the creation of Pakistan, the qawwals made Shikwa and Jawab-i-Shikwa part of the standard qawwali repertoire, with Jawab-i-Shikwa appearing to have the upper hand in the debate.
This approach pleased everyone without ruffling too many feathers. Faiz has been rendered musically in a much more satisfactory fashion than Iqbal. All the leading vocalists have interpreted his work.
Some pieces have become great music in the process. T.