On the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of Mirzo Tursunzoda, the great poet of Tajikistan, an international webinar entitled “Poet of Peace and Friendship” was held by ECO Cultural Institute in cooperation with Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Tehran on Thursday, May 20, 2021 attended by Sarvar Bakhti, President of ECO Cultural Institute, H.E. Mr. Nizomiddin Zohidi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to Iran, Dr. Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Head of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, and several prominent academic figures from the ECO region.
According to the ECO Cultural Institute, Sarvar Bakhti, in his speech, spoke about different aspects of the life of this prominent literary figure of the ECO region, saying: “Tajik poet, Tursunzoda, belongs to the whole world and in his message he addressed all nations.”
Nizomiddin Zohidi, Tajik Ambassador to Iran, also reminded of Tursunzoda as a herald of peace in the East and said: “Tursunzoda’s works are a reflection of happiness and sorrow of the nations of the world, especially in Asia and Africa.”
The Tajik ambassador further referred to the fondness of Mirzo Tursunzoda to Iran and recalled his interest to Hafez, adding: “This love was so great that the people of Iran and Tajikistan were deeply connected through his poems.”
The next speaker, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Head of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, thanked Sarvar Bakhti, President of the ECO Cultural Institute, for honoring the dignitaries of the region and underlined the role of writers and orators in creating nations’ identities and promoting commonalities in which Tursunzoda has a very special place.
Head of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature; expressed hope that particular attention should be paid to the role of ECO region writers in achieving peace and friendship between nations.
Sadeq Osyan, professor of Balkh University from Afghanistan, as another speaker of this international webinar, while expressing his satisfaction to commemorate Tursunzoda, indicated him as a lasting poet in history and said: “The people of Afghanistan are very interested in his thoughts and poems and this prominent poet in Tajik literature won the title of the “Star of the East”.
Dr. Faleeha Kazemi, Head of the Department of Persian Language and Literature at Lahore Women’s University in Pakistan, named Tursunzoda as a poet who considered “mother and woman” as the axis of life and said: “Tursunzoda’s humanity and freedom-seeking were always considered by the people of Pakistan. This prominent Tajik poet had a close relationship with Pakistani poets.”
Dr. Asliddin Qamarzoda, professor of Samarkand State University, named Tursunzoda as one of the famous geniuses of the East along with Rudaki, Jami, Ali-Shir Nava’i, Sadriddin Ayni, and Abolqasem Lahouti and emphasized: “Tursunzoda’s name is remembered not only as a prominent poet but also as a herald of peace and friendship.”
In his turn, Dr. Abhay Kumar Singh, a professor at Rohilkhand University in India, pointed to another unique feature of Tursunzoda and said: “It is rare that a good poet is also a good statesman and Tursunzoda is a clear example”. “The people of India owe gratitude to Maestro Tursunzoda for his poetic sympathy”, he added
In the end, the professor of Rohilkhand University of India expressed his hope that commemorating personalities like Tursunzoda would pave the way for reinforcing regional peace.
Dr. Ahmad Shamim Qureshi from India, Dr. Ebrahim Khodayar, professor at Tarbiat Modares University, Kamol Nasrullo, Tajik poet, Ja’far Amini, professor at Shahid Rabbani University in Afghanistan, Mu’min Qano’at, Tajik folk poet, and Faridun Farhodzoda, researcher and journalist from Uzbekistan expressed their views on various aspects of Mirzo Tursunzoda’s personality and works and thanked the ECO Cultural Institute for honoring the dignitaries of the ECO region.