Above is an epic poem by great poet Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem titled “Wuhi rang hai” (It’s the same colour everywhere). The poem was written just after creation of Pakistan. Dr Saleem was swayed by Communism. Soon after, the then Pakistan government launched an offensive against progressive writers as a result of which these poets and writers including Faiz Ahmad Faiz went underground for years. Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem was also under immense pressure. Therefore, his father Dr. Khalifa Abdul Wahid Dar sent him to England to isolate him from government’s suppressive methods. Dr. Saleem lived in England for quite some time and worked as an anchor of BBC Persian Service. Even in Britain, he was haunted by sleuths of intelligence, as he has written in one of his documents. Had Dr Saleem not remained in oblivion, this poem could have been one of the masterpieces of progressive literature in Urdu. In the poem, the poet eulogises the red colour (a symbol of communism) saying that this colour has its imprint on every walk of life. I am anti-Communism and don’t agree with Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem’s thoughts, but there is no denying the fact that this poem is indeed one of the best among the progressive poetry…Muslim Saleem August 29, 2010.
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