The gift of the Nile, the Egyptian soil is rich and fertile. It has given birth to legends like singers Om Kolthoum, Abdel-Halim Hafez and Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. They can be called the three Great Pyramids of the world of the arts. Taha Hussein, Tawfik Al-Hakim, Ahmed Shawki and Naguib Mahfouz are other iconic figures from the world of literature and poetry produced by Egypt. On 14 October 2016, we laid to rest Farouk Shousha, another legend from the world of poetry and the arts. I had the good fortune of listening to Farouk Shousha on many occasions. He had the charm to mesmerise his audience in such a way that they would listen to him in pin-drop silence. It was not only the wisdom of his thoughts and the selection of his words, but also his melodious voice and the captivating style of his delivery that made him the focus of his audience. He was revered for pronouncing Arabic words in the correct manner. Radio and TV in Cairo benefitted from this nightingale that hailed from Damietta, his birthplace in Egypt where the Nile brings the richest soil collected over its long journey of 6,000 km. Lughatunal Jamila (our beautiful language) was a programme introduced by Farouk Shousha on Radio Cairo that became one of the most popular programmes not only in Egypt but also in the entire Arab world. It remained on air for decades with its charm increasing every day. His TV show Omsiya Thaqafia (cultural evening) was equally popular and widely watched in this country. It also remained on air for a long time. Farouk Shousha's knowledge, wisdom, intense love for the Arabic language and unique, melodious style of uttering words made his radio and TV programmes extremely popular among people of all ages. When I was posted as third secretary in the embassy of Pakistan in Cairo from 1988 to 1991, Khaled Abbas Assadi, an author and poet from Pakistan, introduced me to Farouk Shousha. I found him to be a friendly and sociable person. I met him many times. It was shortly after the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz had received the Nobel Prize for Literature, but his novel Awlad Haretna (Children of our Alley) was banned in Egypt. Farouk Shousha told me that a friend had suggested to the Nobel laureate that he approach former president Hosni Mubarak about lifting the ban on the book. Mahfouz, a contented man, said “the president already has many problems to deal with, and I do not wish to add another one to the list.” On the completion of my tenure I left Egypt in December 1991. A day before my departure, Farouk Shousha came to the hotel where I was staying and left some of his books at the reception for me. “You must have been busy, and I did not wish to disturb you,” he told me later. This is just one of the examples of his thoughtfulness and consideration towards his friends. I have discussed Farouk Shousha's poetry with various poets and scholars. His poetry is as sweet as his speech and as charming as his personality. The selection of words, thoughts and topics, composing them into beautiful poetry, was the art in which Farouk Shousha excelled. His verse is alluring, sweet and attractive. He expressed feelings of love and emotions in a decent and dignified manner. He chose topics relevant to the ordinary man and his struggles in life. In addition to that, the love for his motherland is a characteristic feature of his poetry and all his writings. He was a great poet, full of wisdom and charm. When I was later posted to Sudan, I visited Egypt in 1998. Farouk Shousha was the president of the Writers' Union at the time, and he received me with his usual warmth and took me around the Dar Al-Kutub (the Egyptian National Library) in Cairo. I was impressed to see how deeply occupied he was in encouraging his fellow writers and poets to write and to write beautifully. I came to Egypt again in 2012 as the ambassador of my country. Drink from the Nile and you will come to Egypt again, as the saying goes. I met my old friend Farouk Shousha on numerous occasions. I invited him to many literary and cultural events organised by the embassy of Pakistan, and he was kind enough to oblige me by attending. At times, he did not understand the language when an artist performed in Urdu, but he enjoyed the music and encouraged the artists all the same. At two such seminars, he spoke about Allama Iqbal, the poet of the East whose poetry was sung by Om Kolthoum. He compared Ahmed Shawki, Iqbal and other poets and gave his perspective on their poetry. On Iqbal, I remember him saying that Iqbal had selected the most difficult and dry themes of philosophy for his beautiful poetry. This shows how deeply he had studied Iqbal. Addressing a seminar held in the Opera House in Cairo in November 2014 to commemorate Iqbal Day, Shosha warmly bade me farewell. I left Cairo for Riyadh in January 2015 where I was to become ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. We remained in touch by phone and through text messages. On 12 September this year, the day of the Eid, I sent him greetings. He replied by thanking me for the greetings and sending his love and greetings to my family. I did not think then that these would be the last words I would ever receive from my great friend. Parting is difficult, and parting for good is extremely painful. How can I say goodbye to you, my friend? You will always remain in our thoughts. The writer is ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.
