Rich tributes paid to Kaifi Azmi

MUMBAI: Several prominent film and theatre personalities paid rich tributes to progressive poet Kaifi Azmi on his first death anniversary at Prithvi Theatre on Friday night. The programme was organised by the Indian People''s Theatre Association with which he had been associated for several decades.
M.F. Husain paid homage by painting in black and white a chair with a book in it with Kaifi Azmi''s footsteps in the background.He then daubed the book with red paint to symbolise the radical poet''s long association with the Communist Party of India.
Amitabh Bachchan released Kaifi Azmi''s complete poetic works, ''Kaifiyat'', and a Gujarati translation of selected poems, ''Ketlak Kavyo''.
Some of the biggest applause went to Shaukat Azmi, actress and wife of the poet, who read some of his poems. Several others also read out Azmi''s poems and short stories and a children''s choir, directed by Kuldip Singh, rendered several songs.