Literary evening and celebration of the life and poems of the late Iftikhar Kayani

Literary Evening was attended by local community members, friends and family to honour the late Mr Kayani’s services to local communities in UK

A Literary Evening and Memorial Event in memory of local poet, the late Iftikhar Kayani, was held on Friday 29 January at Deeplish Community Centre.

Iftikhar was a great community champion and former member of KYP, the Race Equality Council and Rochdale-based literary society, Bazm e Sukhan.

This Literary Evening, attended by local community members, friends and family members from across the UK, was to promote South Asian culture and literature, and to honour Mr Kayani’s services to local communities in UK.

He also worked in the field of community language services where he trained and supported many young individuals, friends and colleagues helping them secure employment, skills and community work.

He was very influencial in promoting languages; he wrote many articles, poems and a book to promote Urdu and Kashmiri languages especially the Pahari language, as was his own mother tongue.

He also wrote many poems for young people who left the South Asian region and settled in UK in search of jobs and family ties - a number of local and national poets attended this event to mark his services and work in the UK.

Councillor Mohammed Zaman, a friend and colleague, said: “I was fortunate enough to study with Kayani in Kashmir and also had a privilege to work with him in community languages services, where we regularly kept in touch to work together.

“We trained hundreds of local people in interpretation and translation to become qualified and ready to work in mainstream organisations and agencies to provide translation and interpretation services, which included the NHS, the police and other public and private sector organisations This helped many unemployed people to find work and prosper in their lives."

Yaseen Chohan, who travelled from USA to participate in this event, said: “It is a great privilege and an honour for me to participate in this well organised literary evening about my late friend Kayani.”

Councillor Daalat Ali, Rochdale Borough Council Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community,  spoke about the importance of community languages, community cohesion and the services provided by Mr Kayani in Rochdale, Rotherham, Birmingham and across the UK. He said: "He was a local man and he will stay live in people’s hearts and minds for ever through his literary message and community work."

His brotherr Alfraz Kayani shared how close was he with his brother, who was not only a true friend, but a great role model in all walks of life .

Mumtaz Awan, a poet from Bradford, and Mian Farooq, paid tribute by reading his poems and writing.

Sohail Ahmad, Manager of Deeplish Community Centre, said: “It’s great to see so many people from North West to celebrate Mr Kayani’s work and encourage many others to keep the spirit of community development and support up at all times.

“I have known him as a poet, writer and a worker in the field of community languages, literature and development. He was a good writer and a poet, always a well-mannered friend, and a role model for many young writers.

"We need to move the momentum of his writings, community spirit and leadership in supporting many young community champions to help and support them in the field of language, literature and professional guidance in community matters."