Thread by @meemainseen

A Poet turned Derveish
for every genius is destined to take that path
*A Tribute*
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Irfan is a true Lahori friend
On a 2008 afternoon he received me in Lahore on almost 2 hr transit
We drove straight to a grave in Miani Sahab
'I thought you will feel good here', Irfan had said

In Miani Sahab's dense maze, Saghar Siddiqui is buried in a rather spacious patch
It had a 'nashist gah' beside the grave
Langar khana (free dining for poor) is a recent addon
So much to celebrate a poetic elite who spent his life in poverty and died homeless on streets of Lahore

A genius in thought and expression whose poetic creations are a class apart
Having migrated to Pakistan in an era of political and social turmoil, he made tough choices
Living a nomadic lifestyle from Reading Room at Mori Gate to streets of Lahore he earned poverty and destitute

Saghar would roam around in rags, compose a poem or two extempore to sell in exchange for petty cash to resuscitate his addiction
He enjoyed a saint-like following in the streets of Lahore, would eventually die at the corner of one, reportedly outside Alfalah Building on The Mall

a poetic genius who got true recognition and following after his death at the literary tender age of 46
"Saghar Siddiqui ek lok shair tha, aur zillat o ruswai ko galey laga kar jiya. Is ka hosla koi kam zaraf nahin kar sakta.
Yunus Adeeb, Shakast e Saghar, 1983