Lucknow :

Following interest shown by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the restoration of the tomb of 19th Century Urdu poet Mir Anees, it is poised get cleaner surroundings and to come alive with the sound of his ‘marsiya’. A group of around 50 persons, calling themselves Aashiqaan-e-Anees (lovers of Anees) welcomed on Thursday the government’s move to restore the monument.

The group shared its immediate plan of action of clearing the compound and organising a marsiya (elegy composed over the martyrdom of Imam Husain and his companions in Karbala) rendition in the tomb situated in Chowk on Sunday. The original possessions of Mir Anees, including his Lakhnavi Topi and manuscripts, his inkpot, etc will also be displayed.

“We have decided to map the area which has 10 more graves of important poets, along with Anees, some of whom are his family members. The tall grass will be cleared and anti-social elements will be removed,” informed Waqar Rizvi, chairman of Awadhnama Educational and Charitable Trust, who has initiated the process. The trust plans to involve an architect and extend the main structure into the vacant lands.

Belonging to the seventh generation of Anees, caretaker Syed Hasan Mohammad Zaidi said, “My great grandfather bought the plot in 1872 for a family graveyard.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / March 20th, 2015