Friends of PALES, JALES and JASM paid tribute to Vinod Kumar Shukla, Nasir Ahmed Sikandar and poet Raza Haidri* 

 Raipur. Writers associated with the Progressive Writers' Association, the People's Writers' Association and the People's Culture Forum recently organized a condolence meeting at the Raipur Press Club in memory of the renowned late writers of Chhattisgarh and remembered their favorite writers with great intensity. It is known that in December 2025, the country's renowned poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla, poet Nasir Ahmed Sikandar and poet Raza Haidri passed away. Arunkant Shukla, President of the Progressive Writers' Association, Raipur, called Vinod Kumar Shukla a writer who supported humanity.Poet Nasir Ahmed Sikandar spent his entire life uniting the state's conscious writers. Poet Raza Haidri was a writer deeply connected to the joys and sorrows of the people. His poetry will also live on in our hearts. Arunkant Shukla said that the passing of three literary luminaries in December is an irreparable loss. The void left by these personalities will remain. State President of the Janwadi Lekhak Sangh, Pardeshi Ram, described Vinod Kumar Shukla as a writer of unique craft. He described poet Nasir as an organizer dedicated to the organization, saying that he remained vocal against communalism throughout his life. Rajkumar Soni, National Secretary of the Jan Sanskriti Manch, said that Vinod was a great writer because he was both sensitive and honest. Nasir Ahmed Sikandar was also unique because he highlighted powerful poetic signatures. Poet Raza Haidri served as a bridge between Hindi and Urdu. Poet Mir Ali Mir compared the three writers to fragrance, saying that even after their departure, they would continue to fertilize the soil of the state and encourage good writers. Sukhanwar Hussain Sukhanwar provided detailed information about Raza Haidri, founder, life president, and editor-publisher of the magazine Shlok in Raipur, who carved a distinct niche for himself in Chhattisgarh's Urdu literature through his poems and ghazals. Dr. Nandan, a member of the National Executive of JALES, mentioned his relationship with Vinod Kumar Shukla and the closeness he developed with fellow Janwadi leader Nasir Ahmed Sikandar during his research on Nagarjun's literature. Nand Kumar Kansari of PALES described every meeting with Vinod Ji, who is engaged in writing for the salvation of humanity, as a wonderful encounter. Renowned poet Alok Verma urged one to form an opinion about Vinod Ji only after reading his entire work. He urged writers to better understand Shukla ji, advocating for reading his children's literature, starting with "Almost Jai Hind." Kamal Sharma, former announcer for Vividh Bharati, shared his experiences with Vinod ji. Aftab Begum, literary editor of Dainik Navbharat, also spoke about the creative contributions of Vinod ji and Nasir Ahmed Sikandar. PC Rath, State General Secretary of JALES, who moderated the meeting, spoke about the selfless contributions of the late personalities and the honesty of their work. He also mentioned Nasir's brief but powerful poems. Cultural figures Nisar Ali, Minhaj Asad, Fazle Abbas Saifi, and Saniyara Khan also addressed the gathering. The program was attended by journalists and poets Samir Dewan, Ruma Sengupta, Renu Nandi, Syed Salma, Sudha Bagh, Aftab Begum, Mo Shamim, Dr. Biplab Bandyopadhyay, Aziz Sadhir, Indra Rathore, Harish Kotak, and many other writers and cultural figures. At the end, poet Shijju Shakur expressed his gratitude on behalf of Jales.