Irfan Izhar, packaging industry baron and producer of the internationally acclaimed documentary A Journey of Thousand Miles – Peace Keepers made a resounding debut as an author with the launch of Samundar Samne Hai, a compilation of his reverberating Urdu poems.
Amidst the august presence of Shri Ram Niwas Goel (Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly), Honourable Mr Abid Shamim (Additional District & Session Judge), Rekha Gupta (Jury Member, International Film Festival), Jitender Mani Tripathi (Additional Police Commissioner, Delhi), and many renowned personalities from India and UAE, the book was unveiled in a very vivacious event followed by Ghazal Evening at India Islamic Cultural Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
Usually, successful entrepreneurs share their life journeys through autobiographies, but Irfan Izhar has chosen poetry for this purpose. According to him, verses make a greater impact than plain messages, in one of the couplets, he says, “Samundar samne hai aur kinara door tar hai, humara paon ab is rah mein majboor tar hai” means though the sea coast is quite far, I will continue the voyage unflinchingly.
While commenting on the book’s content, Shri Ram Niwas Goel, “Free from esoteric allusions, Irfan Izhar’s poetry is a simple yet subtle conversation with life that can be easily manifested and deciphered by the contemporary audience, not very much familiar with the Urdu language. Most of the verses in this book symbolise struggle as success in a very motivational and winning tone.”
Speaking about his interest in films and literature, Izhar said, “Through poetry, I inspire others for success and through business, I pave path to success for them. My business translates the vision of an entrepreneur but the values of a poet which is sensitive as well as empathetic.”
“Be it the A Journey of Thousand Miles – Peace Keepers directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinnoy (Academy Award recipient) and Geeta Gambhir or my upcoming film The Last Resort, a thriller starring Reecha Sinha, I always tried to showcase the intriguing aspects of life and its undaunted spirit to survive with dignity,” add by Irfan Izhar.
About Irfan Izhar
On an endless journey of self-discovery, filled with success and surprise, this NRI in Dubai has earned humongous accolades for his contribution to the business, film production, and literary worlds.
In 2001 Irfan Izhar started his first venture, a restaurant at Dubai Airport’s Free Zone. He started from scratch, borrowing money from friends and relatives. Working diligently, he consolidated in 2003 into Visions Corporation and branched into the packaging industry, specializing in the FMCG sector.
Never one to rest, Irfan then explored his creative side and decided to present his philosophy through films. He produced a documentary titled, ‘A Journey of Thousand Miles – Peace Keepers,’ directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinnoy (Academy Award recipient) and Geeta Gambhir. The documentary also bagged the Best Documentary Award at Atlanta Film Festival and Best Humanitarian Award at River Run Film Festival. Irfan’s next film The Last Resort, a thriller starring Reecha Sinha, is due for release on a prime Web TV in India soon.
Irfan’s personality is as vibrant as the range of industries he has found success in and his journey is an exciting mix of hard work and passion. Today, Visions Corporation FZC is the story of how a start-up with 4 employees grew to an enterprise of 250 employees, establishing offices across the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman. Receiving encore after encore at many grand mushairas (poetic symposiums) of the subcontinent, Irfan is now coming up with Samundar Samne Hai, a compilation of his reverberating poems in February 2021. Midas touch! This accountant turned polymath is on a journey of self-discovery that never ceases to surprise.
