An initiative combining music and poetry, SGI Gulf volunteers came together to form a chorus named ‘Naseem’ in 2014. Comprising of people from different walks of life who are bound together by their collective love of music, it was fascinating to watch how each of the chorus members put in ours of practice to sing in different languages.
Their first performance was a Japanese song based on a poem penned by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda titled
‘Mother’ and translated by Dr. Shihab Ghanem. The translation of the song was displayed on the two drop down screens on either side of the stage. The sheer delight and earnestness with which the chorus performed, absorbing the essence of the poem, received a thunderous round of applause from the audience.
Ever since its successful debut at the 3rd edition of The Poetic Heart – 2014, Naseem has been an
integral part of the successive editions of this poetic symposium. Formed by enthusiastic volunteers, who practice for months before the event, the formation of Naseem is SGI Gulf’s contribution to the art and culture of the local community. Naseem means ‘Breeze’ in Arabic, and true to its meaning the singing of the chorus is gentle, effortless, and melodious.
Naseem has been an integral part of the successive editions of this poetic symposium and has
collaborated with local poets & musicians in the UAE which include Dr. Shihab Ghanem (Emirati Poet), M. A. Sagheer (Malayalam Musician), Dev Chakraborty (Bengali Musician), Janine Bensouda (Arabic Singer) in their contribution to art and culture within the local community.
Determined to sing like a gentle breeze and share SGI Gulf’s commitment towards peace and harmony for humankind, this chorus group reflects the musical spirit of the Poetic Heart and will continue to do so in the coming years.

Performances:
2014: ‘Haha Yo’ (Mother): A poem by Daisaku Ikeda (Japanese language)
2015: ‘Morigasaki Beach’: A poem by Daisaku Ikeda (Japanese language)
2016: ‘Dare to Believe’: A poem by Daisaku Ikeda (English language)
2017: ‘Al Emiratu Biladi’: A poem by Dr. Shihab Ghanem (Arabic language) / Music collaboration with M.A. Sagheer & his son.
2018: ‘Mother’: A poem by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda (Japanese, English, Arabic)
2019: ‘Ya Emarat’ (Love of UAE): A poem by Dr. Shihab Ghanem (Arabic) /Music Collaboration with Dev Chakraborty / Sucheta
2020: ‘Sekai No Tomo To’: Together with our Friends in the World (Japanese)
2021: ‘Invincible Forever’: English Song – Digital Version
2022: ‘Morigasaki Beach’: A poem by Daisaku Ikeda (Japanese language)
Expo Performance: A medley of Poetry:
Song 1: ‘Ya Emarat’ (Love of UAE) / (Poem by Dr. Shihab Ghanem: Performance in Arabic)
Song 2: ‘Haha Yo Mother’ / (Poem by Daisaku Ikeda: Performance in English & Japanese)
Song 3: ‘Morigasaki Beach’ / (A poem by Daisaku Ikeda: (Performance in Japanese)