However, as the plot suggests is just the tip of the iceberg. It is easy to dismiss Indar Sabha as the forerunner of the kitsch and pseudo-angst filled Hindi films that have plagued generations but that will be an extremely superficial observation. As a renowned scholar has pointed out that the play has a wealth of deeper meanings and significance.

Afroz Taj persuasively argues that Amanat Lakhnavi used the musical fantasy as a “sweet outer coating for the bitter lament for the expanding colonial hegemony”. Anyone with some idea of Indian history during the mid-19th century knows the prevailing situation. Indar Sabha was first performed in 1854, and by then the British designs were clear to almost all and would be vindicated by the deposition of Awadh’s Nawab in a couple of years and the kingdom’s annexation. Seen in this light, several couplets of the ghazals and other lyrics recited by fairies in Amanat’s play,  turn to have a marked political connotation, making them revolutionaries – in a literary sense at least.

Reading between the lines, the play can be regarded as an allegory of colonialism and a manifesto of resistance and that can help explain its sweeping success after 1857 as theatre troupes all over South Asia made a part of the repertory. How it does that… well I am afraid I will not be of any help to you here. You have respect Prof Taj’s efforts and read the 
The Court of Indar and the Rebirth of North Indian Drama (536 pp) yourself. Those interested can purchase a copy from the offices of the Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind)  at Rouse Avenue, or whatever name they have given it now, near the ITO. Priced at Rs.300 for a hardback edition, it is a steal as it not only gives a wealth of information and analysis about Indar Sabha (Dont get worried….. its all in English) but also the text of the play (I told you not to worry…. the Urdu text is on the left hand side page and an English translation and exhaustive footnotes on the right hand side). Furthermore, you can be assured of a handsome discount on the purchase when the bill is made out on the Anjuman’s office on the second floor of the building. (I told you not to worry…. there is a lift).

However, that is not the only significance of the play. As you will read (if you get the book), Amanat also constructed a multi-layered and multi-cultural text drawing extensively from five distinct and rich traditions — the Urdu literary traditions (masnavis, ghazal, dastans); the North Indian folk theatre tradition (nautankis and the like); Hindu devotional theatre and dance (the Ramlila, Raaslila); classical Sanskrit drama; and last but not the least, Wajid Ali Shah’s court pageants — to encapsulate the many different segments of19th century society in north India – in one of its best manifestations – the sparkling life of Awadh.

One more point I must make – Amanat’s skills in ghazal-goi. Given that the entire spoken text of the Indar Sabha is in verse and most of the significant dialogues are in the form of ghazals, the intricate construction of these – particularly the radif and qaafiya - is a marvel and something that only someone from the Dabistan-e-Lakhnau can accomplish with such elan and panache. Were Amanat only known for these ghazals, his perpetual fame as a master of this genre would have been secure.  In the next post, I will cite some of these ghazals and you can judge on your own.

Indar Sabha had one more impact – good or bad… well that can be your lookout. The Indian film industry has deep roots in Urdu operas of the later half of the 19th century – and all of them are directly descended from Amanat’s play. It is no coincidence that one of the earliest and well known Hindi films – boasting an astonishing 71 songs (leave alone surpassing this  record,  no one has even come close and I fervently pray, given the dissonant cacophony that passes for Hindi film music in these days, that no one even attempts now).

Syed Agha Hasan Amanat Lakhnavi (1815-1859) is another one of those geniuses of recent Indian history, who have sadly not got their due for the influence they had on subsequent developments and are unfortunately only known among scholars of a particular discipline. It will be a fair measure of the ignorance about him that most people who read this will be left uncomprehending, some will try to think and try to place him and fail, and a few will continue to read in the hope of gleaning a clue or two in the subsequent paragraphs.

I must confess that sometime ago, I also had a hazy idea only about him,  but my curiousity was sparked off by a small reference to him in a book of essays on various topics by a quite iconolastic academician (I won’t mention the book, in case I set off at a tangent as is generally my habit save one fact – the book is one I have bought five times and always gifted to those I thought friends…. the semantics and the slight ambiguity here are intended). Back to Amanat now.

Amanat Lakhnavi, it must be told, was the author of Indar Sabha (c.early 1850s), which was virtually the first Urdu drama. It is a failing of literary critics that popular literature of the early modern era is often ignored in their studies. But a recent pioneering work makes a strong case for revising the traditional approach that dismisses Indar Sabha as an “insubstantial fairy-tale romance decorated with songs and dances.” I will come tho this thought later, but to place all arguments in context, I must speak about its plot.

The plot of Indar Sabha is quite simple, but in a way, not in consonance with the rules of a conventional drama. It starts with King Indar (Indra) entering his celestial court and calling on the dancers ordering the entertainment to begin. In order come the Pukhraj, Nilam and Lal Paris (the Topaz, Sapphire and the Ruby or in simpler terms, the Yellow, Blue and Red Fairies) and sing a variety of ghazals, thumris and even folk songs to the King. They are followed by the Sabz Pari (Emerald or rather the Green Fairy) who begins the same routine but is put out to find the King has gone of too sleep (at the risk of being labelled insensitive and flippant not to mention downright facetious, I will say I can understand Indar’s condition….. well you can have too much of a good time. Sorry). However, the fairy goes out  in a huff (well you know what they say  about Hell having no fury like a woman scorned….. Hey I said I was sorry) and tells a waiting demi-god that she has become enamoured of a young prince she caught a glimpse of on the way. As expected, she asks him to help her and get the youth here. As quite expected, he leaves on the mission right away without a qualm. He gets the youth, who is first disconcerted to find himself in a strange place and when the Sabz Pari appears and tells him all, is not entirely grateful for the situation he is in and WANTS MORE… he wants to catch a glimpse of the celestial court despite her warning him it is DANGEROUS for mortals  (Some men really like to push their luck and can never heed advice…. Hey I said I was sorry. Oh this threat is from the opposite side. Oh silly me, I should have realised….) and she gives in (Stupid woman…. Hey, I already told you I was sorry).

Anyway, back to the plot. As most of you must have realised what would have happend. As Sabz Pari heads back to court and begins entertaining the awake (and I hope refreshed) Indar, the hiding prince is discovered by an alert guard, brought into the presence of an angry king and THE GAME IS UP. Giving up all entertainment, he orders the prince imprisoned in a deep well in the Qaf mountains and Sabz Pari has her wings clipped and is thrown out of the court. Those habituated to Hindi films will know what happens next. In the garb of an asetic, she wanders the world in search of her beloved (Wait a minute, something does not seem right with this scenario. She wanders? Let me check again. Jim Dandy Doo, its she only…… well will wonders never cease. Feminists please note this occurrence and others do too and cite it whenever someone tries to raise the misogynostic nature of 19th century literature in India. Hey but wait another minute …. She is supposed to be a fairy, a supernatural creature…. Ohhh that explains it).

However, as she continues on her quest singing in the most heart-rendering way, a talent scout, I mean, a passsing demi-god reports the occurrence to King Indar, who summons her to the royal presence and after hearing her, is so happy that he promises to fulfil any wish. (You Got It…..) There is nothing surprising in what she askes for and though Indar, briefly, has second thoughts, he assents to her demand and the prince is freed, the lovers are reunited, all is forgiven, another round of celebrations and revels follow and they live happily ever after……

To be continued…..

PAKISTAN HAI TO HUM HAIN. ANYTHING FOR A COUNTRY THAT WAS CREATED ON THE NAME OF ISLAM- SUBHANALLAH. PAKISTAN ZINDABAD

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD. ANYTHING FOR A COUNTRY CREATED ON THE NAME OF ISLAM. SUBHANALLAH.

PAKISTAN HAI TO HUM HAIN. TAKBEER

I do apologise for a mistake I made in the post about Nawab Asif-ud-Daula and an anecdote of his reign, which I did a couple of days ago. The mistake I made was in the qawaali i quoted.  However, I must claim not only was I distraught and intensely dismayed – rather devastated – over events of that sad day – a veritable bolt from the blue (how can people act that way I will never be able to understand) but I guess it is on par for this benighted world…. Apart for that, was the usual flak I face on a quotidian basis. However, getting back to the theme. What I wrote was:

Puch le Shaddad ki woh jannat kya hui
Puch le Numrud ki woh hukumat kya hui
Puch le Qaarun ki woh kaamai kay hui
Puch le Phiraun ki woh Khudai kya hui
Rustam-o-Sohrab ki woh pehlwani kya hui……

Even this took me a lot of time to recall, as regard the order and all and worse still, I completely forgot the subject of the second line and it was only after a few desperate minutes, which I hummed and re-hummed the lines (keeping hard not to be audible out and scaring the other people around) and wistfully thinking whether my magnificent brain had finally given up the struggle, did they luckily come back to me.

However, the next day, when I getting ready, did the entire qawaali come back to my mind, in full clarity, and I realised I had made a mistake. Unfortunately, with everything yesterday, I did not get time or opportunity to rectify the lapse. I do so now, and as a bonus, throw in a word or two or explanation (as I promised that day) for those not well-conversed with the mythology of the Semitic religions or of ancient Arabia or Iran, for that matter. But first, the correct version:

Puch le Shaddad ki woh teri jannat kya hui
Puch le Numrud ki woh teri hukumat kya hui
Puch le Qaarun ki woh teri kaamai kay hui
Puch le Phiraun ki woh teri Khudai kya hui
Rustam-o-Sohrab ki woh pehlwani kya hui……

As you see, it was only a word dropped but it affected the ‘behr’ (metre).

Now to explain the references.

Shaddād  (Arabic شدّاد) was a mythical and perhaps historical king of lost Arabian city of Iram of the Pillars. Those who have read a good edition of The Arabian Nights (The Book of One Thousand and One Nights), will find  his story on the 277th night, and carrying on till the 279th night. As it happend, he built a garden, on the pattern of Paradise and he was suitably proud and boastful about it. However, he never even got a chance to put a foot inside once it was ready as he was struck dead when trying to do so. The city also perished, destoyed in a terrible thunderstorm that drove it deep beneath the sands of Arabia. Omar Khayyam refers to it:

“Iram is gone with all its rose……..”

Numrud, actually Nimrod (Hebrew: נִמְרוֹד,; Arabic: نمرود‎)  is a Mesopotamian monarch mentioned in the Book of Genesis, who also figures in many legends and folktales. He is depicted in the Bible as a mighty ruler and nation builder who founded many cities, including the great Babel or Babylon. Despite his stance as a powerful leader, his reputation was tarnished by his traditional association with the construction of the Tower of Babel. He is described as the son of Cush, grandson of Ham, great-grandson of Noah; and as “a mighty one on the earth” and “a mighty hunter before the Lord” (whence the Victorian use of his name as a synonym for hunter, which still survives in the name of a British fighter employed in detection of submarines). However, the Jewish tradition (and from that, the Islamic) depict him as opponent of the patriarch Abraham, bringing the two of them together in a cataclysmic collision, a potent symbol of the cosmic confrontation between Good and Evil, and specifically of monotheism against paganism and idolatry. This is despite a gap of seven generations between them, Nimrod being Noah’s great grandson while Abraham was ten generations removed from Noah.

Qaarun was a plutocrat according to Persian mythology, akin to the mythical King Croesus,  or King Midas (for those who would prefer a Greek equivalent) as a superlatively rich man but dying penniless when forsaken by God.

Phiraun is the Arabic for Pharoah, particularly the one arrayed against Musa, I mean Moses… (See The Ten Commandments for further details), who would not even listen to the command of Moses’ God to “Let my people go” , defiantly saying “I know not the Lord, nor will I let Israel go”. Those who have see the picture know what happend to him, those who haven’t see it to know. I have already said a lot.

Finally, Rustom-0-Sohrab. Read Firdausi’s Shahnama, or if you are South Asian, catch the Hindustani film with the same name as rendered here, which apart from telling all on the subject, marks the last time the equally legendary Surraiya was seen and more tragically, heard onscreen.

Tamam Shud!

Dear Readers and Friends of The Annual of Urdu Studies (AUS),

As you know, the AUS is not a profit-making enterprise and it has managed to stay alive largely thanks to the hard work of its two-person, part-time staff and to the financial support of the Center for South Asia, the Graduate School, and the College of Letters and Science of the University of Wisconsin, and, mainly, the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS), which has heroically assumed the responsibility to pay the half-time salary of the Assistant Editor Jane Shum, without whose exemplary service the AUS would have folded a long time ago.

Sadly, the AIPS has decided it must curtail drastically its funding to $4000 a year, effective 1 July 2010. This amount is too small to keep the AUS alive. We immediately need to raise $7000 to even publish the next issue, our 25th. What will happen next depends on whether all of you in the Urdu community at large are willing to assume responsibility for the dissemination of knowledge regarding Urdu humanities. A sum of about $23,000 for the Assistant Editor’s half-time yearly salary/benefits will be needed to keep the AUS alive.

Please take a moment and think seriously about whether this journal, the only one of its kind in the West, merits being kept alive. If you think it has performed a valuable service to the scholarly world and the Urdu community, please send a contribution payable to The Annual of Urdu Studies to:

Attn. Muhammad Umar Memon
Professor Emeritus
University of Wisconsin
Dept. of Languages and Cultures of Asia

Khushk Pattay [Dried Leaves]

Khushk pattoun ki tarah, meri arzoain urh gayeen
Jahan say chali theen, waheen akay ruk gayeen
Mein samajti thi, in pattoun mein kitna urooj hai
Huwa thumi, haqeeqat khuli, k yeh urhna baysoud hai
Urhtay urhtay badaloun pur mehloun tak puhunch gayay
Lamhay bhur mein yeh mahal bhi roee mein badal gayay
Jis taraf ley chalay, us taraf ko chul diyay
Oper jo gayay thay, ab barishoun say dhul gayay
Gonjti huyee bijliyan jo ik lumhay ko thum gayeen
Tou yeh rida orh kur qadam inke jum gayay
Is chamak say ankh bund, jo zara deyr ko ho gayee
Khouf say chehra bhura, hashar say deyhul gayay
Sahum sahum k ghomtay, gardishoun mein jhoumtay
Mayousian lipat gayeen, kafan mein simatt gayay
Akhir kar, yeh zamee pur charoun or bikhur gayay
Uthanay jo agay burhay, phir hath say nikal parhay
Jhonkay jo takraye tou, Khushk kur k chul diyay
Qudmoun k sung sung, thori dour hil parhay
Tez huwa k shour mein, yeh pur katay uth parhay
Safar k ikhtatam pur, phir apnay ghar ah basay
Neelgoun asmaa pur taray jub jugmaga uthay
Tou is roshni k rastay, wo apna dur khatkhata sakay
Apnay ghur k rastay, apnay ghur ko ah chukay
Awaz jo dub gayee, dil phurphurha uthay
Jahan say chalay thay, Waheen wapis ah basay
Ibtada ko ikhtitam say yeh deewanay mila chukay
Meri arzooun ki tarah Khushk pattay bikhur gayay
Jahan say chalay thay waheen akur ruk gayay
Khushk pattoun ki tarah, meri arzoain urh gayeen
Jahan say chali theen, waheen akay ruk gayeen

by Zuellah Huma Ahmed

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خشک پتّے

خشک پتّوں کی طرح میری آرزویئں ا ُُڑ گیئں
جہاں سے چلی تھیں وھیں آکے ر ُک گیئں
میں سمجھی تھی اِن پتّوں میں کتنا عروج ھے
ھوا تھمی ، حقیقت کھلی کہ یہ ا ُڑنا بےسود ھے
ا ُڑتے ا ُڑتے بادلوں پر محلوں تک پہنچ گئے
لمحے بھر میں یہ محل بھی روئ میں بدل گئے
جس طرف لے چلے ، ا ُس طرف کو چل دیے
اوپر جو گئے تھے اب بارشوں سے د ُھل گئے
گُونجتی ھوئ بجلیاں جو اِک لمحے کو تھم گیئں
تو یہ ردھا ا ُوڑھ کر قدم اِن کے جم گئے
اِس چمک سے آنکھ بند ، جو ذرا دیر کو ھوگئ
خوف سے چہرہ بھرا ، حشر سے دھل گئے
سہم سہم کر گھومتے ، گردشوں میں جھومتے
مایوسیاں لپٹ گیئں ، کفن میں سمٹ گئے
آخرکار ، یہ زمیں پر چاروں ا ُور بکھر گئے
ا ُتھانے جو آگے بڑھے ، پھر ہاتھ سے نکل پڑے
جھونکے جو ٹکرائے تو ، خشک کر کے چل دیے
قدموں کے سنگ سنگ تھوڑی دور ھِل پڑے
تیز ھوا کہ شور میں یہ پر کٹے ا ُتھ پڑے
سفر کے اختتام پر پھر اپنے گھر آبسے
نیلگوں آسماں پر تارے جب جگمگا ا ُٹھے
تو اِس روشنی کے راستے ، وہ اپنا در کٹھکٹھا سکے
اپنے گھر کے راستے ، اپنے گھر کو آچکے
آواز جو دب گئ ، دل پھڑپھڑا ا ُٹھے
جہاں سے چلے تھے وہیں واپس آبسے
ابتدا کو اختتام سے یہ دیوانے ملا چکے
میری آرزوؤں کی طرح خشک پتّے بکھر گئے
جہاں سے چلے تھے وھیں آکر رُ ک گئے
خشک پتّوں کی طرح میری آرزویئں ا ُُڑ گیئں
جہاں سے چلی تھیں وھاں آکے ر ُک گیئں

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Name: Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)
Release Year:  2003
Genre:  Drama
Cast: Kiron Kher, Aamir Ali Malik, Arsad Mahmud, Salman Shahid, Shilpa Shukla, Sarfaraz Ansari, …
Director:  Sabiha Sumar
Language: Urdu, Punjabi
RunTime: 97 min

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Description:

Widowed Ayesha Khan lives a poor lifestyle in Charkhi, Pakistan, along with her teen-aged son, Saleem. Their only income is her late husband’s, Afsan, pension. She hopes to get Saleem a job near the Gurdwara, and then married to his sweetheart, Zubeida, the daughter of Amin and Shabnam. Then two bearded men, Rashid and Mazhar, arrive from Rawalpindi and attempt to impose Islamic law and awareness in Charkhi. Saleem gets involved, and shortly thereafter Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is hung by Military General Zia-Ul-Haq. With reports of Russia attempting to attack Afghanistan, there is uncertainty and anger in Pakistan with militants calling for ‘Jihad’ against India and non-believers. To make matters worse, Sikh pilgrims are permitted to visit the local Gurdwara – including a Sikh stranger who attempts to meet with Ayesha.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357283/

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Name: Jinnah – The Movie
Release Year:  1998
Genre:  Biography, Drama, War
Cast: Christopher Lee, James Fox, Indira Varma, Shashi Kapoor, Shakeel, Shakeel, Sam Dastor, Nafees Ahmed, Vaneeza Ahmed, Marc Zuber …
Director:  Jamil Dehlavi
Language: English / Urdu
RunTime: 110 min

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Description:

Biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of modern Pakistan is told through flashbacks as his soul tries to find eternal rest. The flashbacks start in 1947 as Jinnah pleads for a separate nation from the Muslim regime, infuriating Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten then tries to enlist Gandhi & Nehru to persuade Jinnah to stop his efforts. Gandhi sides with Jinnah, which upsets Nehru. However, Jinnah turns down the offer to become prime minister and the film takes another slide back to 1916, which reveals all of the political implications that have occurred.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183306/

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Name:  The Message
Release Year:  1976
Genre:  Drama, Biography
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Andr Morell, Garrick Hagon, Martin Benson, John Bennett, Richard Johnson, Peter Madden, Ewen Solon, Ronald Leigh Hunt …
Director:  Moustapha Akkad
Language: English / Urdu
RuTime: 170 min

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Description:

Handsomely-mounted historical epic concerns the birth of the Islamic faith and the story of the prophet Mohammed (PBUH). In Mecca in the 7th century, Mohammed is visited by a vision of the Angel Gabriel, who urges him to lead the people of Mecca to cast aside the 300 idols of Kaaba and instead worship the one true God. Speaking out against the corrupt political and military leaders who rule Mecca. With the help of his uncle, a brave warrior named Hamza (Anthony Quinn), Mohammed and his followers return to Mecca to liberate the city in the name of God. The Message was shot in two versions, one in English and one in Arabic (entitled Al-Ris-Alah), with different actors taking over some of the roles due to language requirements.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074896/

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Name: Khuda Kay Liye (In The Name Of God)
Release Year:  2007
Genre:  Drama, War
Cast: Shaan, Iman Ali, Fawad Khan, Rasheed Naz, Naseeruddin Shah, Austin Marie Sayre, Hameed Sheikh …
Director:  Shoaib Mansoor
Language: Urdu
RunTime: 170 min

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Description:

The film is about the difficult situation in which the Pakistanis in particular and the Muslims in general are caught up since 9/11. There is a war going on between the Fundamentalists and the Liberal Muslims. This situation is creating a drift not only between the Western world and the Muslims, but also within the Muslims. The educated and modern Muslims are in a difficult situation because of their approach towards life and their western attire. They are criticized and harassed by the fundamentalists and on the other hand the Western world sees them as potential suspects of terrorism just because of their Muslim names. This paradox is resulting in great suffering for a forward looking Muslim.

Above mentioned is the theme of the film “KHUDA KE LIYE” which in English means “IN THE NAME OF GOD”. The interesting thing about the film is how it connects the happenings in the three continents. Unlike the usual Indian and Pakistani films based on romantic saga, dances and songs, this film is based on some very serious issues, raising a lot of controversial questions boggling the Muslim minds these days.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068956/

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SoundTrack:

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1) Allah Hoo

[ Download MP3 ]

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2) Bandeya -1

[ Download MP3 ]

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3) Bandeya -2

[ Download MP3 ]

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4) Dunya Ho

[ Download MP3 ]

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5) Hamare Hain

[ Download MP3 ]

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6) Instrumental

[ Download MP3 ]

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7) Janie Janie

[ Download MP3 ]

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8 )  Khuda Kay Liye

[ Download MP3 ]

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9) Mahi Ve

[ Download MP3 ]

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10) Tluk Kamod

[ Download MP3 ]

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Allah Ho

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http://www.megavideo.com/?v=EWUSMYU3

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Name:  Sardar
Release Year:  1993
Genre: Drama, History, Biography
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Shri Vallabh Vyas, Tom Alter, Annu Kapoor, Benjamin Gilani, Govind Namdeo, …
Director:  Ketan Mehta
Language: Urdu/Hindi
RunTime: 120 min

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Description:

This Biography on Sardar Vallabhai Patel concentrates largely on the last five years of Sradars life from 1945 to 1950 when he strode on the Indian national scene, a key figure in wresting Indias Independence and integrating the nation. The film deals with all the myriad and debilitating problems that India faced in its pre and immediate post Independence period, which turned out to be Sardar Patels finest hour when problem after monumental problem was solved by Sardar Patel.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240879/

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Nawaiwaqt article on Rizq by Manzoor Ahmed. Thought provoking. Things that we take for granted.

Nawaiwaqt Sunday E-Magazine 22 Nov, 2009

http://www.understandquran.com/
Various free courses/resources designed to help understand Quranic arabic (for people who can read arabic, but are non-arabs and would like to learn the meaning of the arabic words). Dictionaries, frequently used words etc. English, Urdu, Indian + other languages.

http://www.madinaharabic.com/
Site for learning arabic for beginners. 1) Arabic Reading and 2) Arabic Language courses. Work in progress. At the moment, images are missing on the Arabic Language courses. Seem to be in the process of rebuilding their website. Probably still at least a few months away from successful rebuild. Hopefully then, it will be ready for general use. Mentioning it because site contains lessons from the Madinah Arabic Book Series, and once the bugs have ironed out, could be a most useful resource. That is not to say, it can’t or shouldn’t be used currently. The reading course for beginners is available. In the language course, if you can ignore missing images, then the arabic text and english translations are still intact.

http://tajweedinenglish.com/
Tajweed resources. Point mouse over letters to hear correct pronunciation. Videos on correct articulation as well.

I return to this series but since Majaz has been hijacking most of these posts, I have decided to make it poet-specific, so that some others can also get their day in the sun.

This time, I will begin – and very aptly too– with Inshaallah Khan Insha. As I said earlier, Insha was a multi-facetted genius and an ace partical joker, with an innate ability to draw out rhymes at the drop of a hat… (I have my doubts if this expression is apt for early 19th century Lucknow but I will let it go) … as these two anecdotes show.

Ek roz Jurrat fikr-e-sukhan kar rahe the ke Insha aa gaye. Unhe mahv paya to pocha: “Hazrat kis soch mein hain?” Jurrat ne kaha – “Kuch nahi, bas ek misra hua hai sher mukammal karne ki fikr mein hoon.”
Insha ne arz kiya – “Kuch hamen bhi pata chale.”
Jurrat ne kaha – “Nahi tum girah lagakar misra mere se cheen lo ge.”
Aakhi badhe asrar ke ke bad Jurrat ne bataya. Misra tha:
“Us zulf pe phabti shab-e-daijur ki soojhi”
Insha ne fauran girah lagaayi…
“Andhe ko andhere mein badhi door ki soojhi“
Jurrat sahab nabina the. (For those, who fail to get the point, nabina means blind).

Inshaallah Khan Insha Nawab Saadat Ali, Wali Awadh, ke darbar se wabasta the. Ek din Nawab sahab ne tamaam darbaari shayron ko misra diya: “Ek nazar dekhne se toot na jaate tere haath”. Aur is par misrah sani lagane ka hukum diya. Sab log is be-tuke misre ko sun kar pareshan ho gaye ke is par misra sani kaise lage?
Lekin Insha ne fauran doosra misra keh kar sher mukammal kar diya.
“Ek nazar dekhne se toot na jaate tere haath
Laila, itna to na tha pardah mahmal bhaari”

To round it off, two asha’ars of Insha that speak for themselves. Both are maqtas and unfortunately I have no idea of what ghazals they are from. I really regret the chance I had – years and years ago – to pick up a kulliyat of Insha from Danish Mahal. I wonder it is still available. But as a celebrated literary character once remarked: “We all have neglected opportunities to deplore” (whoever identifies this character will be entitled for a special prize from my side). Anyway, getting back to Insha, mulaiza farmaye!

I can identify with this, in a way…

Ham bhi Hazrat Suleiman ki naukar hain, Saiyyad ‘Insha’
Kyun na ho hamari bhi badshaahi kharch

And yeh bhi…. so I can end one post on a slightly optimistic note.

Mahashar ki tishnagi ka kya khauf Saiyyad ‘Insha’
Kausar ka jaam bhar bhar pilayega Imam mera

Hijab [Veil]

Aey Zindagi! Tere Hijab se ashna hum kyoun na huay
Tere Qalb mein utartay huay Khursheed say
Ja baja Hum Kyoun na huay
Humari nazroun pur purhay thay talay
Humaray qafs pur qafal yeh, ayan kyoun na huay
Yeh rishta hai deyr pa, darust ya ghalat
Jo barhtay huay sayay thay, nihaah kyoun na huay
Aey Zindagi! Teri luzzatoun mein Jo zindagi hum pa gayay
Tere rothtay huay paykur, imtahaa kyoun na huay
Teri justajo, teri arzu, teri rung-o-bu
Tere lehjay ki zurdioun say nalah , hum kyoun na huay
Aey Zindagi! Teri subz ahoun say buni yeh surgoshiaan
Rouh key mausam in ghazloun say khizaa kyoun na huay
Aey Zindagi! Tere Hijab ki Aashiqi mein Fana , hum kyoun na huay
Is nadaangi mein Deewanay hum, Naadaah kyoun na huay

by Zuellah Huma Ahmed

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—————————————————————————————————————————————————

حجاب

ا ے زندگی! تیرے حجاب سے آشنا ، ھم کیوں نہ ھوۓ
تیرے قلب میں اترتے ھوۓ خورشید سے
جا بجا ھم کیوں نہ ھوۓ
ھماری نظروں پر پڑھے تھے تالے
ھمارے قفس پر ، قفل یہ عیاں کیوں نہ ھوۓ
یہ رشتہ ھے دیر پا ، درست یا غلط
جو بڑھتے ھوۓ ساۓ تھے ، نہاں کیوں نہ ھوۓ
ا ے زندگی! تیری لذّتوں میں جو زندگی ھم پا گیے
تیرے روٹھے ھوۓ پیکر ، امتحاں کیوں نہ ھوۓ
تیری جستجو ، تیری آرزو ، تیری رنگ و بو
تیرے لہجے کی زردیوں سے نالاں ، ھم کیوں نہ ھوۓ
ا ے زندگی! تیری سبز آہوں سے بُنی سرگوشیاں
روح کے موسم ا ِن غزلوں سے خزاں کیوں نہ ھوۓ
ا ے زندگی! تیرے حجاب کی عاشقی میں فنا ، ھم کیوں نہ ھوۓ
اس نادانگی میں دیوانے ھم ، ناداں کیوں نہ ھوۓ

Brilliantly simple and very useful. Holy QURAN arabic with urdu color-coded (to help understand which urdu is related to which part of the verse) translation. Beautiful recitation for every page (no need for save as etc., just go to any page and recitation starts streaming, can be paused, stopped, replayed). Search options include parah, surah, manzil and page. Want to read Quran with translation in udru, or maybe want to make sure that you are reciting correctly. Useful on so many levels, yet a simple layout.

Asan Quran

An article by Dr Tariq Rahman published in Pakistan’s leading English daily “The Dawn” discusses the myths about Urdu language.  The Urdu Vs. Hindi debate is an old one. Even before India’s independence, there were two movements separately trying to Sanskritise Hindi and  force Urdu closer to Persian and Arabic. Before the Britishers, Persian had been the language of the ruling class hence we see Persian influence into a lot of north Indian languages. For a very long time the language of popular Hindi movies was a heavy dose of Persian and Arabic words. But the people of the subcontinent, particularly of north India and Pakistan speak a common language. The link to the article is:

DAWN.COM | Editorial | Myths about Urdu.

The article is pasted here below:

Pick up any Urdu textbook and the chances are that it will endorse the following myths: (a) the term ‘Urdu’ means military camp. Our language is called ‘Urdu’ because it was created in the army camps of the Mughals especially during the reign of Shah Jahan; (b) Urdu is a mixed language (khitchri zubaan); (c) Urdu is a Muslim language.

Now let us deal with these myths one by one.

All the histories in Persian about medieval India use the Turkish word ‘Urdu’ (which means ‘camp’ in original Turkish) for ‘city’. The word is not used in the original Turkish meaning in Indian sources in Persian for the most part. Sometimes the terms ‘Urdu-i-mualla’ and ‘Urdu-i-badshahi’ are also used. During Shah Jahan’s time, Urdu-i-mualla referred to the language spoken in the city of Shahjahanabad (Delhi).

The language we now call Urdu has an ancestor referred to as Hindvi and Hindi in most medieval Persian sources. In Gujrat, however, the language is called Gujri and sometimes Gujrati. In the Deccan it is called Dakani and around the Delhi area it is also called Dehlavi. During the 18th century the word ‘Rekhta’ was also used for it.

Meanwhile the British, and also some other outsiders, call it Indostan, Moors and then Hindustani. In fact, the name ‘Hindustani’ was used so much by the British that both Muslim and Hindu scholars often used it themselves for their common heritage during the 1930s and 1940s.

Syed Sulaiman Nadwi and some other thinkers who wanted Hindu-Muslim unity in British India even suggested that the term ‘Urdu’ be abandoned in favour of ‘Hindustani’ because the former conjured up the image of a military conquest and war whereas the latter had no such symbolic baggage.

The word ‘Urdu’ is a contraction of the phrase ‘zubaan-i-Urdu-i-mualla’ (i.e. the language of the exalted city) which came to be used during the late 18th century. It is, in fact, the most recent name for a language which certainly existed even in the 13th century. There are words and sentences which we can recognise even today in the malfuzat (sayings) and tazkiras (biographies) as well as other records of that period. They refer to the language used in the marketplace, songs, conversation and in homes. The military reference does not exist though the language must have been used among soldiers also.

It was certainly used in religious circles because even in far-off Kaniguram in Waziristan, a religious reformer called Bayazid Ansari wrote a book called Khairul Bayan in 1560 which has over 16 lines in this language which the author calls Hindi.

Now for the myth that Urdu is a mixture of other languages. If a language is really a mixture it is called pidgin which is nobody’s mother tongue and a reduced language. It may become a creole when it is developed and becomes somebody’s mother tongue.

Urdu’s ancestor — call it what you will — existed in India (probably in the vicinity of Delhi) as a full language. Words of Persian and Arabic origin crept into it. This was not because of military activities but ordinary everyday interaction.

This is a natural process and modern English came about in exactly this manner. That is why about half the vocabulary of English is from Latin and Greek via Norman French. But English is not called a ‘mixed language’ so why should Urdu be stigmatised as such?

If one starts calling languages mixed in the sense that there was no base for them and words from different languages combined then Urdu is not that kind of product. Urdu is mixed in the same way that English is: it has absorbed words from many languages. The third myth that Urdu is a Muslim language is more problematic. For about 500 years of its existence nobody called it Urdu. It was called Hindi and had many words of Sanskrit origin as do other texts — until the 18th century.

Then a language reform movement initiated by Muslim poets (Hatim, Mirza Mazhar, Nasikh’s students etc) threw out certain words from the corpus of the language. Among them were words like chinta (worry), prem (love), sundar (beautiful) etc. The movement was actually an attempt to create a linguistic marker for the cultural elite which was mostly Muslim. However, instead of being merely a class movement it became a religious one. Thus, Urdu was imbued with distinctive Perso-Arabic cultural content and served as an identity symbol for the Muslims of India.

In the same way, after 1802, modern Hindi was created by weeding out Persian and Arabic words and using only the Devanagari script for writing. These new languages — Sanskritised Hindi and Persianised Urdu — drifted apart from each other and still serve as identity markers for Hindu and Muslim nationalism in South Asia.

During the Pakistan Movement, Urdu became a symbol of the identity of South Asia’s Muslims. It was invested with emotional force and Maulvi Abdul Haq, who used to term it a composite language while in India, started calling it the mainstay of Muslim separatism.

Similarly, Sanskritised Hindi became the symbol of the attempt to eliminate the share of Muslims in Indian culture. This political gulf between the two sister languages remains to this day — although at the spoken level, Urdu and Hindi remain the same language as all Indians who watch Pakistani dramas and all Pakistanis who watch Hindi movies will testify.

However, while Pakistani Muslims insist that Urdu is a Muslim language, the Muslims of India refer to it as a composite language. This is because it is in the political interests of Pakistani Muslims to emphasise the differences between themselves and the Indians while the opposite is in the political interests of Indian Muslims.

In short, Urdu means different things to different people. It is only by separating the myth from reality that we can appreciate its true nature.

[End of  Article]

-Hitendra.

[ Full Screen ]

This has to be one of the most famous qawaalis ever featured in Hindi films. And why not, it has a captivating music including that characteristic opening bit (which is so very nostalgic), meaninful lyrics and fits well in the denouement of the story – the hero using it as a platform to express his sentiments, the heroine running to the venue after hearing it on the gramophone…. which she sadly forgets to turn off and her father chancing to catch the broadcast, meaningfully taking his pistol and stalking off menacingly…. well it was K N Singh after all. However, I dont intend to talk about the film but this particular qawaali.

I heard it for the first time a long time ago (cant even recall when) and it came back to consciousness some time in the 199os when I remember watching it on one of those flashback shows. The very next day, I got the cassette and it was one of my most valued possessions till it was honourably retired after many years of devoted service and its replacement acquired.

However, getting back to the theme, I must confess that it was only much later did I pay a careful examination of the lyrics and found it has almost everything. Not only does it incorporate all the coquettry and blandishments of love, the enduring forms of ghazal but also ropes in strands from mythology and religion – Hindu, Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and for good measure, ropes in two prominent Sufis also. And as it builds to a resounding crescendo, the protagonist seeks to combine God and Love in a stirring call, which has the hallmarks of being one of the greatest lyrics on the subject, easily comparable to what Sir Walter Scott’s writes in the The Lay of the Last Ministrel (if I am not mistaken):

“…..Love rules the court, the camp, the grove,
And men below, and saints above
For love is heaven, and heaven is love….”

This qawaali evokes the same sentiment in its end. But then it is Sahir’s who wrote it after all. Have a look for yourself. Anyone who cannot make out a  references from the various religions and cultures cited is welcome to ask me.

Na to karvaan ki talaash hai, na to hamsafar ki talaash hai
Mere shauq-e-khaana kharaab ko, teri rahguzar ki talaash hai

Mere namurad junoon ka hai ilaaj koi to maut hai
Jo dava ke naam pe zahar de usi chaaraagar ki talaash hai

Tera ishq hai meri aarzoo, tera ishq hai meri aabru
Dil ishq jism ishq hai aur jaan ishq hai
Imaan ki jo poocho to imaan ishq hai
Tera ishq hai meri aarzoo, tera ishq hai meri aabru,
Tera ishq main kaise chhorh doon, meri umr bhar ki talaash hai

Ishq ishq tera ishq ishq …

Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Jaansoz ki haalat ko jaansoz hi samjhega
Main shamaa se kahta hoon mahfil se nahi kahta kyonki
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Sahar tak sabka hai anjaam jal kar khaak ho jaana,
Bhari mahfil mein koi shama ya parvana ho jaye kyonki
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Vahshat-e-dil rasm-o-deedaar se roki naa gayi
Kisi khanjar, kisi talwar se roki naa gayi
Ishq Majnu ki vo aawaaz hai jiske aage
Koi Laila kisi deewaar se roki naa gayi, kyonki
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Vo hanske agar maange to ham jaan bhi de den,
Haan ye jaan to kya cheez hai imaan bhi de den kyonki
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Naaz-o-andaaz se kahte hai ke jeena hoga,
Zahar bhi dete hai to kahte hai ke peena hoga
Jab main peeta hoon to kahte hai ki marta bhi nahi
Jab main marta hoon to kahte hai ki jeena hoga
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Mazhab-e-ishq kii har rasm kadi hoti hai,
Har kadam par koi deewaar khadi hoti hai
Ishq azaad hai, Hindu na Musalmaan hai ishq,
Aap hi dharma hai aur aap hi imaan hai ishq
Jisse aagaah nahi Sheikh-o-Barhaman dono,
Us haqeeqat ka garajta hua ailaan hai ishq

Ishq naa pooche deen dharam nu, ishq na pooche jaataan
Ishq de haathon garam lahu vich dubiya lakh baraatan
Ke … de ishq
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Raah ulfat ki kathin hai ise asaan na samajh
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Bahut kathin hai dagar panghat ki
Ab kya bhar laun mai Jamuna se matki
Main jo chali jal Jamuna bharan ko
Dekho sakhi ji mai jo chali jal Jamuna bharan ko
Nandkishor mohe roke jhaadon to
Kya bhar laaun mai Jamuna se matki
Ab laaj raakho more ghunghat pat ki

Jab jab Krishan ki bansi baaji, nikli Radha saj ke
Jaan ajaan ka maan bhula ke, lok laaj ko taj ke
Janak dulaari ban ban doii, pahan ke prem ki maala
Darshan jal ki pyaasi Mira pi gayi vishh ka pyaala
Aur phir araj kari ke
Laaj raakho raakho raakho, laaj raakho dekho dekho,
Laaj raakho raakho, he he he,
Laaj raakho raakho, he he he,
Laaj raakho raakho
Ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq

Allah Rasool ka farmaan ishq hai
Yaani Hadis ishq hai, Quraan ishq hai
Gautam ka aur Maseeh ka armaan ishq hai
Ye kaayanaat jism hai aur jaan ishq hai
Ishq Sarmad, Ishq hi Mansur hai
Ishq Musa, ishq Koh-e-Toor hai
Khaak ko but aur but ko devta karta hai ishq
Inteha yeh hai ke bande ko Khuda karta hai ishq

Haan ishq ishq teraa ishq ishq
Teraa ishq ishq, ishq ishq …

میں ہوں برگ و بار

تحریر : محمودالحق

ساری دنیا میرے سامنے ہے  زرہ زمین سے لیکر ستارہ آسمان تک میں دیکھ سکتا ہوں مگر مجھے میرا اپنا وجود محسوس نہیں ہو پا رہا  ہاتھوں کو مسلتا ہوں پاؤں  رگڑتا ہوں پھر بھی اپنا آپ محسوس نہیں کر پا رہا  یہ سوچتے سوچتے میرے دل کی دھڑکن بڑھتی چلی جا رہی ہے سانس میری روح میں سرایت کرتا جارہا ہے طوفان تو کب کا تھم چکا ہے سانس آج اکھڑا سا کیوں محسوس ہو رہا ہے یہ مجھے اپنے پن کا احساس نہیں دلا پا رہا ایسے لگتا ہے کسی کی کونپل کسی دوسری شاخ میں پیوند کر دی گئی ہو اجبنیوں کو بہت مشکل سے قبول کیا جاتاہے ہر شاخ اپنا وجود ہی چاہتی ہے آزادی سے جینے کا ڈھنگ اپنے ہی وجود سے پھیل کر خود میں سماتی ہے اسے کسی کا انتظار نہیں بہار ہو تو زمین کو سینچ کر پھول کھلا دیتی ہے خزاں میں انہی پتوں کو پھر لوٹا دیتی ہے نہ احسان اٹھاتی ہے نہ احسان جتاتی ہے جس سے لپٹ کر پروان چڑھتی ہے جدا ہو جائے تو اسی میں فنا ہو جاتی ہے عشق کی انتہا ہے پلتی بڑھتی کھلتی مہکتی مگر اپنے محسن سے بیوفائی کا تصور تک نہیں اس کی بہار بہار نہیں خزاں خزاں نہیں  زندگی جینے کا ایک ڈھنگ ہے جس میں سلیقہ ہے قرینہ ہے اپنائیت ہے جزبیت ہے وفا ہے عاجزی ہے مگر خودسری نہیں جھکتے ہیں تو بوجھ سے نہیں محبت کو ہاتھوں پہ رکھ لیتے ہیں خوشبو پھیلا دیتے ہیں تاکہ پیاس بجھانے والے بھوک مٹانے والے راستہ نہ بھٹک جائیں چھپاتے نہیں ہیں کھلے دل سے بلاتے ہیں مسافروں کا انتظار کرتے کرتے سوکھ جائیں تو پھر لوٹا دیتے ہیں سخت گرمی ہو تو آنچل بن جاتے ہیں خود جلنے کا ملال نہیں پناہ دینے میں شاخ شاخ سے بڑھ جانے کی دوڑ میں ہے ہر خوشی کا پل سنبھالنا ہی ان کی معراج ہے اس خدمت کا کیا صلہ پاتے ہیں جن پہ احسان کرتے ہیں انہیں کے ہاتھوں مرتے ہیں دفنائے نہیں جاتے سجائے جاتے ہیں خوشیوں میں تو شریک ہیں جان کنی کے عالم میں دکھوں کے نالے ہیں بہار میں تو جیت گئے مگر  خزاں میں ہار   گئے  وہ  برگ  و  بار۔