The new genre in Urdu literature

A number of writers have parodied the works of famous writers from Mirza Ghalib to Ghulam Ali by twisting the words a bit and evoking peals of laughter from readers

There is melody in parody. Producing a comic effect through exaggerated imitation is the in-thing in Urdu literature. This art form has no guidelines or set pattern. All that it requires is the ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions. None escapes the parodist’s pu(e)n. Popular poems of famous writers have come in handy for many a writer to create humour and fun.

See how Rehana Razvi has created humour just with the change of a word here and there in Mirza Ghalib’s verse. The original sher goes like this:

Hum hain mushtaq aur wo bezar

Ya Ilahi ye majra kya hai

The parodied version is:

Hum to gehun se aashna the

Ya Ilahi ye bajra kya hai

Noted humour writer, Shoukat Thanvi, takes off on another verse of Ghalib to create fun. Sample this tampered couplet.

Ye na thi hamari qismat ke visal-e-yar hota

Shabe wada aa bhi jaati to hamein buqar hota

Unlike prose, Urdu poetry lends itself easily for imitation. By replacing a couple of words in the original in a subtle way, a whole new hilarious meaning can be created. Since a good number of persons remember famous verses, they immediately relate to the parodic version when a little change is made in the original. Spoof can be successful only when it shifts readers’ mind to the original and its emotional impact lingers on. On the contrary, remembering long passages from an essay is difficult and making a parody of it even more tough. Therefore, not many have attempted parody of humorous prose.

Humour comes in three packages – verbal, visual and physical. So is parody. But, it is verbal and lyrical parody which is most famous in Urdu. Pandit Tribhuvan Nath Hijr is credited with writing the first parody in Urdu for Awadh Punch, the humour magazine. He borrowed heavily from the West in creating parody. Soon, others like Ratan Nath Sarshar and Akbar Allahabadi followed suit. Ghalib had this rare ability of seeing the lighter side of an unpleasant situation. His Urdu letters are proof enough. Later day poets like Akbar Allahabadi to present day humourists like Talib Khundmiri have possessed this skill to see and comment on the incongruities of life.

See how in the hands of Ismail Zareef, the famous nazm of Ghalib – Koi ummid bar nahin aati – gets converted:

Biwi jab tak ghar nahin aati

Koi umid bar nahin aati

Pehle ladne padosan aati thi

Ab kisi baat par nahin aati

Sher likhwa ke padh rahe ho Zareef

Sharm tum ko magar nahin aati

Awadh Punch takes credit for popularising parody by introducing writers like Kanhaya Lal Kapoor, Shafeeq-ur-Rahman, Shoukat Thanvi, Farqat Kakuri and Takhallus Bhopali. In the present times, it is Shagoofa which has kept this genre alive. Allama Husain Meer Kahsmiri, NB Sen Shaad, Dilawar Figar, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Suleman Khateeb have contributed a lot to parody literature.

Many a writer has satirised Allama Iqbal’s famous poem, Shikwa. Urdu literature is full of different variants of this popular nazm which is actually the complaint of a frustrated Muslim to the Almighty Allah. Iqbal uses wonderful vocabulary and sublime ideas to recount the achievements of the community. The parodic version of Nashtar Amrohavi follows the same style and matches Iqbal stanza by stanza. But, his shikwa is against an ungrateful ‘Begum’.

Hum se pehle tha ajab tere makan ka manzar

Koi aata hi kahan tha tere darwaze par

Aur do char jo aaye tera rishta lekar

In main na MA tha, na BA tha, na koi Inter

Shidate jazbae shaadi ne kiya kaam tera

Phunti thi meri kismat jo liya naam tera

Another well-known poem of Iqbal is parodied by Hyderabad poet, Maqbool Farooqui, beautifully.

Hum inka tarjuma karlenge apne naam chapaynge

Bhala kis ko khabar hogi yehan tera hai ya mera

Diya tha tujh ko jo naqsha, ye ghar waisa nahin hai

Are builder bata to a makan tera hai ya mera

Humour poets have done parody of Hindi film songs also. See how skilfully Sahir Ludhianvi’s song from Hum Dono is tinkered in a humorous way by Shabbir Ahmed Maher of Raigadh, Mahrashtra. The original song is:

Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya

The spoofed version is:

Har falsafi ka saath nibhata chala gaya

Ullu ka pattha khud ko banata chala gaya

Jang-e-Khaleej se huva America faiz-e-yab

Sone ke bhau loha khapata chala gaya

Aadat buri hai mana magar hausala to dekh

Ashaar chori karke chapata chala gaya

Pradeep Kumar’s patriotic song from the classic movie, Jagriti, is parodied in a funny way by Dr Zafar Kamali of Siwan, Bihar. The latter uses Pradeep’s song to expose the ills of the society in a telling manner. Who doesn’t remember this song played on Independence Day and Republic Day?

Aao bachcho tumhe dikhayen jhanki Hindustan ki

The parodic version goes like this:

Sansad mein baithi hain dekho netaon ki toliyaan

Bol rahi hain uchal uchal kar bhant bhant ki boliyaan

Bharengi, bharti thi, bharti hain inki apni jholiyaan

Public ke hisse mein hain laikin gham, ghussa, bum, goliyaan

Jo sach bolega khayega hava wahi zandan ki

Is mitti se tilak karo ye dharti hai balidaan ki

Iqbal has written a number of poems for children. Among them Bachche Ki Dua stands out. This poem is a fervent appeal by a student to God to grant him all that is good in life. Pakistan’s humorous poet, Dilwar Figar, has made light of this beautiful poem by seeking mundane things from God. The poem titled Student Ki Dua reduces the stirring poem of Iqbal to a burlesque. It goes like this:

Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri

Zindagi khel mein gharat ho Khudaya meri

Film mein mere chamkne se ujala ho jaye

Mutawajja meri janib Madhubala ho jaye

Zindagi ho meri Nausahd ki surat ya Rab

Film ki shamma se ho mujh ko muhabbat ya Rab

Mere Allah padhaee se bachana mujh ko

Mughle Azam or Barsat dikhana mujhko

Noted Deccani humour poet, Sulaiman Khateeb, has also tried his hand at parody. He has lampooned Makhdoom Mohiuddin’s famous poem Maikade se zara door is mod per in his typical way:

Ek ghalle ki unchi dukan ke tale

Chand bhooke khade the badi der se

Ek mayee ko queue mein hi baccha huva

Suf mein bhookon ki phir ek izafa huva

Masjidon ke minaron ne dekha  ise

Mandiron ke kiwadon ne dekha ise

Both serious and romantic poems of eminent poets like Allama Iqbal, Mirza Ghalib, Dagh Dehlvi, Mirza Mohammed Rafi Sauda, Mir Taqi Mir, Ibne Insha, Josh Malihabadi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Altaf Hussain Hali have been parodied. Even Ghulam Ali’s famous ghazal Chupke chupke raat din… written by Hasrath Mohani has also been parodied. Gopinath Aman has done a wonderful job of it. Sample the parodic version:

Ibtedae memberi ka wo zamana yaad hai

Phool leke pai ba pai logon ka aana yaad hai

Majeed Lahori has come out with a funny piece of poetry while doing parody of Nazeer Akbarabadi’s Aadmi Nama. This new version goes with the title Modern Aadmi Ke Naam.

Moochen badha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Dadhi mundha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Murghe jo kha raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Dalya paka raha hai so hai wo bhi aadmi

Over the years, a number of writers have written parodies and yet this genre doesn’t command a respectable place in Urdu literature. At best, it is considered second grade stuff since it is a copy of some original work.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated November 24,2019