Poetry with a purpose

  

With subjects becoming more contemporary, Mushairas in the city appeal to larger audience

Think of mushaira and what comes to mind is poetry of passion, anguish and unrequited love. A mushaira devoid of amorous references is simply unthinkable. But of late poets are talking about the problems of the common man rather than simply singing paeans of gul-o-bulbul (rose and nightingale),dilbar-o-raqeeb (beloved and rival), saqi-o-jaam (wine pourer and goblet). These days mushairas reflect socially relevant themes, mirroring the plight of common man.

The mushaira organised last week by the All India Muslim Educational Society (AIMES) was one such. It chose to avoid the beaten track. Poets gave vent to the sufferings of the people in their verses and focused on the current turmoil in society. The controversy surrounding the Taj Mahal, rising communalism, the art of double speak and education dominated the mushaira.

Gesue yar ka bal kya jane

Kaisi hoti hai ghazal kya jane

Jiski Mumtaz hi nahin koyee

Wo bhala Taj Mahal kya jane

Hyderabad poet, Sardar Saleem, drew huge applause for this ghazal. Nobody missed the subtle reference to the Taj Mahal and the raging controversy over it. There was demand for an encore and Saleem obliged the gathering by repeating the lines. His shayeri on man’s duplicity was also a big hit. Sample this verse:

Maar kar ek dusre ka haq

Log chidyon ko dana dalte hain

Muhib Kausar of Gulbarga also established an immediate connect with the audience when he recited verses about doubts being raised on the loyalty of Muslims to the country.

Hamare khoon main shamil hai surqi sarfroshon ki

Watan pe jaan dete hain, baghawat hum nahin karte

Kausar’s veiled attack on the Sangh Parivar drew acclaim when he referred to the ‘saffron politics’ thus:

Badi makkar hai wo zafrani rang ki billi

Main sidhi rah chalta hoon, wo rasta kat deti hai

Ajab kirdare gulshan hai ke ab mousame gul main

Hawa bhi sazishi hai, sabz patta kat deti hai

What added to the appeal of the mushaira was its venue - the picturesque Chowmahalla Palace. The moonlit Khilwat Mubarak, which formed the backdrop for the concert, was the perfect setting. The royal ambience and the pleasant evening brought out the best in the poets. Delegates who had come to the AIMES conference on ‘Educate 2 elevate’ from different parts of the country thoroughly enjoyed the programme . Former minister, Asif Pasha, who hosted the conference squeezed in the mushaira as well to regale the delegates. Poets like Johar Kanpuri, Charan Singh Bashar, Nusrat Mehdi, Afsar Deccani, Aslam Chisti, Nadeem Shad, Suleman Khumar lived up to the expectations.

As the night grew cold, women poetesses, Shabeena Adeeb from Kanpur and Khushboo from Rampur , warmed up the mushaira with their moving shayeri.Sample this quatrain of Khushboo:

Tehzeeb ke kamre main rehti hoon mukffal main

Maghrib ke gulistan ki main sair nahi karti

Ajdad ne bakshi hai taleem mujhe aisi

Jis simt bade baithen main pair nahin karti

There was no dull moment in the mushaira which continued till the wee hours. And the Chowmahalla reverberated with cries of wah-wahs and mukarrar irshad.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated November 9,2017