A distinguished people’s poet

 

 The 17th century bard Ibne Nishati’s Masnavi ‘Phoolban’ reminds one of the narrative style of the Arabian folklore ‘Alif Laila’ 

There was no let up in literary activity during Qutb Shahi rule. Poetic grandeur kept pace with the dynastic splendour. Among the scores of poets, Ibne Nishati stands out for his lyrical grace. Basically a prose writer, he tried his hand at poetry and came out with flying colours. Going by the popular trend those days, he composed Phoolban in the Masnavi genre during the 17th century. This classical ballad in Deccani remains his first and last poetic work. An illustrated manuscript of Phoolban is available in the British Library.

Though Phoolban brought him immense popularity and fame, the personal life of Ibne Nishati remains a mystery. This is because historians did not record details of poets those days, it is said. The little we know about him is that Ibne Nishati belonged to the period of the 7th ruler, Abdullah Qutb Shah. However, fresh research by scholars shows that his actual name was Shaikh Mohammed Mazharuddin and that he was a very learned person.

Unlike Wajhi and Ghavasi, he was not a court poet. Rather, he was the first people’s poet who became popular among the masses. He can be bracketed with poets like Syed Ballaqu, Shah Raju, Meeranji Kuda Numa, Farooqi and Meeran Yaqoob who wrote for the people, not for the court and nobles. Ibne Nishati also differs from Wajhi and Ghavasi in that he makes use of Marathi words.

The story of Phoolban is drawn from the Persian romance, Basateen. It is a story of love and adventure and contains 38 verses in praise of Abdullah Qutb Shah. Poets and writers those days sourced their themes from romantic encounters of kings, princes and princesses. Ibne Nishati did the same. His narrative style is similar to the one found in Alif Laila, the Arabian folklore.

The Masnavi spread over 1,744 verses was written in just three months. Among other things, Ibne Nishati’s portrayal of the boundless and unrivalled beauty of nature is remarkable. The fascinating description of sunset, sunrise and moon-lit nights evokes feelings of awe, wonder and amazement in readers. Though a number of characters figure in Phoolban, one finds it easy to remember them all thanks to the way Ibne Nishati presents them. This clearly brings out his technique, craft and versatility as a poet.

The effort put in by Ibne Nishati shows that he did not want to do just a dry and word-to-word translation of the Persian poem. Rather, his intention was to produce a gem of literary work. And, sure enough, he has succeeded in his mission as most Urdu scholars agree. In fact, he makes his intentions clear in writing Phoolban – that he wants to leave something which can earn him eternal glory. Addressing himself, he says: “You are not Kisra that you remain famous because of your just rule, nor Hatim who is remembered for his charity or Ibrahim Bin Adham whose piety is still known, not even Rustam whose exploits people enjoy. Therefore, do something big enough that the world remembers you.”

Tu Kisra nahin jo rahe teri adalat
Tu Hatim nahin jo rahe teri saqawat
Tu Rustam nahin jo teri dastana
Padhen har bazm main ‘Shah Nama’ khwana
Bhala dobe tu apna yadgar aaj
Dunya main har sand kar ashkara aaj

wIn the preface of his Masnavi, Ibne Nishati eulogises the king, Abullah Qutb Shah, who extended patronage to writers, poets and artists. He further says that he would have come up with a colossal poetic work had he been a court poet or free from worries of livelihood. However, as it turned out, he was very much pleased and proud at the unexpected success of his poem and was least bothered about what contemporary poets thought of it. He, of course, gave a lot of importance to senior poets like Feroz, Mehmood, Ahmed and Shouqi.

Interestingly, he ends his Masnavi with a ghazal. Obviously, he wanted to show that he could write ghazals as well. Manuscripts of Phoolban are available in Asafia library, Salarjung library and British Library, London.

Critics rank Phoolban among the best of Deccani Masnavis. The stylistic elements in verses, the simplicity and felicity of expression along with the perfect meter and rhythm make it an outstanding poem. It gives a vivid description of rituals observed during marriages and other such programmes those days. After reading Phoolban, one can get a true picture of the lifestyle and ceremonies of the Qutb Shahi era. “This Masnavi deserves to be counted among the great poetic contributions of Golconda,” says Dr Syed Mohiuddin Quadri Zore, an authority on Deccani literature. Sample these verses from Phoolban:

Athi is thareek zahid ku beti
Farishta qavi tas aabid ku baithi
Chander aadha kahu main kyon peshani
Chander aadha nahin waisa noorani

                                                                                                                                           J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated March 3, 2019