At a time when traditionalists were losing out to progressive writers, Jaleel Manikpuri held his own with a unique style of penning ghazals and stole hearts in many mushairas
If ghazal is the pride of Urdu poetry, he is the pride of ghazal. No false notes or shallow sentiments – his ghazals simply pull at the heart-strings. Jaleel Manikpuri is, perhaps, the last of the traditional classical poets who knew how to absorb and interpret the whole range of human experiences in the short space of a ghazal. The unique thing about him is that he is able to capture the pleasures and pangs of earthly love in each poem and verse like no other Urdu poet.
Bole ke haan wo shayere nazuk khyal hai
When Jaleel emerged on the poetic horizon of Lucknow, traditionalists were fighting a losing battle to progressive writers. In these turbulent times, Jaleel held his own and wrote poetry in the time-honoured style. If Manikpur, a small hamlet in Uttar Pradesh, has shot to fame, it is all because of Jaleel Hasan who was born here in 1865. After obtaining initial education in Persian and Arabic, he went on to become a ‘hafiz’ by memorising the entire Quran at an early age.
Jaleel had a natural affinity to poetry and he knew by rote hundreds of couplets. If somebody recited a poem incorrectly, he felt upset. Later, he developed an aptitude for writing poetry and took the famous poet, Ameer Minai, as his mentor. This proved very beneficial and, soon, Jaleel emerged as a poet in his own right and his verses took a different tone and tenor. From Manikpur, he moved to Lucknow where his poetry received a lot of appreciation. Later, he went to Rampur at the instance of Minai and assisted the latter in preparation of the multi volume Urdu lexicon, Ameer-ul-Lughat.
The nawab of Rampur, Syed Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur, was a poet himself and patronised men of letters. He hosted meritorious persons in different disciplines, particularly poets. As a result, poets of Delhi and Lucknow assembled here leading to exchange of ideas. Jaleel gained a lot through this interface.
The inherent talent of Jaleel drew him close to Minai. The latter treated him not like a pupil but as his own son and taught him all the finer points of shayeri. For 17 years, Jaleel stayed with Minai and, during this period, he learnt not just about poetry but also the diversities and core values of life. In his twilight years, Minai entrusted the job of correcting writings of other poets to Jaleel as he had developed immense confidence in his talent. Not just this, Jaleel also answered letters on behalf of his ustad to the widening circle of poets who sought his advice.
The sixth Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, who was a poet himself, was an admirer of Minai. When he visited Benaras, Minai met him along with Jaleel. The Nizam invited Minai to Hyderabad, but, the latter politely declined. However, after returning to Rampur, Minai changed his idea. The reason was he thought taking up a job with the Nizam would help him in publication of his dictionary and also get employment for his sons. Therefore, he decided to head towards Deccan. Along with his two sons, Jaleel also accompanied Minai to Hyderabad in 1900. But, as ill-luck would have it, Minai fell ill shortly and, after a month, passed away. Though there were many claimants, Jaleel was chosen as the successor of Minai. This was primarily because his style of writing poetry resembled a lot of his ustad‘s. Jaleel himself says:
Sher-goi pe teri sab ko guman hai ke Jaleel
Bazm main ruhe Amir-us-shora aayee hai
The sudden death of Minai left Jaleel in a lurch. He wanted to return home but stayed put when Maharaja Kishen Prashad helped him. Dagh Dehlvi, who was the court poet, died in 1905, and Nizam appointed Jaleel in his place. By this time, the latter had made a name for himself by taking part in Hyderabad mushairas. When the sixth Nizam died, his son and successor, Mir Osman Ali Khan, also retained Jaleel as his ustad. He also conferred on him the titles of Fasahat Jung and Imamul Fun. On January 6, 1946, Jaleel passed away at the age of 81 and was laid to rest with full State honours at Khitta Saleheen in Hyderabad.
In the very first mushaira held in Hyderabad after Minai’s death, Jaleel left his mark.
Ab kaun phir ke jaye teri jalwah gah se
Aye shokh chashm phoonk de barq-e-nigah se
Paya buland kyun na hamara ho aye Jaleel
Paya hai faiz Ameer-e-suqan dastgah se
Opening lines of this ghazal created a furore. Cries of wah-wah and mukarar irshad (encore) rent the air. With repetition, it took nearly an hour for Jaleel to complete his ghazal. In the second mushaira, which was attended by the Nizam himself, Jaleel once again stole the concert. Noted poet Dagh Dehlvi was also present at the mushaira. But, it was Jaleel’s ghazal which received a lot of applause and even today its matla (opening verse) has become the poet’s identity.
Nigah barq nahin, chehra aftab nahin
Wo aadmi hai magar dekhne ki taab nahin
Other lines of this famous ghazal go like this:
Piye baghair chadhi rahti hai hasinon ko
Wahan shabab hai kya kam agar sharab nahin
Jaleel khatm na ho daure jame Minai
Ke is sharab se badhkar koi sharab nahin
Being a traditionalist, Jaleel did not address the higher ideals of life and death. On the contrary, he showed those caught in this dilemma a way out through love, passion and wine. This prolific writer has left three anthologies of ghazals: Taj-e-Suqan, Jaan-e-Suqan and Ruh-e-Suqan. Besides, he also wrote Meraj-e-Suqan, which contains his collection of naths. This apart, Jaleel also penned the biography of his mentor, Ameer Minai.
Such is the treasure trove of poems he left that one unwittingly recalls them when it comes to love:
Dekha jo husne yaar tabiyat machal gaee
Aankhon ka tha khusoor, churi dil pe chal gaee
Pine se kar chuka tha main tauba magar Jaleel
Badal ka rang dekh ke niyyat badal gaee
His poetic craft can be best described in his own words. Jaleel says:
Pucha inhaon ne jante ho tum Jaleel koBole ke haan wo shayere nazuk khyal hai
When Jaleel emerged on the poetic horizon of Lucknow, traditionalists were fighting a losing battle to progressive writers. In these turbulent times, Jaleel held his own and wrote poetry in the time-honoured style. If Manikpur, a small hamlet in Uttar Pradesh, has shot to fame, it is all because of Jaleel Hasan who was born here in 1865. After obtaining initial education in Persian and Arabic, he went on to become a ‘hafiz’ by memorising the entire Quran at an early age.
Jaleel had a natural affinity to poetry and he knew by rote hundreds of couplets. If somebody recited a poem incorrectly, he felt upset. Later, he developed an aptitude for writing poetry and took the famous poet, Ameer Minai, as his mentor. This proved very beneficial and, soon, Jaleel emerged as a poet in his own right and his verses took a different tone and tenor. From Manikpur, he moved to Lucknow where his poetry received a lot of appreciation. Later, he went to Rampur at the instance of Minai and assisted the latter in preparation of the multi volume Urdu lexicon, Ameer-ul-Lughat.
The nawab of Rampur, Syed Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur, was a poet himself and patronised men of letters. He hosted meritorious persons in different disciplines, particularly poets. As a result, poets of Delhi and Lucknow assembled here leading to exchange of ideas. Jaleel gained a lot through this interface.
The inherent talent of Jaleel drew him close to Minai. The latter treated him not like a pupil but as his own son and taught him all the finer points of shayeri. For 17 years, Jaleel stayed with Minai and, during this period, he learnt not just about poetry but also the diversities and core values of life. In his twilight years, Minai entrusted the job of correcting writings of other poets to Jaleel as he had developed immense confidence in his talent. Not just this, Jaleel also answered letters on behalf of his ustad to the widening circle of poets who sought his advice.
The sixth Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, who was a poet himself, was an admirer of Minai. When he visited Benaras, Minai met him along with Jaleel. The Nizam invited Minai to Hyderabad, but, the latter politely declined. However, after returning to Rampur, Minai changed his idea. The reason was he thought taking up a job with the Nizam would help him in publication of his dictionary and also get employment for his sons. Therefore, he decided to head towards Deccan. Along with his two sons, Jaleel also accompanied Minai to Hyderabad in 1900. But, as ill-luck would have it, Minai fell ill shortly and, after a month, passed away. Though there were many claimants, Jaleel was chosen as the successor of Minai. This was primarily because his style of writing poetry resembled a lot of his ustad‘s. Jaleel himself says:
Sher-goi pe teri sab ko guman hai ke Jaleel
Bazm main ruhe Amir-us-shora aayee hai
The sudden death of Minai left Jaleel in a lurch. He wanted to return home but stayed put when Maharaja Kishen Prashad helped him. Dagh Dehlvi, who was the court poet, died in 1905, and Nizam appointed Jaleel in his place. By this time, the latter had made a name for himself by taking part in Hyderabad mushairas. When the sixth Nizam died, his son and successor, Mir Osman Ali Khan, also retained Jaleel as his ustad. He also conferred on him the titles of Fasahat Jung and Imamul Fun. On January 6, 1946, Jaleel passed away at the age of 81 and was laid to rest with full State honours at Khitta Saleheen in Hyderabad.
In the very first mushaira held in Hyderabad after Minai’s death, Jaleel left his mark.
Ab kaun phir ke jaye teri jalwah gah se
Aye shokh chashm phoonk de barq-e-nigah se
Paya buland kyun na hamara ho aye Jaleel
Paya hai faiz Ameer-e-suqan dastgah se
Opening lines of this ghazal created a furore. Cries of wah-wah and mukarar irshad (encore) rent the air. With repetition, it took nearly an hour for Jaleel to complete his ghazal. In the second mushaira, which was attended by the Nizam himself, Jaleel once again stole the concert. Noted poet Dagh Dehlvi was also present at the mushaira. But, it was Jaleel’s ghazal which received a lot of applause and even today its matla (opening verse) has become the poet’s identity.
Nigah barq nahin, chehra aftab nahin
Wo aadmi hai magar dekhne ki taab nahin
Other lines of this famous ghazal go like this:
Piye baghair chadhi rahti hai hasinon ko
Wahan shabab hai kya kam agar sharab nahin
Jaleel khatm na ho daure jame Minai
Ke is sharab se badhkar koi sharab nahin
Being a traditionalist, Jaleel did not address the higher ideals of life and death. On the contrary, he showed those caught in this dilemma a way out through love, passion and wine. This prolific writer has left three anthologies of ghazals: Taj-e-Suqan, Jaan-e-Suqan and Ruh-e-Suqan. Besides, he also wrote Meraj-e-Suqan, which contains his collection of naths. This apart, Jaleel also penned the biography of his mentor, Ameer Minai.
Such is the treasure trove of poems he left that one unwittingly recalls them when it comes to love:
Dekha jo husne yaar tabiyat machal gaee
Aankhon ka tha khusoor, churi dil pe chal gaee
Pine se kar chuka tha main tauba magar Jaleel
Badal ka rang dekh ke niyyat badal gaee
J.S.Ifthekhar,
Hyderabad based journalist.
Article published in Telangana Today
Dated May 5,2019
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