Elizabeth Kurian’s The Art and Science of Ghazal, breaks down the nuances of the style helping listeners understand the fine poetry

Who is not interested in ghazal? Almost everyone. But not everyone is able to fully understand or appreciate the fine nuances of a ghazal. Very few are aware of what is radeef, qaafiya, matla, takhallus and maqta. Now a solution is at hand should one want to know all about Urdu prosody.

Elizabeth Kurian, who goes by the nom de plume, Mona, has come up with a book which addresses problems faced by those interested in Urdu shayari, but are unfamiliar with its rhythm, intonation, style and structure. A poetess in her own right, Mona seeks to impart Ilme Arooz, the grammar of ghazal, through her book ‘The Art and Science of Ghazal’. This book is in fact a readers’ guide to Urdu ghazal appreciation, scansion and prosody.

The 132-page book throws light on the evolution of Urdu and provides an overview of ghazal and its structure. It also unravels the intricacies of ghazal and the principles governing its writing. “I want people to appreciate the beauty of ghazal and I hope my book will help them”, says Mona.

A multilingual writer, she has 14 books to her credit in English, Hindi and Urdu. Actually a banker by profession, she took voluntary retirement from the Reserve Bank of India to indulge in her literary passion. Her first book, Beyond Images, is an anthology of English poems. Later she translated it into Malayalam and Urdu languages. This books was also translated into Tamil and French.

Buoyed by its success, she translated Maryam Gazala’s Hindi/Urdu poems into English under the title “Mirrors of My Soul”. She followed it up with English rendition of Dr. Ram Barayya’s Hindi poetry (Tremors), Nusrat Mohiuddin’s Urdu nazams (Awaiting a New Season), Dr. Ahilya Misra’s Hindi poems (Shwaas se Shabd Tak). Later, she came up with two more books – -Qause Quzah and Zauqe Justaju — containing her collection of ghazals, nazms and khitas.

Mona’s Urdu poems have a haunting sameness with Parveen Shakir, the renowned Pakistani poetess. In a simple language she portrays a vast canvass of emotions and gives voice to feminine concerns. One can detect anguish and hope and everyday concerns reflected in her ghazals. Sample this one:

Teri tarha main na badal saki

Lagi thokeren, na sambhal saki

Nai rah par tu bhi chal pada

Tere bin kahin main na chal saki

In her new book, Mona brings all her writing experience to help ghazal lovers understand and master the craft of writing. Ghazal is a metered poetry which has not just a metre (bahr) and rhyme (qaafiya) but a constant refrain (radeef). All these are explained in detail with the help of transliteration tables, charts and notations. If you are looking to improve your ghazal appreciation ability or hone writing skills, The Art and Science of Ghazal is the book for you.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today 

Dated October 10,2020

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This sordid tale also has some romantic overtones. 

Surely love can blossom even under the most trying times.

The story is all too familiar. Unrest, uprising, protests and violence. That’s what comes to mind when one thinks of Kashmir, the theatre of unresolved conflict. But these uneasy and often heart-wrenching developments can become stuff of a gripping tale in the hands of an expert writer.

Asim Mukhopadhyay weaves an interesting story piecing together the turbulent happenings and the plight of the locals caught in the crosshairs of the armed conflict between the militants and the security forces.

The just released novel, Dance On The Graves, set against the backdrop of the Kashmir imbroglio makes for an interesting read. It has all the drama, twists and turns of a thriller to hold the attention of readers. Those who have read the author’s debut novel, Half Man, a book on Naxal movement, will find his latest work of literary fiction even more engrossing. Mukhopadhyay has a wide experience as a teacher, journalist and social scientist. He bagged the Media India award in 1982 for the best human interest story of the year for the article “Evils of dowry”. He has also been a long time contributor to Economic and Political Weekly and has to his credit many non-fiction books.

Though a novel, The Dance On The Graves is based on the life of Atta Muhammed Khan, an honest farmer of Chahal Bimbyal in Barmulla district. The author happened to read a brief report on the miserable life of the farmer who ends up as a grave digger. “I just borrowed Atta’s flute but the tunes are mine”, says Mukhopadhyay.

As the title suggests, Dance On The Graves, revolves around the life of Hasanath Wani Ahmed, an old farmer from Malali village in Kupwara district. As ill luck would have it he is forced to bury young men killed by cops in undocumented encounters. His story depicts the dilemma and helplessness of farmers who become victims of circumstances and turn grave diggers in the valley and also on the other side of the LoC. Ultimately Hasanath becomes a schizophrenic case, throws up tantrums during nights, sings strange songs and dances on graves.

Mukhopadhyay, who is known for his versatility, turns the otherwise horrible happenings of Kashmir, into a gripping tale of anguish and pain of the locals. For most of them survival is up for grabs. Any day they may end up with a bullet from the militants or the security forces. There is no peace for being young in Kashmir as the insurgents are out to trap them. The book edited by Mosiur Rehman of Woven Words, explores the sinister designs of the separatists who supply drugs to youth to lure them on the path of militancy. It also throws light on the machinations of people who sell politics and drugs from the same basket. Mukhopadhyay lays bare over ambitious fence-sitters in the ruling party who love to fish in trouble waters for being denied a share in the power cake.

This sordid tale also has some romantic overtones. Surely love can blossom even under the most trying times. Cupid strikes Kismat-Namrata and Iqbal-Suhana, sons of the grave digger and the daughters of the high profile State Home Secretary and the cricket coach. Sadly the book doesn’t offer any solution to the Kashmiri tangle. But if you are looking for a nerve wracking novel, Dance On The Graves, is the book for you. It’s simply un-put-downable.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today 

Dated September 20,2020

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It is under shutdown for the last six months and yet it sports a spick-and-span look. Step inside and you find everything in order - sporting a neat and clean appearance. That's the Salar Jung Museum for you. Though it still remains out of bounds for visitors, but for the 100-odd staff members it is work as usual. They are working tirelessly to ensure that the sprawling museum premises and also its world class objets d'arts retain their spotless shine.

Each day every object in each gallery is dusted and cleaned. The SJM has 39 galleries spread over two floors. The museum workers open every showcase, take out the objects, wipe and clean them before putting them back in position. The galleries are also regularly sprayed with disinfectants. The normally crowded museum now wears a deserted look save for the staff members. The prolong shut down has no doubt cut into the museum revenue but it has also given it the breathing time to carry out much needed repair and renovation work. The museum has seized the free time to speed up the documentation and conservation work.

The SJM draws visitors from across the globe. On an average about 3000 persons visit it and the footfalls see a massive rise during weekends and holidays - giving it a monthly revenue of Rs. 2 lakh. But right from March 15 the museum is shutdown following the lockdown - causing a revenue loss of Rs. 1.5 crore till day. In fact the other five major national museums in the country - National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, Allahabad Museum, Indian Museum and Victoria Memorial Museum, Kolkata are also shutdown these last few months.

"We are expecting the museum to be thrown open to visitors from October. The Government of India has also issued the SOP. We are awaiting further instructions", says A. Nagender Reddy, Director, SJM. On its part the SJM authorities have marked out circles on the floor in all the galleries for visitors to stand maintaining social distancing while viewing the art objects. Thermal screening and hand santizers are also being installed for benefit of visitors as and when the museum opens.

A virtual treasure house, the SJM has a collection of over 42,000 fascinating art objects, 8,300 manuscripts and 58,000 printed books. It is also a repository of precious sculptures, paintings, carvings, textiles, ceramics, metal ware and carpets covering diverse subjects, themes and mediums. Among its legendary collections are the veiled Rebecca, the melody in marble, the double statue of Mephistopheles and Margaretta carved out of a single block of wood. And of course the famous musical clock remains the biggest attraction

During the lockdown period, the museum has been busy organising online exhibitions. So far it has held four exhibitions to mark the International Museum Day, Buddha Poornima festival apart from exhibition of Bidri ware and display of paintings of the celebrated artist, Raja Ravi Verma. "It is now planned to showcase the works of Abdul Rahman Chughtai, renowned painter artist and intellectual from Pakistan", Mr. Reddy said.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated September 10,2020

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Dum-ke-Roat is the dish of the month. It sells like hot cakes during Muharram with people of all faiths rooting for it.


What Haleem is to Ramzan, Dum-ke-Roat is to Muharram. While the syrupy dish did the vanishing act thanks to the initial lockdown, what will be the fate of Roat now. As Muharram, the month of mourning, has set in bakers and restaurants in the city are pinning their hopes on the flat bread to see them through.

Dum-ke-Roat is the dish of the month. It sells like hot cakes during Muharram with people of all faiths rooting for it. With the general slowdown in business due to the pandemic, Roat makers are unsure how the crispy cake will move this season. Moreover, absence of air flights and difficulty in interstate transport is expected to impact the sales. Nevertheless bakers expect Roat to bring in the moolah even if it doesn’t see the usual feverish sales.
Some bakeries plan to sell Roat as an immunity booster by adding a generous dose of dry fruits. As it is Roat contains almonds, cashew nuts, pista and saffron. “We will add more dry fruits by way of health benefits”, says Pista House proprietor Abdul Majeed.

Whatever be its religious significance, the foodies swamp the market to lay hands on the sweet-baked delicacy with the advent of Muharram. Huge rush is seen at bakeries like Subhan Bakery, Karachi, Pista House, Rose and Needs.

Legend has it that the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, once offered Roat to the Nala-e-Mubarak Alam near Charminar for the safety and well-being of his grandson, Mukarram Jah Bahadur. And the practice continues till date. Members of the Shia community and also others take vows for the protection of their wards and offer Roat. But over the years it has become a special dish of Muharram with people eagerly looking forward to the seasonal flavour.

Crunchy outside and soft inside, Roat has a mix of ingredients like wheat flour, sooji, vegetable oils, sugar, honey, clarified butter, salt, cardamom and milk products apart from dry fruits. The art of baking involves striking a fine balance between time, temperature and ingredients “Getting the ingredients in the right proportion and then baking them properly till the brownish tinge appears is important”, says Syed Irfan of Subhan Bakery.

While Roats are up for grabs from day one, demand peaks on Youm-e-Ashoora, the 10th of Muharram. Some households make their own Roats with varying degree of success. “I follow a good recipe and bake Roats at home and they are as good as the ones available in the market”, says Afreen, a housewife.

This time the Roats have gone pricey with a kilogram of cookies coming in the range of Rs 600 to Rs 700. But when it comes to a crunchy bite price hardly matters.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today 

Dated August 26,2020

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Hyderabad may miss the historic Bibi-ka-Alam procession this Muharram. Chances of the juloos being taken out on the 10th of Muharram (August 30) have dimmed with the High Court dismissing a writ petition on Wednesday seeking permission.

The Bibi-ka-Alam procession has a long tradition stretched over 400 years. Right from the Quli Qutb Shahi days the city is witness to the Shia community taking out the Bibi-ka-Alam on a caparisoned elephant every year to mark the ‘Youm-e-Ashoora’. This year on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Telangana Government has denied permission to the procession while issuing guidelines to be followed during observation of the ‘Majlis’ in Ashoorkhanas. At a recent meeting held with the Shia leaders, the Minority Welfare Minister, Koppula Eshwar, wanted the Bibi-ka-Alam to be carried in a vehicle instead of the traditional elephant as it attracts huge gatherings.

Not agreeing with his views, M/s Fatima Seva Dal Society filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking permission for taking out the procession on an elephant while maintaining the social distancing norms. However, the Court dismissed the petition today without granting any relief. Instead it wanted the petitioners to follow the guidelines issued by the government. This has put a question mark on the Bibi-ka-Alam procession. “We will discuss the matter and see what can be done”, remarked Hasanuddin Aijaz, Mujawar, Bibi-ka-Alawa.

During the last four centuries the annual Muharram procession was never missed. Even when the city was under curfew the procession was allowed. “Government ought to permit the juloos as it has a long tradition. Moreover, not just shias but people belonging to different faiths also participate in it”, said Syed Hamed Hussain Jaffery, President, Telangana Shia Youth Conference.

The Bibi-ka-Alam procession, which marks the culmination of mourning by the Shia community, attracts people cutting across religion and caste. To the cries of ‘Ya Hussain’, the procession starts from Bibi ka Alawa in Dabeerpura and winds its way to the Masjide Ilahi at Chadarghat. Devotees flock the procession route and offer ‘dhatti’ to the Alam. But this time round the pandemic appears to have halted the procession in its tracks.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated August 26,2020

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In the last couple of months the city has seen half a dozen mushairas, literary meets and book release taking place on Zoom and Google Meet platforms

When was the last time you heard a round of applause and shouts of wah-wahs? Maybe some six months back. The corona pandemic has rung down curtains on every activity, including mushairas. The poetic soirees are now back after a long break- albeit in a different form. You can now pursue your passion and slake your literary thirst online. Yes, break into laughter and call for an encore from the comfort of your house.

While biryani might be their culinary delight, it is mushairas that Hyderabadis eagerly look forward to. For many it is the adabi mehfils that bring the evenings alive. In normal times not a day passes without a mushaira, a kavi sammelan or a book release function being held in Hyderabad. But today Urdu Hall and Urdu Maskan, the hubs of literary pursuits, wear a deserted look. Thankfully the scene has now shifted from in-person events to online shows. In the last couple of months the city has seen half a dozen mushairas, literary meets and book release programmes taking place on Zoom and Google Meet platforms.

“The best thing is participants are not confined to just Hyderabad alone. People from different parts of the country and even abroad are taking part in the online events. There is nothing like a virtual session to reach out to a large audience”, says Javeed Kamal, an Urdu scholar and writer. The whole thing started after the death of noted satirist, Mujtaba Hussain, in May. In view of the lockdown a proper tribute could not be paid to this Padma Shri awardee.

However, his diehard fans like Prof Baig Ehsas, Dr Humaira Sayeed and Dr Gul Rana decided to host an online programme titled ‘Mujtaba Hussain Ki Yaad Mein’ for a whole month from June 22 to July 22 every night at 8 pm. Academics, writers and scholars from all over India and even from the US, Canada, the UK and Dubai took part in the programme and expressed their views on the great humourist.

Encouraged by the global response, an online ‘Mazahiya Mushaira’ was organised last month which attracted poets such as Ahmed Alvi, Dr Nashtar Amrohi, Waheed Pasha, Pankaj Prasun from across India. The virtual poetic concerts are proving a big hit with people of all age groups, particularly youngsters. “This is just the beginning and more such programmes are in the offing”, says Dr Humaira, who successfully hosted a mushaira from the Government Degree College for Women, Sangareddy, where she works.

Now Sahitya Academy awardee Prof Baig Ehsas has come up with a weekly online programme- Bazgasht. In this programme works of well-known writers and poets are read out followed by a detailed analysis and discussion. The pandemic may have disrupted the literary scene, but Urdu lovers have gone digital to stay connected.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated August 17,2020

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Noted poet, Rahat Indori, who passed away on August 11th, was a show stealer at mushairas. People just hung around to listen to him whatever the time of the night. Of course he was the last shayer to come on to the stage and recite his poems. Concert organisers knew if he was invited earlier none in the audience would remain to hear other poets.

A live wire performer, Rahat Indori was equally popular among people of all age groups. His reputation knew no bounds and he was a big draw abroad. Mushairas were considered incomplete without his presence. Essentially a poet of love, he captured the romantic sentiments with a touch of finesse. He excelled in all genres of Urdu poetry be it nazm, ghazal or qat’a. Rahat Indori also penned iconic lyrics for a few Hindi movies. What was unique about him was his unique style of recital. His poetry was straight from the heart and no wonder it left the audience asking for more. Sample these verses:

Kis ne dastak di a dil par, kaun hai

Aap to andar hain, bahar kaun hai

Razz jo kutch ho isharon mein bata bhi dena

Haat jab usse milana to daba bhi dena

Kabhi dimag, kabhi dil, kabhi nazar mein raho

Ye sab tumahre hi ghar hain, kishi bhi ghar mein raho

A peoples poet, Rahat Indori was alive to the day to day happenings. Nothing escaped his keen observation. Social injustice, political doublespeak, plight of marginalised sections – everything figured in his poetry. In recent times he turned to poetry of protest and wrote against the controversial CAA/NRC. On the eve of the Republic Day this year, the celebrated poet came to Hyderabad and took part in a mushaira organised by the Alliance Against CAA and NRC. He recited his hugely popular ghazal and received standing ovation for this verse:

Sabhi ka khoon shamil hai yehan ki mitti mein

Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai

What endears Rahat Indori to the people is his fearless and outspoken way of saying things. His poetry was vibrant and reflected the everyday concerns of the common man. Interestingly, he himself twitted about his testing positive for Covid-19 and hoped to defeat the disease. But fate willed otherwise. That he did not fear death was clear from his own verses which he wrote some time back. He said:

A saneh to kisi din guzarne wala tha

Mai bach bhi jata to ek roz marne wala tha

In another couplet he says how death turned him a zamindar.

Do gaz sahi magar ye meri milkiat to hai

Aye maut tu ne mujh ko zamindar kar diya

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated August 12,2020

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