IT is rather ironic that Urdu poetry is getting a big boost from the Urdu-speaking expatriates of the predominantly Arabic-speaking cities of Jeddah and Riyadh. It is even stranger that a seminal book on the subject has been published in Jeddah by the Indian Consulate. For those seeking an explanation, it can be summed up in one word — mushaira.
Mushairas are interactive poetry sessions in which audiences can either ask for repeats of well-received poems or boo those not so well-received. The sessions have become an integral part of the Gulf-based Urdu-speaking expatriate population; they provide a way to enjoy poetry and, in addition, to have a great evening with like-minded friends.
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and especially the Indian Consulate in Jeddah have been at the forefront in organizing these events for mushaira-mad expats for a good many years. On the calendar of bored expatriates, mushairas are an event that brings a twinkle to their eyes.
Even today if you visit an Urdu-speaking family anywhere in the Gulf, you will almost surely find a stack of videocassettes with recordings of the grand mushairas once held in Dubai. In promoting Urdu poetry, mushairas — and the VCR — have played a large role in keeping the flame of the language burning across the sands of the Arabian Peninsula.
Salim Jafri was the one who started the mushaira craze; in the 1980s, he brought famous Indian and Pakistani poets to Dubai and introduced to Gulf audiences the old tradition of mushaira. The Dubai mushairas soon became the rage and mushaira-mania spread from there.
The couplets presented by poets at the Dubai mushairas continue to echo even today in the hearts of many expats from the subcontinent. The exquisite poetry of Khumar Barabankvi, Ahmed Faraz, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Jon Elia, Kaifi Azmi and Peerzada Qasim reached the hearts and minds of every Urdu-speaking expatriate from India and Pakistan. Lovers of Urdu poetry sing and recite the poems at hundreds of functions held everywhere around the Arabian Gulf.
Urdu, a language which some feared was on the wane in the late 1970s, suddenly gained a new importance. It had lost its economic utility in India, but families across northern and southern India, particularly in Lucknow, Delhi and Hyderabad, adhered to the fine traditions of the language in order to preserve their rich culture.
When Salim Jafri died in 1997, the Dubai mushairas died with him. There was no one after him who was able to organize them with his inimitable style. After Dubai, Riyadh, and more specifically, Jeddah became the next locations where the fires of Urdu were rekindled. There was, however, a difference; this time, instead of one patron behind the readings, the Indian diplomatic missions picked up the torch of Urdu by organizing mushairas. One such mushaira was organized by the Indian Consulate in Jeddah this month.
Connoisseurs of Urdu poetry know that there are two types of poets: Those who play to the gallery and those who stick to their idiom regardless of audience response. Nonetheless, mushairas are definitely a give-and-take process, with the audience as involved in the couplet as the poet. Despite the beauty of their work, poets who ignore the unique mushaira interaction miss a wonderful opportunity. This time in Jeddah, there were poets rather than performers. Professor Shahryar, one of India’s most critically acclaimed poets, was one of the featured guests at this mushaira. “The performers have to explain their couplets, and sometimes they have to demonstrate them as well,” he said, taking a friendly dig at mushaira showboats. The old story of trusting the tale and not the teller.
Keeping that in mind, Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed and Press Consul Hifzur Rahman, both men of letters, invited some of the best Indian poets to mark 50 years of mushaira in Jeddah. Part of the India Festival, the guests included Professor Shahryar, Professor Moghni Tabassum, Saghar Khayyami, Zubair Rizvi, Zafar Gorakhpuri, Hassan Kamal, Waseem Barelvi, Nida Fazli, Dr. Malikzada Manzoor Ahmad and Rahat Indori. The event received special attention from the local media.
Along with the mushaira, a book, “Shama-e-Sukhan” was also released. The commemorative volume supplied details about the visiting poets, their backgrounds, some of their best compositions and other interesting literary articles. Professor Moghni Tabassum who, along with Shahryar edits the literary magazine “Sher-o-Hikmat” (Poetry and Philosophy), prepared a scholarly examination of the ghazal and its current popularity, which itself makes the book of special interest and may even be the book’s raison d’etre.
Rahat Indori, who has become very popular with the mushaira crowd, has written a well-documented article on the tradition of mushairas, detailing their evolution and their importance as a vehicle for up-and-coming poets.
Zubair Rizvi was so popular at one time that he was mobbed at social gatherings. He was associated with All India Radio for 30 years and has tried his hand at almost all genres of Urdu poetry. His article in the book discusses humorous poets and why they have become such a necessity at mushairas. He presents interesting opinions of Saghar Khayyami and his late brother, Nazer Khayyami, as well as of Sarwar Danda. The article is invaluable for all lovers of Urdu poetry.
The volume will very likely become a valuable reference for students of Urdu poetry and remind the next generation of the contributions of the Indian Consulate in Jeddah in promoting a language about which it has been often said: “Saare Jahan Mein Dhoom Hamari Zaban Ki Hai” (In the whole world, Urdu is the talk of the town).
