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New Delhi: Dispelling
fears of its demise, the 'mushaira' (Urdu poetry recital) has made
a comeback in Delhi, symbolically completing a journey from the
durbars of the rich and famous to the public places.
In "Dehli ki Aakhri Shama", Urdu essayist Mirza Farhatullah Beg
describes an imaginary mushaira, featuring all the prominent poets
of the time like Ghalib, Zauq and Momin, in 1850s Delhi, beginning
after the evening prayers and continuing till dawn with the "shayars"
(poets) reciting when the "shama" (lamp) was placed before them.
The tradition of Urdu 'shayari' in the capital dates back the 17th
century, and got a fillip in the mid-18th century during the reign
of Bahadur Shah II, himself a noted poet writing under the name of
'Zafar'.
The Ghalib Memorial Movement, which is trying to revive the
literary legacy of Delhi's most celebrated poet, Dec 26 held 'Yaadgaar-e-Ghalib'
with the same ambience at the India Islamic Centre to mark his
214th birth anniversary.
"The venue was packed with youngsters," danseuse Uma Sharma, who
has been leading the Ghalib Memorial Movement for the last 14
years, told IANS.
Sharma said the mushaira was very much alive but it was more "of a
public literary soiree enjoyed by the middle class" rather than
private gatherings in elite homes, as happened in late 19th and
early 20th centuries.
She said that the DCM Shriram Industries organises the popular
Shankar Shad mushaira every year and the government hosts one
before Republic Day.
This year, the 47th Shankar Shad mushaira brought together
renowned poets like Javed Akhtar, Shahryaar, Zahira Nigah, Waseem
Barelvi and Zakia Waseem Ghazal.
"In the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century,
mushaira was the only avenue of entertainment and creativity in
the upper classes. But over the years it has come out of homes to
public spaces. We are trying to revive the culture as more people
want to understand and appreciate the culture of old Delhi,"
Suresh Goel, the director-general of Indian Council for Cultural
Relations, told IANS.
"Every year, a mushaira is an integral part of Ghalib's
anniversary celebrations, which are promoted by ICCR with
voluntary platforms," he said.
The rise of a new crop of young poets has given a new lease of
life to the tradition.
"At least seven young poets from east Delhi have been writing good
poetry. One of them is Sharf Nanparvi, who not only writes, but
also organises mushairas to encourage young poets," Safdar Hussain
Khan, vice president of India Islamic Centre, told IANS.
Older generation of poets like Gulzar Delhvi, whose forefathers
taught Urdu to emperor Shah Jahan, also encourage young poets.
"The India Islamic Centre offers free space for mushairas to
promote the culture. The tradition has seen a new revival in the
last two decades, finding new segments of takers among the
non-Muslims too, many of whom are studying Urdu," Khan said.
Others call for the mushaira to be re-fashioned with the times.
"Mushaira has to be tied up with the language of Urdu and its
revival. What is stopping us from reading Urdu?" Urdu writer
Rakhshanda Jalil, who manages the blog Hindustani Awaaz, told
IANS.
She claimed mushairas were deliberately perpetuated as a Islamic
tradition by hosting them in venues like Chandni Chowk and Urdu
Academy.
"Let us get out of it by hosting mushairas at public spaces where
it can be accessible to all," she said.
Jodhpur-based Urdu poet Sheen Kaaf Nizam blames television and the
culture of sponsorship for the decline in the popularity of
mushairas.
"Anyone can sponsor a mushaira and invite poets of their choice,
promoting coteries. Add to it television, which takes the young
audience away from poetry with instant entertainment," Nizam told
IANS.
At a recent discourse titled 'The Death of the Mushaira', writers
and poets tied the fall in popularity with declining language
standards.
"The quality of 'shayari' in Urdu has declined because very few
people understand the language and shayars can get away with
anything. The standard of mushaira, as a result, has fallen," said
M. Sadiq, a former professor of Urdu at Delhi University and a
poet himself.
However, he said that institutions Urdu Academy, the National
Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, the Ghalib Academy and
Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu were promoting Urdu poetry with language
classes and reading sessions.
(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)
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