Even though I remain very much of a non-practicing Muslim, I have great love in my heart for the culture of my community which I believe is one of its redeeming aspects. The language, music, cuisine, dresses and other arts of the sub-continent’s Muslim community bear the marks of great cultural achievement.
Urdu, which is the language of the Indian Muslims, which was invented and improvised by them as sought to be tracked by the author is a highly developed poetic and artistic medium. The language, as all are aware has a matrix (which are the ordinary words of speech and literature) drawn from the Indian languages, wherein, the key words taken from Persian, Arabic and other central Asian languages are interwoven. These words, which are phonetically very impressive and great sounding, impart the great poetic and artistic value to the language for which it is known. The addiction of these words and the language is’nt easy to dispel, a proof of which we can see in Bollywood, where it forms the mainstay of the medium of Hindi Films, the Film Titles, Song Lyrics and Dialogues mostly being in Urdu from the beginning of the Indian Film Industry till date.
Usage of Urdu should not be seen as a sign of cultural servitude and subordination by the Hindus as indicated by some posters in this forum. Actually, they are allured by the poetic and phonetic value of its medium and the Hindus being a fair and mostly unprejudiced people have no qualms about the language being used in their midst.
Sanskrit and its derivative Hindi are both very functional and exact languages. There are more consonants present in Hindi compared to Urdu and Urdu writing is not as exact as Hindi/ Sanskrit. The artistic difference however as I mentioned earlier lies in the words. Sanskrit words are somehow difficult to pronounce due to the fact that most Sanskrit words are made up of half consonants which requires too much twisting of the tongue. A simple example is the word Kshan which means a moment. It begins with a half consonant ‘K’ and ends with a ringing ‘n’ which gives it an artificial and an unnecessarily made up feel. The Urdu word for a moment is a Lamha which is more straightforward. Due to the above reason, people began to derive simpler words from the Sanskrit originals and such words (known as Tadbhav shabd) took precedence over their original Sanskrit forms (known as Tatsam shabd) even in the Hindi language. Thus Kshetra became Khet, Parvat became Pahaad, Vyateet became bitaana etc. Review of so many Sanskrit words for example Hriday, Praan, Shwaas, Spandan, Prem, Pushpa, Shabd, Vaakya, abhyaas, Drishti, Arth, vyarth, Vyakul, , vyavsaay, vyanjan, poorna, Anna, Bhinn, Dharma, gyaan, Vigyaan, Vaanijya, Krishna, Hritu etc. shows the excessive usage of the half consonants in the word formation. Comparing these words to their Urdu counterparts which respectively are Dil, Jaan, Saans, Dhadkan, Pyaar (Mohabbat), Phool (goonche), Lafz, Jumla, riyaaz, nazar, maane, bekaar, pareshaan, Byopaar, pakwaan, poora, khaana, alag, mazhab, maloomaat, saayins, karobaar, kaala and mausam shows the difference clearly. Hindi and Sanskrit though have gained a lot a prominence and importance over the years though and their future remains exceedingly bright. A language progresses when its users make good progress in life. The Indians (Hindus) who have reformed and modernized are making and shall continue to make good progress thereby promoting their language. Urdu, even though having a good potential is at risk of stagnating and moving closer to extinction as it will be let down by its Muslim users who remain backward, unreformed and continue to slide into backwardness with the passage of time.
In Urdu, the artistic forms which are prominent are its poetry (called as shaayari) and short stories (known as afsaane). In Urdu poetry, the form which is most captivating is the Ghazal. Ghazals are a collection of shers (couplets), which are two sentences in the same meter and rhyming kaafiyas. Shers are notably the most powerful media of expression which are capable of delivering highly charged emotions and sublime feelings with equal panache.
My upbringing is from a traditional upper-middle class Muslim family and both of my parents are educated principally in Urdu while being conversant in English too as they have studied in the erstwhile British Rule. My father has a masters inUrdu/ Persian literature and is an all India level poet of some renown and both my parents contribute extensively to Urdu print media. My late maternal grandfather, who hailed from Hyderabad too was a prolific writer of Urdu literature. My father however chose English as the medium of education for his wards and hence, all my siblings including myself are unfortunately not conversant with reading and writing of Urdu text, a fact which makes my mother quite sad.
Also, Urdu language, though associated with Muslims is not unlike other languages which are free from the bondages of religion and caste and is endowed with Universal Humanist traditions like all other forms of art and media. It is quite a secular language and is used for all conceivable purposes in which a language could be used. It is used from the pulpits of the mosque to deliver religious sermons on one hand and used in poetry to extoll the virtues of wine and women on the other. It is used by the right wing Islamist propaganda by Maulaana Maudoodi on one hand and by people such as Makhdoom Mohiuddin, Kaifi Aazmi, Faiz and Sardaar Jaafery to spread their leftist socialist message on the other. Urdu also has many non-muslim litterateurs in its firmament. Kishan Chander, Pandit Birj Narayan Chakbast, Guru Bhakt Singh 'Dervesh', Tilok Chand 'Mahrum', Raghupati Sahaay Firaakh Gorakhpoori, Sudarshan Faakhir, Krishna Bihari Noor, Jagannath Azad, Premchand, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Upendra Nath Ashk etc. are all prominent names in Urdu literature.
Urdu poetry could also be employed to neutralize the religious fervor amongst Muslims. Many Urdu Poets and much of Urdu’s Poetry is full of ideas which run in the face of the known Islamic Norms. Early Urdu poets Meer and Ghalib were mostly of the liberal humanist traditions. Ghalib was called the Godless Lover. Many later day Poets like Faiz etc too are mostly against the orthodoxy of Islam.
Some couplets which come to my mind are reproduced below:
Meer ke deeno-mazhab ko, poochte kya ho unne to /
Kashka kheencha, deir me baitha, kabka tark Islam kiya //
What do you enquire about Meer’s religion!
He has made a mark (akin to the sadhus) on his forehead, sat in a temple and changed away from Islam long since.
Some of Ghalib’s Couplets go as follows:
Vafadaari, Basharte istewaari asl Imaan hai/
Agar mar jaaye but khaane to gaarho kaabe mein barhaman ko//
Loyalty and remaining steadfast is actually true faith.
If he dies in a temple, then that Brahmin should be buried in the Kaaba.
Dekhiye paate hai ushshaak buton se kya faiz/
Ek barhaman ne kaha hai yeh saal achcha hai//
Let’s see what blessings do the lovers get from the idols (deities)
A Brahmin has said that this year is a lucky one.
Humein maaloom hai Jannat ki haqeeqat lekin/
Dil ke behlaane ko Ghalib ye khayaal achcha hai//
We know the truth about (Islamic) Paradise however.
The idea is good to placate the heart.
Jaanta hoon sawaabe taa-at o zohad/
Par tabiyat idhar nahin aati//
I know the benefits of (muslim) prayer and piety,
But I don’t feel like indulging in it.
Maut ka ek din muaiyyan hai/
Neend kyu raat bhar nahi aati//
If death is predestined to come on a particular day,
Then why is one unable to sleep whole night long.
Kaaba kis mooh se jaaoge Ghalib/
Sharm tumko magar nahin aati//
With what face would you go to the Kaaba O Ghalib,
But you fail to feel ashamed.
Haan woh nahin khudaparast, jaao wo bewafa sahi/
Jis ko ho deen o dil azeez, uski gali mein jaye kyu//
Yes he is not god worshipping, and he is verily incapable of any love
For those who hold their faith and hearts dear, why do they venture into his alley.
Lutfe mai tujhse kya kahoo zahid
Hai kambakht tu ne pee hi nahi
What should I tell you about the pleasures of wine O (muslim) pious man.
Alas! You haven’t drunk.
Imaan mujhe roke hai to khenche hai mujhe kufr/
Kaaba mere peeche hai kalisa mere aage//
Faith stops me while infidelity tempts
Inspite of Kaaba behind me and the church ahead
Hota Hai Nihan Gard Mein Sahra, Mere Hote
Ghista Hai Jabin Khak Pe Dariya, Mere Aage
The desert covers itself with dust in my presence
The river rubs its forehead on the ground in front of me
(The elements of God’s universe are small in front of my ego)
Ik Khel Hai Aurang-e-suleman, Mere Nazdeek/
Ik Baat Hai Ajaaz-a-Maseehah, Mere Aage//
The talk of the justice dispensation from the throne of (the prophet) Solomon is a mere play near me.
The healing power of the messiah (Prophet Jesus) is mere talk in front of me.
Yeh masaaile tasawwuf- yeh tera bayaan ghalib
Tujhe hum vali samajhte, jo na baadkhwaar hota
These issues of mysticism (philosophy), and your explanations Ghalib.
We would have deemed you to be a (Muslim) Saint, had you not been a drunkard
Ghalib bura na maan jo vaaiz bura kahe/
Aisa bhi koi hai sab achcha kahe jise//
Ghalib, don’t feel bad if the (Muslim) Preacher speaks bad of you.
Is there any such person whom all claim to be good.
Kahaan maikhane ka darwaza Ghalib, aur kahaan vaaiz/
Par itna jaante hain kal woh jaata tha ke hum nikale//
Ghalib, where’s the entrance to the (wine) bar compared to the (Muslim) Preacher.
But I know that yesterday he was going (inside) while I exited (from there)
Voh cheez jiske liye humko ho behisht azeez/
Sivaae baada –e- gulfaame mushkabu kya hai//
That (those) thing(s) for which we love the (Muslim) Paradise
What else other than Flower flavored wines and aroma of musk
Of his poetry Ghalib says
Aate hain gaib se ye mazameein khayaal mein/
Ghalib sareere khama nawa-e-Sarosh hai//
These articles come to the mind from the supernatural
O Ghalib, the rustling sound of the pen (on the paper) is (actually) the voice of angels.
Bandagi mein bhi voh aazad o khudbeein hai ke hum/
Ulte phil aaye dare kaaba agar vaa na hua//
We have so much self respect and are so free even in worship that
We turned back if the door to kaaba did not open upon us.
Oomr bhar dekha kiye marne ki raah/
Mar gaye par dekhiye dikhlaaye kya
Entire life (they) kept looking forward to death.
Now (they) died but just see what they (are able to) show [ie nothing]
A philosophical couplet which I find the best by Ghalib is as follows:
Hastee ke mat fareib mein aa jaaiyo Asad
Aalam tamaam halka-e-daame khayaal hai
Do not get fooled by the fraud of Life O Asad
The entire world is just a ring of a chain of thoughts
It explains the entire philosophy of Descartes that we think therefore we are in one couplet.
Some couplets by Daag Dehlvi go as follows:
Daag tu Kaabe se jaata hai jo butkhaane ko/
Sharm aati nahin kambakht Musalmaan ho kar//
O Daag, you go onwards from the Kaaba to the Temple.
Don’t you feel ashamed being a Muslim you lowlife!
Khuda ka milna bohut hai aasaan, Buto ka milna hai sakht mushkil/
Yakeein na ho gar kisi ko hum dam, to laaye koi use manakar//
Finding God is very easy but finding idols (deities) is so much difficult.
If someone doesn’t believe it my friend, he should try to convince and bring her back.
Gaye the Daag talaash e Sanam mein Kaabe ko/
Khuda ne muft kiya hai sawaab mein shaamil//
Daag went to search for Deities to the Kaaba/
God has unnecessarily bestowed blessings on him
Samajhta hai tu daag ko rind ae zaahid/
Magar Rind usko vali jaante hai
You consider Daag to be a drunkard O (Muslim) Pious Man
But the drunkards consider him to be a (Muslim) Saint!
Mujhko janaabe Shaikh ki daawat zaroor hai/
Aisi kaheen sharaab mile jisme bun a ho//
An invitation from a (Muslim) Shaikh is compulsory (to attend) for me.
Where else can I get some wine which does not have any smell (remains unnoticed).
Karte ho Daag door se Butkhaane ko salaam/
Apni tarah k eek musalmaan tumhi to ho//
You salute the Temple from afar O Daag
There’s only one of a kind Muslim like you
Baitha hai Aetekaaf mein kya Daag-e-rozadaar
Ae kaash maikade ko ye mard-e-khuda chale
What are you doing sitting in (Muslim) meditation O Daag ( while fasting)
(How much we wish that) Alas this man of god should proceed to the (wine) bar.
Some other famous Couplets go as follows:
Zaahid sharaab peene de masjid mein baith kar/
Ya phir who jaga bata be jahaan par khuda na ho//
O (Muslim) Pious man, let me drink wine while sitting in the mosque.
Or else show me some place where God doesn’t exist!
A little known poet of my town created quite an uproar when he wrote:
Sang-e aswad ko pooj ne wale/
Mujh se kehta hai tu poojari hai//
You who worships the Black (Kaaba) stone
(How dare) you call me a worshipper (of deities).
Many more couplets of irreverence and questioning could be quoted as such.
From the above, it can be noted that Urdu could be used to promote enquiry, questioning and reform amongst Muslims.
I forgot to add some couplets from the later day poet Faiz which read as:
Aaiye haath uthaye hum bhi,
Hum jinhe rasme dua yaad nahi
Hum jinhe soz-e-mohabbat ke siva,
Koi but koi khuda yaad nahi
Come, lets raise our hands
We who do not remember the rituals of (Muslim) prayers
We, who other than our savings of love
Do not remember either any God or Deity.
Dil mein ab yu tere bhoole hue gham aate hain
Jaise bichde hue kaabe mein sanam aate hai
The forgotten sorrows related to you so enter my heart.
Like the separated idols which are coming back to the Kaaba
More later.....
