By Suanshu Khurana
Mushaira of international poets blurs cross-border divisions "This international mushaira presents the latest in contemporary thought to thousands of lovers of Urdu poetry"
Hazaro khwahishe aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere armaan phir bhi kam nikle
(Thousands of desires, each worth dying for...
many of them I have realised, yet I yearn for more)
There must have been a time in the 19th Century when the traditional shama would have been placed in front of Mirza Ghalib and he would have recited this couplet from one of his most famous nazms at a mushaira, as a cool burst of breeze ruffled his henna-dyed beard.
The cool breeze was present on Friday, thanks to the huge water fans, as the lawns of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, was transformed into a Mughal courtyard with diyas, and a stage set with intricate jaali work fences along with a 16x4 M F Husain acrylicon-cloth mural as the backdrop. Also present was the love and yearning for Urdu poetry among the audience.
The intrepid strokes with elements of inscription and poetry, representative of the sweep of the Urdu language, formed the setting of Jashn-e-bahar mushaira, now in its 11th year.
Though a rarity these days, mushairas, or literary gatherings, still remain the thread of poetry to our lives. Jashn-e-bahar is the second major mushaira event in the capital, the first one being the Shankar Shad mushaira held earlier last month.
In an evening filled with nazms, ghazals, verses in lighter vein and peace as the buzzword, Delhiites were feted with a full range of style and thought by 22 poets -some visiting from Pakistan, Dubai, England, Canada, besides Indian poets like Javed Akhtar, Shahryar, Munnawar Rana, Khushbir Singh Shadd, Shakeel Azmi and others.
"Many say Urdu is a dying language," Kamna Prasad, founder of the Jashn-e-bahar Trust, said. "But this language, such an integral part of Hindustan's Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, is all about soulfulness.
Mushairas come from a time when there was no mass media. This international mushaira presents the latest in contemporary thought to thousands of lovers of Urdu poetry."
The session began with a couple of couplets on peace and amity read out by Sadique Akhtar, a student from DPS.
But the stage was set with the singing of shairs by Delhi's own Iqbal Ashhar, followed by Javed Akhtar's Jee chahey sab khushiyan laa kar us ko de du, us ke pyaar mein sab kuch khona acha lagta hai.
The Aligarh-based Shahryar, called the doyen of Urdu poetry and the man who penned down songs for Muzaffar Ali's film Umraao Jaan, intoned Shikwaa koi daryaa ki ravaani se nahi hai, Rishtaa hi meri pyaas ka paani se nahi hai.
Khowaja Mozzaam Shah from Nepal had verses littered with allegory for peace and suggestion that the two neighbours had so much in common. He delighted the audience with Mil ke manaayein aao ke jashn-e-bahar hai, yeh aman-o-ashiqi toh hamara ash'aar hai.
All the poetry struck a chord with those present, as the evening continued till the wee hours of morning. All of it stirred up love and ache, and the wistfulness of a lost age for people who witnessed it.
Source: Indian Express, New Delhi
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