India has had an age-old tradition of passing knowledge, skills and spirituality from the teacher to the disciple. This practice has always had a very special place in the creative arts, ranging from music, dance, painting and sculpture to, more particularly, poetry, which traditionally calls for rhyme and rhythm. It was in this context that the Haryana Sahitya Akademi in Panchkula organised a seminar to explore this tradition in Urdu poetry. Titled ‘Ustad-Shagird Parampara’ in Urdu poetry, it delved into the history of the giver and the taker, which continues to this day in both formal and informal ways.
Held under the guidance of the senior members of the Akademi, Professor Kuldip Chand Agnihotri and Dr Chander Thrikha, the seminar was conducted by Jatinder Parvaaz, an Urdu poet who heads the literary segments. In this context, what comes to mind is a masterly couplet by the famous Urdu poet Daagh Dehlavi, who spoke of the beauty and finesse of the Urdu language thus: ‘Nahi khel ai ‘Daagh’, yaaron se keh do ki aati hai Urdu zaban aate aate’. Here is a translation of the couplet, honouring the essence of the language born on Indian soil: “Oh Daagh, tell your friends that it is no child’s play; the Urdu language is mastered only over time.” One would like to add to this: not without a mentor!
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Chander Trikha, director of the Akademi, said this ancient practice was a valuable way of connecting one generation to the next. On the occasion, Parvaaz was honoured at the seminar with the ‘Dr Vipul Smriti Samman’. The seminar was presided over by Prof Kuldip Chand Agnihotri.
Ancient tradition that flourishes still
Interestingly, in recent years, the tricity has seen the emergence of a chain of schools with the title ‘Gurukul’, a tradition that dates back to 5000 BC. Gurukul was an integral part of ancient Indian civilisation. Interestingly, the tradition required students to go and live in the teacher’s home, serve him and return home only after they had attained mastery in their chosen field. One could well call them the strict boarding schools of yore.
However, our award-winning poet, Parvaaz, who mentors many in the complexities and strict metres of the Urdu ghazal, says, “A ghazal can’t do without the essentials of ‘Misra’ (a two-line couplet), Matla (the opening couplet sharing the same refrain) and Makta (the last couplet, which often includes the poet’s name). But now that the old tradition of mentors is waning, technology is entering and wannabe ghazal writers are learning online.” Of course, that can never be the same as the old order. That is perhaps the reason why many are turning to the convenience of free verse at the cost of ‘bahr’ (rhythm) and qaafiya (rhyme).
The word ‘bahr’ brings back to my mind a fond memory of our dear poet Surjit Patar, who was a Punjabi ghazal writer of merit. The older and more orthodox Sikh ghazal writers once chided him for some fault in the bahr of his couplet, and his reply was another couplet: ‘Asan te khoon vich dubo ke kalam sada likhi hai ghazal, Oh hore honege likhde ne jeharhe behr andar’! (We have always dipped the pen in our blood to write a ghazal; others must be writing it in rhythm.) Thus, experiments go on even in the strictest of orders.
Back to the golden era of the ‘ustads’
The 18th and 19th centuries are considered the golden period of Urdu poetry, when the language, earlier known as Rekhta or Hindavi, flourished, ironically, as the Mughal Empire had begun to decay. This was also the time of the Delhi school, with greats like Mirza Ghalib and Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq, who was the ustad of the last Mughal king, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Zauq can never be forgotten for the love he had for his city, despite better conditions elsewhere, saying, “Zauq kahan jayie Dilli ki galian chod kar” (Where can Zauq go, leaving the streets of Delhi?). The golden era of poetry in Delhi was in the 18th and 19th centuries. While there were minor rivalries among the poets, the head of one would bow when a rival penned good poetry. The ustad was, of course, supreme, and even the feisty Ghalib, who would often boast of being ‘be-ustad’ (sans mentor), although he never had formal training, did learn the finesse of poetry from Mulla Adussamad, a renowned Iranian scholar.
One ends with a couplet by Ghalib Mian that honours the talent that preceded him and salutes the great tradition of giving: ‘Rekhta ke tumhi ustad nahi ho Ghalib, kehate hain agle zamane mein koi Mir bhi tha!’ The salute was to the famous poet Mir Taqi Mir, who predated Ghalib.
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