Songs of Solitude

By

Amar Nath Wadehra

Ehsaas-e-Tanhayee by Maikash Ambalvi

Educational Publishing House, Delhi. Pages: 168. Price: Rs. 300/-

Loneliness is a great churner. It sends one’s emotions on a spiral. In the bargain, one either becomes inert or gives free rein to his emotions and rides the waves of creativity. Thankfully, Maikash preferred the latter. He is someone who is devoid of artifice and is a poet in true sense.

Tum jism kay rangeen libason pay ho nazaan

Maen rooh ko mohtaj-e-kafan dekh raha hoon

Na kar andaaza-e-kirdaar tu achchhay libaason say

Kay bahut kam log iss mayyaar pay achchhay utartay hain.

(You preen over the colorful clothes on your body/I espy the soul in want of a shroud/Do not assess character by looking at the costume/Very few people measure up to this benchmark).

Indeed, the above lines said by a poet long ago indicate the essence of Maikash Ambalvi’s worldview. I had first met Maikash during the mid 1950s when I was stationed at Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He was working in the Railways Workshop and I was in the Indian Air force. While he was immensely fond of writing Urdu poetry in his youth too, I loved (and still do) reading it. At that time, his poetry was exuberant. With the passage of time, especially after his wife’s death, his verse acquired gravitas. He loved his wife immensely, as is clear from the following lines:

Kisi kee yaad bhee yad-e-khuda si hotee hai

Kisi ka ishq bhi hota hai bandgee ki tarah

(Someone’s memory is like remembering God; Love for someone is like worship).

Ehsaas-e-Tanhayee (The feeling of Loneliness) is his second book of poetry that I am reviewing. His first book Ehsaas-e-Nagma (Feeling of Song) was his first book, which had become very popular among readers. Here is a couplet from that anthology:

Yeh azmat-e-hayaat hai, apnee khudee na bech

Murda zameer shakhsh ka jeena fazool hai

(Self respect is life’s positive quality, do not sell it; The existence of a person with dead conscience is a waste)

While going through the book I did not feel mere happiness, but was enveloped with a strange sensation, it was like ebb and flow of tides in the ocean. Indeed, his poetry is a divine gift. Along with cadence, his poetry is blessed with ethereal decency. He has dealt with every type and aspect of life’s experiences:

Raah-e-wafa say agar main kaheen bhatak jaoon

Mera usool mujhe rasta dikaata hai

(If ever I go astray from the path of fidelity, my values guide me back onto the right path).

Or, take these lines:

Murawwat, dosti, ikhlaas, hamdardi wafa chun lay

Mohabbat hi mohabbat ho jahaan aisee fiza chun lay

(Opt for decorum, friendship, genuineness, empathy and fidelity; Go for an environment that has nothing but love).

He articulates the values dearest to him in these words:

Yeh maksad-e-hayaat hai jab tak jiye bashar

Izzat rahey, waqaar rahey, aabroo rahey

(A person’s purpose in life should be respect, self-esteem and honor).

He further states:

Har baazi-e-hayaat usnay hi maat ki

Jisney nazar milakay zamaanay sey baat ki

(Only he has won every round against life who has looked straight in the world’s eye).

However, he cautions:

Nek insaan ki duniya nahin jeeney deti

Bekhata hona bhi duniya mein khata jaisa hai

(It is impossible for a decent person to exist in this world; To be innocent is itself a crime).

He goes on to suggest:

Woh aadmi jisay naaz-o-guroor hota hai

Woh doosron say nahin khud say door hota hai

(A person full of arrogance parts not just from others but also from himself).

A couplet by GS Arif conveys something similar:

Dekh kar apni bulandi ko hua magroor jab

Barf say kudrat nay uskay sar ko thanda kar diya

(When the mountain became hot with pride over its loftiness, Nature cooled it down by capping it with snow).

While pondering over the philosophy of life and death Maikash has this to say:

Har bashar darta hai maikash maut say phir kis liye

Zindagi makhsoos hai jab maut hi kay wastay

(When life is specially made for death, why does one fear death).

Another poet has expressed similar sentiments in these lines:

Maut uski hai jis pay zamanaa afsos karey

Varna duniya mein sab aatay hain marney kay liye

(All come to this world to eventually die; Only that death has value, which generates genuine grief).

Maikash, who is essentially a leftist-humanist, comes up with this pithy observation for a poor man’s plight who is talented:

Ek muflis kay liye uski liyaqat yoon hai

Ek bewa kay liye husn-e-balaa ho jaise

(For a poor man talent holds same perils as beauty does for a widow).

I hope wish and pray that this book too becomes immensely successful.

Maangta hoon yeh dua main har dua kay baad

Rusvaaiyan na hon merey dast-e-sawaal ki

(After every prayer I ask for this boon, may my hands that are raised in supplication not be slighted).

Maikash has faced many ups and down in life, but he has remained true to his value system. I recall the lines that are apt in his case:

Mujhay sachhayee kee aadat bahut hai

Magar iss rah main dikkat bahut hai

(I am addicted to truth, but there are many difficulties bedeviling this path).

Poetry of vision, insight and sensibility

By

Amar Nath Wadehra

Mausam by Dr. Mohammad Ayyub Khan Chauhan (Mob. 09781972678)

Sadaf Publications, Malerkotla. Pages: 112. Price: Rs. 300/-

Talash mujhko na kar in udaas galiyon mein;/Nigah-e-dil say zara dekh, tayray paas hoon mayn (Do not look for me in these sad lanes, look through the eyes of your heart, I am near you).

A good poet draws upon his experiences to provide insights into life’s different facets. Actually, it is a complex process, whereby the poet and his readers/audiences share life’s experiences, thus developing a sense of spiritual relationship. Dr. Mohammad Ayub Khan Chauhan is conversant in Islamic studies as much as he has been intimate with the life’s ups and downs. This book, Dr. Chauhan’s first, entitled Mausam, is a collection of shers (Urdu couplets). It not only presents the world with his evaluation of and reactions to the life’s variegated occurrences but also gives a message as to how to face life in all its shades.

Shayari – or Urdu poetry – cannot be learnt through academic courses or even by rote. No ustad can teach you poetry. He can, at best, correct the syntax or give advice on the poetry’s structure and thought, but he certainly cannot trigger off poetry in the bosom of a person. After all, poetry is something that has to come from within. It is a statement of worldview of an individual, whose sensibilities are unique to him. Nobody, can make one sensitive to nature’s beauty or to human plight. It is a God given gift. Dr. Chauhan has been blessed with this divine gift. 

When I sat down to pen a few thoughts on his debut book, I was impressed with its contents. I have concluded that his poetry is a fine example of an ideal mix of vision, foresight, and insight into the present day life. He portrays the deterioration of human life with sensitivity and with the authority of an eyewitness. For example, take this couplet from his book: Koi na koi phitnaa hota hai ab tow zahir;/ Hum roz shehr ka jab akhbaar dekhtey hain. (Now, one or the other mischief is revealed, when we go through a city newspaper daily). And, this couplet portrays the cultural decline: Mehfil mein ban-sanwar kay woh iss tarah say aaye;/ Sharminda ho rahee hai pakeezgee badan ki. (They arrived at the gathering dressed in the manner that puts decency to shame).

But he has written on other aspects of life, too. For example, Zamana tumharay hee peechchay chalega/ zamanay say aagay agar tum chalogay (If you stay ahead of the world, the world will follow you). It indicates the poet’s respect for progressive attitude. The next couplet provides an insight into the poet’s understanding of fate’s inequities, Na socha tha humnay kay aisa bhi hoga,/ khata hum karenge saza tum bharogay (I had never expected that you will have to pay for my sins). He gets reflective on the insensitivity of others and observes, Chhalaknay lageingay yeh nazron kay paiman, kabhi jab hamaari kahanee padhogay (Your eyes will overflow (with tears) when you will read the story of my life). He also displays his understanding of today’s political culture when he states, Humnay bhi jaan lee hai iss daur kee siyasat,/ Jo kehna woh na karna, jo karna woh na kehna (I have become acquainted with the politics of today, say what you don’t want to do and do what you don’t want to talk about).

Indeed, this eminently readable anthology, adds to the slim but growing corpus of 21^st century Urdu poetry. Dr. Chauhan has done a commendable job indeed.