Urdu is the language of between 60 and 80 million people around the world. In Pakistan Urdu is the official language, a lingua franca in the country. In India Urdu is spoken in places where there are large Muslim minorities or cities which were bases for Muslim Empires in the past. India has more than 29 daily Urdu newspapers.
Urdu has been the premier language of poetry in South Asia for two centuries, and has developed a rich tradition in a variety of poetic genres. The 'Ghazal' in Urdu represents the most popular form of subjective poetry, while the 'Nazm' exemplifies the objective kind, often reserved for narrative, descriptive, didactic or satirical purposes. Under the broad head of the Nazm we may also include the classical forms of poems known by specific names such as 'Masnavi' (a long narrative poem in rhyming couplets on any theme: romantic, religious, or didactic), 'Marsia' (an elegy traditionally meant to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, grandson of Muhammad, and his comrades of the Karbala fame), or 'Qasida' (a panegyric written in praise of a king or a nobleman), for all these poems have a single presiding subject, logically developed and concluded. However, these poetic species have an old world aura about their subject and style, and are different from the modern Nazm, supposed to have come into vogue in the later part of the nineteenth century.
Excerpted from the Wikipedia entry for Urdu. |
Any account of Urdu’s literary culture would be incomplete without a description of the mushaira (poetry contests) and the special role it played in finessing the art of ghazal poetry. Generally speaking the mushaira is an assembly or gathering where poets are invited to recite their compositions before an audience. The mushaira probably had its formal beginnings in the 15th -16th century literary circuits of Iran and made its way to India where it thrived.. In the courtly culture of pre modern times such assemblies were organized at the behest of rulers, members of the nobility or leading poets of the time. Usually the gathering was a venue where poetic talents were put to test and poets tried to outdo one another in presenting their poetic compositions. The ghazal was the anchor of mushairas. A specimen line in a difficult meter or one with an unusual qafiya (rhyme word) known as the misra’ e tarh was selected by the organizer, and then dispatched by way of challenge cum invitation to poets.
Poets’ performances at mushairas often made or unmade their reputations. It wasn’t just the poetry but also the presentation which won appreciation from the highly receptive participatory audiences. Singing, dramatic renditions, idiosyncratic dress, overall appearance, everything counted in the making of a remarkable presentation. Typically mushairas begin late at night and continue into the early hours.
The mushaira affirms the orality of the ghazal, its mellifluity, the universality of its themes; it is a poetry meant to be shared not read in seclusion. Fortunately, the mushaira continued to evolve with the times, its popularity remains undiminished. The practice of selecting a misra-e tarh, which imposed all kinds of challenges for mushaira organizers as well as poets, was eventually discarded. The mushaira also made room for the non-ghazal variety of poetry, such as the nazm.
After Partition, Indo-Pak mushairas became the rage, the old competitive spirit fired by nationalistic zeal. More recently, Alami or World mushairas are sponsored by diasporic communities especially in the Middle East and the UK. In the US the Aligarh Alumni Association organizes an annual mushaira in different cities notably Washington DC that attracts large crowds of Urdu lovers.
Our UrduFest mushaira is one of a kind in that it’s a celebration of not only poetry but also other literary genres. Its claim to ‘mushairaness’ lies in the perfomative aspect of the tradition: We have poets and authors reading from their recent works. Please join us in cheering them on!
Mehr Farooqi
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