Roshanai

The classical age of Urdu poetry came to an end in 1960 when  Jigar Moradabadi, the poet we are going to listen today, took his last breath. He was born as Ali Sikandar but is fondly known by his nom-de-plume, Jigar which translates to “courage” in Urdu. True to his name, his poetry was courageous, free-spirited and beautiful . His poetic expression is akin to Pushkin’s only taken a notch above. He fell in love twice, the second time with his ex-wife who he later remarried after overcoming a lifelong drinking problem. His loves and losses only gave his poetry new perspectives and meanings. He left an impact not only with his beautiful body of work but with his influence on some of the most well known modern poets of Urdu Majaz, Faiz and Jan Nisar Akhtar.

Today’s poem was written by a poet who was more famous for her stardom in Hindi Films than her poetry. Born as Mahjabeen Bano, she was better known by her screen name, Meena Kumari. She ruled the Hindi Film industry with her acting and sublime beauty for four decades. She wrote beautiful poetry under the nom-de-plume, “Naaz” and was poetry in motion on screen. Her personal life was as tragic as the characters that she portrayed on screen. Behind the glitter of silver screen, she struggled with domestic violence, an insecure husband and alcohol addiction before passing away at the young age of 38. She was an autodidact and taught herself English, Hindi and Urdu in the absence of a formal education. This poem reflects her loneliness in a world of fame, arc lights and stardom. #MeenaKumari #Meena #Hindi #Urdu #India #Bollywood #poetry 

For episode 7, I decided to stay with Ramdhari Singh Dinkar whose poem we heard in the last episode. I chose this poem, Rashmi Rathi because I have always been mesmerized by it. It has a lyrical quality while being a study in Hindi grammar and vocabulary. It is a retelling of the Hindu epic Mahabharat from Karna’s perspective.  Karna is the most interesting character of the Mahabharat. Born of an unwed mother and misunderstood through his life, he is torn between siding with his dear friend or with his half-brothers in the Great War of Mahabharat. The word Rashmirathi literally translates to “the one who rides the rays of the sun” and refers to Karna himself. Though vastly different in their plotlines, there are a lot of parallels between the epic of Gilgamesh and Mahabharat. Both use historically relevant places and events and both are epic stories of human emotion, magic realism, destruction, hope and realization of the truths. I am reading an excerpt from part three of Rashmi Rathi, where Krishna, brings a peace proposal to Kauravas one of the warring parties. The proposal is spurned and Krishna insulted. Krishna, who is a human avatar of  God Vishnu, then warns about the horrors of a war unlike any other, in his gargantuan God form which encapsulates the universe and time itself. #Dinkar #Hindi #poetry #Mahabharat #Karna #Karn #Krishna #rashmi #rathi #Gilgamesh 

Ramdhari Singh “Dinkar” (23 September 1908 – 24 April 1974), was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist, patriot and academic, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He remerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his nationalist poetry written in the days before Indian independence. He has been hailed as the national poet of India on account of his patriotic body of work. This poem “Samar Shesh hai” which translates to “The war still remains” was written seven years after Indian Independence to lament the betrayal of dreams of a prosperous nation. #Hindi #Dinkar #Ramdhari #Singh #Poetry #India  

Asrar-ul Haq Majaz (  19th October 1911 – 5th December 1955, AKA Majaz Lucknavi ) is one of the most important Urdu poets of 20th century. Famous for both romantic as well as  revolutionary poetry, his compositions truly reflects the spirit of  Lucknow School of Poetry. He has been called "Keats of Urdu poetry" for his poetic expression. This poem is an example of his beautiful expression and iconoclasm.  Meaning of some Urdu words in the poem: Ataab/ عتاب/ इ'ताब - Anger Mauquuf/موقوف/मौक़ूफ़ - Anger Ahl-e-nazar /اہلِ نظر / अहल-ए-नज़र - Person with a  keen eye, discerning expert Aavaaraa/آوارہ /आवारा - vagabond, hobo Majnuun/مجنون/ मजनूँ - Crazy Diida-e-tar/ دیدۂ تر / दीदा-ए-तर - tearful eyes khaana-kharaab / خانہ خراب / ख़ाना-ख़राब - Destroyed (here, broken heart) mutrib-e-bebaak/ مطرب بیباک / मुतरिब-ए-बेबाक - Daring musician saaqii-e-fayyaaz  - generous server of alcohol, generally female

Kanupriya is a narrative poem written in 5 parts from Radha’s perspective, who is the lover and eternal consort of Hindu God, Krishna. In each part it explores a woman’s joy, pain, sexuality, confidence and indispensability in love.  #Hindi #Kanupriya #Dharmvir #Bharati #poetry #poem

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib is the most celebrated and unarguably the greatest poet of Urdu. This poem is an example of his brilliance (aka spunk in millennial speak), where he combined his masterful verse to cheekily taunt Zauq, the royal court poet. Zauq was the more established poet and Ghalib was a mere upstart. This poem triggered a very (in)famous and lifelong rivalry between them. #Urdu #Ghalib #poetry

This episode brings to you the sublime brilliance of Sahir Ludhiavni from his poem "Aao koi khwaab bunein" ("Let's weave dreams of tomorrow"). The poem exhorts the listener to dream the dreams of a better tomorrow, for the bleak present shall pass someday. It is a beautiful poem that is both romantic and has a political subtext. 

The first episode of Roshanai ("Ink" in Urdu, روشنائی , रौशनाइ) is my rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem Subh-e-Azadi (Dawn of Freedom) Faiz is widely regarded as one of the best poets in Urdu who gave voice to the melancholy of the Indian sub-continent. He wrote Subh-e-Azadi to lament the partition, loss and violence that accompanied Indian independence.