Urdu poetry, homosexuality and medieval culture

I did not initially want to write about this subject that needs at least a book on this blog because it might appear too perverted in this era. But I have got some emails and I think I should write on it because people generally are not aware about that particular 'culture' of the bygone era.

And yes, classical homosexuality or pederasty should not be confused with Gays. They are different. Fellow blogger, Lucky Fatima, has written about Urdu also, I will deal about that latter in detail or kindly read Shamsurrahman Faruqi's great work on this subject that dispels myths of centuries about Sanskrit-Prakrit-Urdu-Hindi.

Firstly, we all know Firaq's son committed suicide because he was a master 'aghlaam-baaz or amrad-parast viz. those who had sexual relations with young boys (teenagers). Firaq had not spared even his son's friend who had stayed for a night in his house.

Josh Malihabadi was a great amrad-parast and in his autobiography Yaadon ki Baraat he has taken great pains to describe both his pederastical as well as heterosexual affairs. Basically, for centuries when women remained confined to houses, the men preyed on young boys.

Somehow after partition in India at least (I thank god for end to that murky world of middle-aged men preying upon young boys all-over North India). Not jus ordinary folk bu clerics, litterateurs and great educationists of the era were all fond of this hobby.

In fact, it was bisexuality at its best. Meer was of course mad after the son of an itr-seller. His collection has hundreds of couplets explicitly reflecting his sexual orientation and the uftaad-tibaa.

The situation was so bad in North India that after maghrib (evenig), the boys were just not allowed outside their houses. The teachers, a majority of them, even in madarsas lured their pupil.

One has to just read legendary poet Akhtarul Iman's autobiography in which he has written how men exchanged their 'boys tutored in the art of sex' all over Delhi.

Or how a famous poet who was associated with All India Radio recalls in his autobiography that when he was ten or twelve ( he was fair and had soft features) the situation was so bad in the city that groups of middle-aged men and youth were hunting for him.

His parents were asked to shift him to a southern city else he might have lost his 'virginity'. Today it may be difficult for our generation to understand what either of the sides enjoyed so much in this relationship but those familiar to this dark world are aware that once a 'master of this so-called art' trapped a boy, the latter also found it tough to get out. I don't want to be too explicit though.

Read 'Tazkira-e-Khush Muarka-e-Zeba' about the social life of Oudh during Nawabi era where almost every male on the street appeared bisexual. In fact, our society treated these subjects as taboos and the books in Persian and Urdu of that era gathered dusts, who is there to read them or even the new books about that era now?

Lack of familiarity for Urdu script has brought us here that we don't even know how different that period was. Mercifully though. But those living in old quarters of Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Delhi and other cities of UP, Bihar still know how widespread this amrad-parasti is.

I wonder how the eminent personalities like that great editor of a famous urdu newspaper always kept 4-5 young boys for sexual gratification and when about it would laugh it off. Like Hoor and Ghilman promised in paradise, this ghilman or young boy as sweet as pearls brought a hypocritical religious sanction for pederasty.

If anyone wants to have a peep into that world he can read Gulistan of Saa'di where scores of pages are devoted to stories about young males in love, living like 'badaam mein do giri'. And mind you, Gulistan was taught to Muslim boys all over the world for centuries.

It must have been deliberate process to make the young ones accept this as fate and condition their minds. Read Olympian Aslam Sher Khan's book in which he cites how no boy could play hockey at higher level until he submitted to his 'ustaad' in Bhopal. This book 'To Hell With Hockey' is available online.

And the poignant account of his life when an elderly person tried to bring him to couch. That man was his father's friend and Aslam Sher Khan was in tears. Hurt and angry, he threw hockey stick in disgust.

But homosexuality as our poets like Iftikhar Naseem of Pakistan 'Ifti' who claim is different from this pederasty. Like he says in India-Pakistan Shaadi is a purdah and Ifti claims he is a female trapped in a male's body but his relationship is with consent and with adults. There are finer differences. I think books can be written about this but it is useless.

Allah ka shukr hai that such society that had created such a disgusting culture is now history. More so in Persia (Iran) it was always the culture. Still, it is prevalent in Afghanistan. And though Muslims were champions of this art including our great kings, one of whom had died in one such passionate session that reached heights of nonsensical perversion, even Hindus were no less addicted in North India.

We all know that all the founders of RSS--either the 'great' Vir Sawarkar or the killers of Gandhi viz. Karkare, Apte etc were homosexual. Read Freedom at Midnight's original unedited version.

[I do not want to hurt anyone's sentiments. I have not gone into real details because it may shock people and it will not serve any. I have no business to condemn any sexual attitude as long as it is not forced. As far as religion is concerned, it is not our job to judge a fellow Muslim or non-Muslim. Thanks]