Three Nazms and a Ghazal

For centuries Urdu poets have been writing ghazals but over the last decade or so, fresh voices have become rarer. You may like a couplet here or there but few poets have the capability to astonish you.

You may blame the ghazal format but then poets like Irfan Sattar prove you wrong. I was going through Shabkhoon's last couple of issues and was amazed by this Pakistani poet. The last issue has, hold your breath, 28 of Irfan Sattar's ghazals. Like Lucknow's Irfan Siddiqui (who passed away sometime ago), Sattar has also forged a new way in the Urdu ghazal.

Just two couplets of a ghazal:

itne barsoN baad bhii donoN kaise TuuT ke milte haiN
tuu hai kitnaa saadaa-dil aur ham kitne pechiidaa haiN

sun jaanaaN ham tark-e-taalluq aur kisii din kar lenge
aaj tujhe bhii ujlat sii hai, ham bhii kuchh ranjiidaa haiN

Click to read the whole ghazal in Hindi/Roman/Urdu scripts.

Nazm often gets neglected due to the extra importance given to ghazal in Urdu poetry both due to the latter's unique form and its appeal to the reader.

Ibn-e-Insha's Nazm 'Ek ladka' (not to be confused with Akhtarul Iman's nazm). Click
Nida Fazli's Nazm on Jalgaon riot where Hajra Begum's four children were burnt. Click
Khalilur Rahman Azmi's Nazm Main Gautam Nahin Hun. Click

Urdu school results in India show improvement

The results of Urdu medium schools for the session 2006-2007 have been encouraging. Compared to past years, the pass percentage has been up in almost all the states.

In Maharashtra, the pass percentage has been 79% for High School (Xth) and 91% for Intermediate (XII). In Bihar it has been 55% and 56% respectively. In West Bengal the percentage of students appearing through Urdu medium who passed has been 50% and 59% for High School and Intermediate respectively.

In Rajasthan, it has been 41% and 50%, Madhya Pradesh 30% and 48%, Delhi 52% and 67%, Andhra Pradesh 45% and 65%, Punjab 42% and 50%. The figures for Karnataka that also has large number of Urdu schools is not available yet. Still, the figure is much better.

Uttar Pradesh, the state with highest Urdu speaking populace doesn't have a single Urdu medium school (compared to a small district like Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh that has 55 schools).

The problems facing Urdu medium students is delay in getting text books, which is annual feature, lack of school/college of Urdu medium after they pass out of schools that have classes only up till 5th, 8th, Xth or XIIth. Also, lack of trained teachers and career counselling are the major impediments in their way.

On the left is photograph of a school where classes are held under tents. Even in Delhi, most schools have dilapidated buildings, roofs that can fall any day. There is no dearth of funds for minorities and neither any lack of schemes for education but absolute lack of apathy amongst common Muslim towards education, makes it difficult for student of Urdu medium schools to compete with students of English and other medium.

Hyderabad, the last citadel of Urdu in India

What's different about this photograph?

The display boards in shops are in Urdu apart from English, like Akshay Jewellers as seen in photo. Such boards are seen only in Hyderabad, which in a way is the last citadel of Urdu in India.May be there are such hoardings and boards in Kashmir. But I haven't been there.

Few non-Muslims consider Urdu as their language and even in Cities like Lucknow it has become very rare to find billboards/display boards in Urdu.

This photo was taken near Char Minar. Of course, traders have their business considerations in mind and have no great love for any language. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena had recently started a campaign asking shop owners to write the shop names in Marathi.

Malegaon & Bhiwandi electorate dump Congress

The rout of Congress in the civic elections in Malegaon and Bhiwandi, the two Muslim-majority towns of Maharashtra, comes just in wake of Congress' dismal performance in UP where for the first time not a single Muslim MLA of the party could win.

Didn't Congress have enough indications or they were just not bothered? For years they kept the Sri Krishna commission report under the carpet though they pledged to implement it before elections. The indifference of the then Congress Chief Minister late Sudhakar Rao Naik towards the riots (before blasts) is well known.

And though convictions have begun in the serial blast case, justice eludes the victims of the two rounds of rioting that had killed over a thousand people in Mumbai in 1992-93. There is hardly any action against the tainted police officers. And Vilas Rao Deshmukh government has shown a contemptuous disregard to the demand for CBI inquiry in Malegaon blasts.

However, the emergence of a new party Indian Muslim Congress which won 27 seats to emerge as singly largest party in Malegaon and the Independents grabbing pushing behind all other parties in Bhiwandi, are clear signs that Muslims had finally decided to dump the liars and would vote for any party other than Congress. Muslim Congress had fought the election solely on the plank of development and without any preparation (it was floated a few days before election). IMC sought votes for 'taraqqi aur bhaichara' (development and communal harmony in the town).

Mohib has written a comprehensive piece on the victory of Muslim Congress at IndianMuslims.in. We might see the resurgence of BSP in Maharashtra. In fact, soon after the results of Malegaon municipal corporation came out, there were reports that Shiv Sena and Muslim Congress could come together and stake claim for the post of Mayor and run the Corporation.

Though it was termed as rumour by IMC leader Mufti Ismail. But isn't it a healthy trend? Why should Muslims remain perpetually in a state of fear created by Congress and keep a distance from Shiv Sena/BJP. Gujarat carnage aside, the role of Congress has been far worse.

In Maharashtra, Muslims have been angry with the Congress for several reasons. It is the only state where 40% of jail inmates are Muslim against their share in state population, which is 10%. There is no implementation of 15-point programme for Muslims in the state and it is hard to believe but the state doesn't have the Minority Welfare portfolio in the government at present.

Precious waqf property worth hundreds of crores including that of the orphanage in the heart of Mumbai has been illegally sold with government's tacit approval. The job scenerio for Muslims is bleak as suggested by the recruitment in police last year.

Muslims students lose out as Marathi is the medium of entrance examination in the police force. Tales of harassment by ATS have acquired dangerous proportions. A Muslim politician told me that none of the 70 boards/corporations has a Muslim chairman. Of course, it wouldn't help much even if there are many but the problem is that Muslims are neither getting loans nor their colleges/institutions are getting aid properly.


Third front has won in both places:

Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation (84): Independents 37, SP 17, Congress 14, Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi (Javed Dalvi) 9, Shiv Sena 14, BJP 4

Malegaon Municipal Corporation (72): Indian Muslim Congress (IMC) 27, Congress 15, JD (S) 13, Shiv Sena 7, MNS (Raj Thackeray) 2, NCP 2, SP 1

One must remember that the towns like Malegaon and Bhiwandi have the Muslim artisan population which had left towns of UP after the 1857. Soon after the first war of independence when the Muslims who were actively involved in the 'mutiny' were targeted by British, the stream of migration started. The Hindu populace in Maharashtra had welcomed them with open arms and helped in settling the 'baaghis'.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Muslims from UP working in Maharashtra towns including Mumbai return to their homestate every year. For the last several years they were returning back with the tales of horror at the hands ofMaharashtra police. This had set the anti-Congress mood in UP amongst Muslims.

Congress was always seen as a party Muslims would vote due to lack of alternative. But recent elections have shown that not just in UP but other states as well Muslims are no longer ready to be treated as a ryot of the party.

'Hindu-Muslim can be best friends' community at Orkut

There exist innumerable communities on the social networking site, Orkut but here I am writing about the community 'Hindu-Muslim can b best friends'. If you are on Orkut member, you can reach there straight by clicking here.

It's a beautiful community that seems growing fast. I must congratulate the owner, GG, and the moderators SAA and Abdullah, for the effort. Already it has 531 members and I wish the membership here would grow.

http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=16602368

Each and every day one comes across articles/messages on sites and blogs that only talk about Hindu-Muslim differences but when you come across such a sweet community, one feels delighted. I believe that millions of Hindus and Muslims have their best friends belonging to the other faith. But the micro-minuscule lumpen lot on both sides, which works with a missionary zeal and hate, to post venomous posts/comments on blogs and sites, are mistakenly construed as representative voices of Hindus and Muslims.

Such efforts either by GG or any of us, in any capacity, can surely change the perception. We must speak out more about what is common between us and foil the attempts of those who try to give the impression as if Hindus and Muslims are at war. Just that I really like GG's concept of this cute community.