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Mushairas: Urdu Poetry Recitals
By Mohammed Ayub Khan 18/07/2001
The Urdu Mushaira (Arabic for "gathering of poets") is a phenomenon rapidly gaining widespread popularity in the Indo-Pak Muslim community in the United States and United Kingdom. These Urdu poetry recitals, which have long-standing traditions in South Asia, are unlike those seen anywhere in the world.
At these occasions, hundreds of people listen to poet after poet until well after midnight. Urdu Mushairas have unique characteristics that allow audience members to interject and interrupt the reciting poet, finish a couplet even before the poet does, and even applaud or criticize the poet right in the middle of a performance. The poets, for their part, explore many aspects of society including: corruption, achievements, religion, poverty, etc. A few also delve into topics focusing on love.
Apart from their entertainment value, the Mushairas have also done much to keep the Urdu language alive - not only in the West, but in India, where there is a systematic campaign by the government to wipe out the language. When some people complained to a visiting religious scholar from India about the popularity of these Mushairas, he replied, "At least they are keeping Urdu alive."
The Mushairas in South Asia, before the eclipse of the Muslim empire, were popular among both the masses and nobility. Kings and noblemen often had entire entourages of court poets and lavish gifts were bestowed on them (the poets), especially on those who were extravagant in their praise of their benefactors.
Such was the spell of the poetry on the Indian psyche that many a king lost his kingdom while indulging wholly in poetry and ignoring duties to the state. This was especially so after the death of the pious Muslim monarch, Aurangzeb. One of his successors, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was a master of poetry, but totally inept at combating the growing British menace in the country. He finally lost his throne to the British and was exiled to Burma.
Even after the loss of Muslim power, the Mushairas retained their influence and acquired an entirely new dimension. Indian freedom fighters contesting British rule often used them to spread their message to the general populace. They helped forge Hindu-Muslim unity in India during the fight against the British. After independence, and the subsequent partition of India and Pakistan, the Mushairas managed to remain a multi-faith coalition, even though most of the poets - as well as the attendees - were Muslim. Despite this, cross-border interactions between poets have continued and Indo-Pak Mushairas are continuing to make strides in both countries. To coincide with the recently completed summit of the heads of the two nations, a Mushaira was organized in Delhi.
The unending tide of Indo-Pak immigrants to the West also brought with it the Mushaira. Western participants are often invited to special events sponsored by organizations from their homelands, which are generally organized by the alumni associations of the two prominent universities of India: Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh and Osmania University in Hyderabad. These annual events are cultural festivals that are colorful and entertaining as well as educational. Not only are prominent poets from abroad invited, but also a strong contingent of U.S. resident poets. It was one such event that I attended a few weeks ago.
The annual Mushaira of the Aligarh Alumni was, strangely enough, held at Temple Menorah, a Jewish reform synagogue in Chicago. The fliers, while informing about the date and venue of the event, didn't give any indication of the time. When I reached temple at 9:00 pm, people were still arriving. After several technical and organizational glitches, the Mushaira finally started at 11:00 p.m.
The chairperson of the night's event was Abidullah Ghazi, a noted scholar from Chicago. Preceding the actual Mushaira was a celebration acknowledging the works and dedication to Urdu by a visiting scholar/poet, Gopi Chand Narang. Narang, a Hindu, is one of the leading scholars of Urdu today. Laudatory speeches were made praising his accomplishments. When the Mushaira actually started an hour or so later, the hall was brimming with people restless for it to begin.
Poets with exotic pen names like Himayat Ali Shair, Waseem Barelvi, Peerzada Qasim, Zakia Ghazal, and Anwar Masood Taqi Abidi, recited at the event. Almost all the poets, with the possible exception of a few, recited poetry that could be considered Islamically acceptable. The audience was especially captivated by Waseem Barelvi and insisted that he recite more than once. All good poetry was applauded with Wah! Wah! (Bravo! Bravo!) and Dubara Irshad ("Repeat"). The audience also encouraged the poets to recite their works in a singing style by shouting "Tarannum, Tarannum". Most of them happily complied when requested to do so.
The Mushaira lasted well into the wee hours of the morning, finally ending at 4:00 AM. Almost all the members of the audience were Muslim, mostly middle-aged and elderly, with a decent number of youth.
This particular Mushaira was harmless and innocent entertainment. But, while Mushairas still have their hold on the people, it would be wise for Muslim leaders to utilize them to promote Islamic values. One suggestion is to hold Naateya Mushairas, which are purely religious poetical gatherings that are very popular in India.
There is indeed a real danger that if these events are not kept in check, they might recede into the area of the profane, making them a source of negative influence on the community. On the other hand, if properly channeled they will not only generate healthy Islamic values, but also pass down the love of the Urdu language to coming generations.
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