Best names in Urdu poetry regale city audience at mushaira

NAGPUR: “Poets and literary figures are shying away from political comment because today everything is given a communal colour,” said Urdu poet Munnawar Rana. He and eight other poets were in the city to attend ‘Caravan-e-Adab,’ a mushaira organized by SCZCC on Sunday. A couple of them in an informal chat with TOI, spoke about their predicament as literary figures.
“We live in dangerous times fraught with communalism and terrorism. Poets fight shy of speaking out for fear of getting branded,” says Rana. But he feels that in the current environment it’s poets and writers who can bring about a change. “Those who wield the pen have power to create opinions.”
Another poet Manzar Bhopali feels people want to connect with literature. “Books are fading away and now we connect through YouTube and Facebook,” he says. “Every poet is sensitive towards crime against women, communalism and terrorism. I am also observing initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and have commented on it,” says Bhopali as he rattles of a couplet, “Yeh apni zameen, apna watan, apna makan hai, savrega yeh kaise jo savarenge nahi hum.”
Underlining the importance of bringing literary persons to the fore, senior poet Gulzar Dehalvi says, “It’s only a poet who can selflessly create awareness in society through his writings. Government needs to bring them to forefront.”
Later in the evening at SCZCC’s Muktangan it was a packed house. Dedicating the mushaira to the new CM on his maiden visit to the city, Iqbal Ashar from Delhi saluted the new government with the couplet, ‘gulab patthar pe ug rahe hain, chirag andhiyon main jal rahe hain.’ Qasim Imam who also anchored the mushaira took a swipe on the system with, ‘Munsif ne ankhon pe kali patti bandhi hai, qatil ne bhi socha ki ab sharmana kya’. Saying that the country is looking forward to change he voiced the mood with, “Bar bar roothi duniya ko manana kya, jo na kahe na sune aur na kare aise sarkar ko sarkar banana kya.'
The only women poetess, Nusrat Mehdi touched a chord with her focus on women. But Manzar Bhopali in his loud and clear voice had the attention of the audience as he recited, “Betiyon ke liye bhi haath uthao manzar, sirf Allah se beta hi nahi manga karte.’ Making the mood lighter with his humour, Popular Merathi’s couplets got the added zing with his style of narration as he spoke of social inequalities.
But the stage was dominated by Munnawar Rana as he dipped into nostalgia, romance and social issues. Greeting the new CM on his arrival to the city, Rana nudged with the couplet, ‘Ek ansoo bhi hukumat ke liye khatra hai, hamne dekha hai ankhon ka samundar hona.’ Others who took to the stage include Nida Fazli, Waseem Barelive, Rahat Indori, Gulzar Dehalvi, Anwar Jalalpuri.