This story is from February 6, 2016

Urdu, Awadhi, Hindustani blend on stage for marsiya

Urdu, Awadhi, Hindustani blend on stage for marsiya

Lucknow: As Saeed Naqvi, journalist and TV commentator, sat on the pulpit, the black of his clothes complimented the sombre ambience and the exclamation, 'waah kya baat hai' from the audience paid tribute to his narration of Mir Anees's marsiya (long elegy written on the tragedy of Karbala).
Moving his hands in an erratic rhythm, his body swayed with the words that he had orally imbibed since childhood, and the cultural performance then came out of the small qasba of Mustafabad in Awadh to the Awadh Vatika of Qaiserbagh here on Friday.

It was the curtain-raiser to the seventh Sanatkada festival to begin from Saturday, and 'Expressions of Muharram' as they emerged from the Ganga-Jamuni soil of Awadh, gave an apt beginning to the festival's theme 'Lucknow ki rachi basi tehzeeb'.
Trying to share the timeless tradition, getting oral traditions of Muharram rituals out of the small qasbas, the programme brought together a collection of marsiya, soz and salaam in Urdu, Hindustani, Awadhi and Persian, presenting poetry and classical ragas.
While Naqvi performed the varying moods of Anees through his marsiya, he put in his skillful narration and translation for a better understanding. "It is primarily for the youth to get attracted to the oral traditions of their cultural heritage. The youth that is getting distant from its traditions," said Naqvi, who hails from Mustafabad in Rae Bareli.

Centered on the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husain (Prophet Mohammad's grandson), family and friends, the programme had soz and salaams set on classical Indian ragas. So, while Turab performed a soz on Raag Jhinjhoti, Askari performed one on Raag Des and Shanney Naqvi performed a Persian and Urdu version on Raag Yaman Kalyan.
Accompanied by Nazim, Tasneem Kausar, Dipti Bhog, Kashif and Farah Naqvi, the poetry included that of Mir Taqi Mir, Mizra Dabeer, Mir Anees, Josh Malihabadi, Chunnu Lal Dilgeer and a few couplets from Kashmiri poet Brij Narayan Chakbast. Language and customs all quintessentially Awadhi, the literary effusion was performed by not professional stage performers, but people who had learnt the art from a very young age, giving a glimpse of the rituals, oral and performed, from the heart of Awadh.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA