Tag Archives: Rana Safvi

How a royal wedding erupted into an epic battle of wits between Ghalib and the court poet

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , ,

DELHI :

Zauq and Ghalib took digs at each other through a sehra penned for a prince’s wedding and the Red Fort reverberated with this clash of titans.

The sehra, or prothalamion, (song to celebrate a wedding) is now a vanishing genre. I remember while I was growing up that almost all nikahs would have a sehra read by a relative with poetic aspirations, after the ceremony.

Though sehras are supposed to be in praise of the groom and a prayer for his wedded life, these would be witty and laudatory at the same time, usually a humorous dig at all relatives. A copy of this would then be distributed to the wedding guests.

Sehras fall into the category of nazms and have to be in meter.

The most famous sehra, of course, is the one penned by Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) for a royal wedding, in which he took a dig at the emperor’s Ustad, Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq (1788/9-1854).

Zauq and Ghalib were contemporaries in Delhi, and their rivalry was legendary. Zauq had been given the title of Khaqani e Hind and drew a nominal salary of Rs 4 per month. The respect and position that he gained as a result was immense. It also gave him free access to the Qila e Moalla (Red Fort).

This was a constant thorn in the side of Mirza Ghalib, who felt he was better and deserved a royal position too. Thus, he never let go of any chance to score poetic points over his rival.

One such chance came at the last grand Mughal wedding, on April 2, 1852 – that of Jawan Bakht, Badshah Bahadur Shah Zafar’s son by his favourite and youngest wife Zeenat Mahal, to Nawab Shah Zamani Begum.

Begum Zeenat Mahal asked Ghalib to write a ‘sehra’ for her son’s wedding. The honour should have gone to Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq, but he was reportedly unwell.

William Dalrymple in his book The Last Mughal writes: “The marriage procession of Prince Jawan Bakht left the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort at 2 am on the hot summer night of 2 April, 1852.”

Dalrymple goes on to write that what was remembered longest and discussed most about the wedding was not so much the festivities or the feasting or the fireworks, but “the marriage odes recited by the Poet Laureate Zauq, and his rival Mirza Nausha, now more widely known by his pen-name Ghalib.”

Ghalib wrote a ‘sehra’ whose maqta (the last couplet in an Urdu ghazal which contains the poet’s pen name) was:

  • ‘hum suKhan_fahm haiN, Ghalib ke tarafdaar nahiN
  • dekheN keh de koi is sehre se baRh kar sehra’

We are connoisseurs of poetry, not partial to Ghalib

Let’s see if there’s anyone who can write a better ‘sehra’

The emperor, realising that this was a dig at his mentor Zauq, is said to have been displeased with the maqta. A slight to his mentor was seen as a slight to the emperor himself. Zafar asked Zauq to write a ‘sehra’ too. Not one to let go of an opportunity, Zauq included these line.

  • jin ko daawa ho suKhan ka yeh sunaa do unko
  • dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra

Tell those who claim to be eloquent

This is how poets write a sehra

The fort reverberated with this clash of titans and it is recorded that the Crown Prince Mirza Fakhruddin (also a disciple of Mirza Zauq) exclaimed, “Ustaad ne maidan maar liya“.Dalrymple writes: “The squabble at the wedding was over a single verse in Ghalib’s sehra (or wedding oration) where he appeared – characteristically – to suggest that no one in the gathering could write a couplet as well as he…. Zafar [the king] also encouraged Zauq to reply to Ghalib’s unprovoked sally. The fine sehra that the Poet Laureate came up with ended with a couplet tossing the challenge back to Ghalib:

The person who claims poetic skills,Recite this to him and say,”Look-this is how a poet”

This round went to Zauq as the singers in attendance picked up the verse and spread it all over Shahjahanabad. By next day it was in the newspapers.”

Ghalib then wrote his celebrated qat’a-e-ma’azerat’ (letter of apology), in response to the emperor’s reaction. However, the egoistic poet left no ‘verse’ unturned in adding insult to injury, using poetry as a medium to prove his supremacy and take a dig at Zauq’s humble origins and the Emperor’s negligence of him.

The maqta of this ghazal became even more famous.

      • manzoor hai guzaarish-e-ahvaal-e-waaqa’aii
      • apna bayaan-e-Husn-e-tabii’yat nahiN mujhe
      • I accept the request to state the facts, To praise oneself is not a habit of mine
      • sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgarikuchh shayari,
      • zari’ye-e-izzat nahiN mujhe
      • My forefathers have been warriors for hundred generations
      • By writing poetry, fame I seek not
      • aazaadah rau huN, aur mira maslak hai sul
      • H-e-kulhargiz kabhi kisi se adaawat nahiN mujhe
      • I am a free spirit and my conduct is always peaceful,I bear malice against no one
      • kya kam hai yeh sharaf ke Zafar ka Ghulaam huN
      • maana ke jaah-o-mansab-o-sarwat nahiN mujhe
      • Is the privilege not enough that I serve Zafar,
      • Agreed rank, position and affluence I have not
      • ustaad-e-shah se ho mujhe par Khaash ka Khayaal
      • yeh taab, yeh majaal, yeh taaqat nahiN mujhe
      • The thought of a row with the king’s mentor
      • This arrogance, this audacity, this strength I have not
      • jaam-e-jahaaN_numa hai shahenshaah ka zameer
      • saugand aur gawaah ki Haajat nahiN mujhe
      • The king’s conscience is all encompassing,
      • The need for an oath and witness I have not
      • sehraa likhaa gaya ze_rah-e-imtiSaal-e-amr
      • dekhaa ke chaarah Ghair ita’at nahiN mujhe
      • The sehra was written in obedience of orders,
      • Non compliance with that order I dare not
      • maqt’e meiN aa paRi hai suKhan gustaraana baat
      • maqsood is se qat’a-e-moHabbat nahiN mujhe
      • I wrote something in the maqta’ which became popular,
      • A reason to ending friendship I want not.
      • ruu-e-suKhan kisi taraf ho, tau ruu_siyaah
      • sauda nahiN, junooN nahiN, veHshat nahiN mujhe
      • If I aimed it at someone in particular then may my face beblackened,
      • I am neither mad, nor crazed nor so deprived of sense.
      • qismat buri sahii, pa tabii’yat buri nahi
      • Nhai shukr ki jagah, ke shikaayat nahiN mujhe
      • Although my luck is bad, but my habits aren’t bad,
      • I’m in a place of thankfulness and complain I do not.
      • saadiq huN apne qaul meiN Ghalib Khuda_gawaah
      • kehta huN sach ke jhooT ki a’adat nahiN mujhe
      • Always true to his word is Ghalib, as God is my witness,
      • I tell you the truth as lie I do not.

This is the original sehra written by Ghalib for Mirza Jawan Bakht:

      • Khush ho ai baKht ke hai aaj tere sar sehraabaa
      • Ndh shahazada Javaa.N baKht ke sar par seharaa
      • [baKht = luck; pun on Groom’s name]
      • kyaa hii is chaaNd se mukhaDe pe bhalaa lagataa hai
      • hai tere husn-e-dil_afroz kaa zevar sehraa
      • [husn-e-dil_afroz = beauty that lights up the heart]
      • sar pe chaDhnaa tujhe phabataa hai par ai tarf-e-kulaah
      • mujhko Dar hai ke na chhiine tera lambar sehraa
      • [phabataa = suits]
      • nav bhar kar hii piroye gaye honge motii
      • varnaa kyun laaye hain kishtii mein lagaakar sehraa
      • saat dariyaa ke faraaham kiye honge motii
      • tab banaa hogaa is andaaz kaa gaz bhar sehraa
      • ruKh pe dulhaa ke jo garmii se pasiinaa Tapakaa
      • hai rag-e-abr-e-guharabaar saraasar sehraa
      • ye bhii ik be’adabii thii ke qabaa se baDh jaaye
      • rah gayaa aan ke daaman ke baraabar sehraa
      • jii me.n itaraaye.N na motii ke hamii.n hai.n ik chiiz
      • chaahiye phuulon ko bhii ek mukarrar sehraa
      • jab ke apane mein samaave’n na Khushii mein maare
      • guu.Ndhe phuulon kaa bhalaa phir koii kyuu.Nkar sehraa
      • ruKh-e-raushan kii damak gauhar-e-Galtaa kii chamak
      • kyuN na dikhalaaye faroG-e-maah-o-aKhtar sehraa
      • taar resham kaa nahii.n hai ye rag-e-abr-e-bahaar
      • laayegaa taab-e-giraa.Nbaari-e-gauhar sehraa
      • ham suKhan_faham hain “Ghalib” ke tarafadaar nahii.n
      • dekhe.n is sehare se kah de koii ba.Dhakar sehraa
      • [suKhan_faham = patron of poetry]
      • Zauq’s sehra
      • Ai Javaan Bakht mubarak tujhe sar par sehra
      • Aaj hai Yaman wa Sada’t ka tere sar sehra
      • Aaj woh din hai ke laaye durr e anjum se falak
      • Kashti e zar mah e nau ke lagakar sehra
      • Tabish husn se manind shua e khursheed
      • Rukh e pur noor pe hai tere munawwar sehra
      • Woh kahe Salle Alay eh kahe SubhanAllah
      • Dekhe mukhade pe jot ere mah o akhtar sehra
      • Taa banni aur banne mein rahe ikhlas baham
      • Goondhiye sura e ikhlas padhkar sehra
      • Dhoom hai gulshan e afaaq mein is sehre ki
      • Gaaye’n marghaan e nava sanj na kyunkar sehra
      • Ru e farkh pe jo hain tere baraste anwar
      • Taar e barish se bana ek sarasar sehra
      • Ek ko ek pe tazai’n hai dam e araaish
      • Sir pe dastar hai, dastar ke oopar sehra
      • Ek gauhar bhi nahin sadgaan e gauhar mein choda
      • Tera banwaaya hai le leke jo gauhar sehra
      • Phirti khushboo se hai itraayi huyi baad e bahaar
      • Allah Allah re phoolo’n se moatta’r sehraa
      • Sar pe turra hai muzaiyyan to gale mein baddhi
      • Kangana haath mein zeba hai to munh par sehra
      • Runumayi mein tujhe de mah o khurshid o falak
      • Khol de munh ko jot u munh se uthakar sehra
      • Kasrat e taar e nazar se hai tamaashiyo’n ke
      • Dam e nazara tere ru e niko par sehra
      • Durr e khush aab e mazameen se banakar laaya
      • Waaste tere tera Zauq sanagar sehra
      • Jis ko daawa hai suKhan ka yeh sunaa de usko
      • Dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra

 

(This article first appeared on the author’s blog.)

source: http://www.dailyo.in / Daily O / Home> Arts & Culture / by Rana Safvi  @iamrana / December 27th, 2017

Battle of Patparganj to Bahadur Shah Zafar’s trial: Delhi’s journey since 1803, at the click of a mouse

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

A 100-member team of archivists is digitising over 10 crore documents to prevent further loss. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in two years.

A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaibun Nisa Baigum dated 8 October 1802 at Delhi archives.(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaibun Nisa Baigum dated 8 October 1802 at Delhi archives.(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

On March 9, 1858, a British court declared Delhi’s last king, Bahadur Shah Zafar, guilty of rebellion, treason and murder before exiling him to Rangoon in the then British-controlled Burma. The trial was approved and confirmed a month later by N Penny, major general commanding, Meerut division.

One hundred and fifty nine years later, the 42-day trial conducted at Diwan-e-Khaas of the Red Fort by British prosecutor Major F Harriott lies preserved word for word at the Delhi archives in the form of a hardbound book comprising 262-pages.

Apart from the handwritten trial papers, the Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans (imperial orders), maps, land acquisition award statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders narrating the historical and political journey of Delhi since 1803.

So far accessible to only researchers, the treasure trove will soon be just a click away for those interested in the history of the national capital. An ambitious ‘digitisation and microfilming of archival records’ project started by Delhi government is underway with the target of converting 4 crore documents in the first phase by 2020.

An official with a copy of the trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
An official with a copy of the trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

“Some of the records are so old that they might get damaged. So, it is required to preserve them in digital and microfilm formats for posterity,” said Sanjay Garg, the chief archivist of the archives. The Delhi Archives is city’s second repository of records from early 19th century after the National Archives of India.

Mughal firmans to land acquisition for Lutyens Delhi

In September 1803 East India Company’s forces under general Gerard Lake fought the Marathas in what is popular as Battle of Delhi, or Battle of Patparganj — named after the area now in east Delhi.The earliest documents at the Delhi Archives relate to this battle. Thought the British emerged victorious, they allowed Shah Alam II — the blind emperor of Delhi — to issue firmans in Persian language, many of which are also preserved at the archives.

“There are different sizes of royal seals in Persian language depending on the hierarchy in the Mughal courts on the firman with gold marks,” said Ashutosh Kumar Jha, assistant archivist pointing at ‘A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaib-un-Nisa Baigum’ dating October 8, 1802.

The transfer of power to the British crown in 1958 followed setting up of a new administration and eventually the construction of the new capital, Delhi, in 1912. The Archives also have records of land acquisition during this historic shift of the national capital from Kolkata to Delhi.

“From photographs to award statements of land acquired from the owners, we have rare documents that bear testimony to how the present day Delhi came up,” said Sandeep Singh, assistant archivist. In one of the records dating March 1913, an individual named Ram Das was awarded a compensation of Rs 172, two paisa and nine annas for his 285.38 acre of land acquired by the government in Khanpur. The deal was signed by Kamruddin, revenue assistant, Delhi province.

Documents being scanned for digitisation at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
Documents being scanned for digitisation at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Photographs, titles awarded jail documents, student activism

The repository at the archives includes pictures of construction of historical buildings housing Parliament and Rashtrapati House in early 20th century. Originally called House of Parliament, the Sansad Bhawan was designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913 and was constructed between 1921 and 1927.

A poster of a debate being organised by Delhi Students’ Federation on May 29, 1937 at Arabic College Hall (Ajmeri Gate) is in the section of rare documents showing how teachers would support students’ concerns. The debate on why “the proposed scheme of educational reconstruction of Delhi University will be detrimental to the best interest of the students’ community and the cause of education in the country”, had C Eyre Walker, principal Arabic college, S Dutt, principal Ramjas College, and BB Gupta, principal Ramjas inter college among speakers.

A rare document dated April 7, 1912 is testimony to how ‘Khan Bahadur’ title was awarded to one Chaudhari Nabi Ahmed on the occasion of ‘His Majesty, the King- Emperor’s Birthday’.

The Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans, maps land acquisition statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
The Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans, maps land acquisition statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Digitising 10 crore rare documents

The project, billed as the largest in Asia, envisages digitisation of 10 crore records stored in the four specially constructed floors of the Delhi Archives building in Qutub Institutional Area. In the first phase, four crore records are expected to be ready and uploaded on the website of the Delhi archives over a span of 30 months at a cost of Rs 25.4 crore.

The project was fist conceived in 2011 but was taken up by the incumbent government on August 31 this year. Led by Garg, a 100-member team of archivists, scholars and employers are busy with the digitisation task using computers and high-end German-made scanners.

“We have got eight scanners for now. We digitise about 50,000 pages each day,” Garg said

A collection of old newspapers at the archives includes a copy of Hindustan Times, Evening News, published on September 25, 1948. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
A collection of old newspapers at the archives includes a copy of Hindustan Times, Evening News, published on September 25, 1948. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Once digitised, the records would be transformed into microfilms.

“The thumbnails of the records with some information would be available on the website. For higher resolutions, one has to pay,” Garg said

A welcome move

“It’s a welcome move to preserve and digitise records particularly Bahadur Shah Zafar’s trial. The public will know who sided with British and who was with revolutionaries in the first war if Independence,” said historian Rana Safvi, who has translated Zahir Dehlvi’s Dastan-e-Ghadar which comprises eyewitness account of the 1857 uprising against the British

An old invite of Delhi Student Federation, now DUSU (Delhi University Student Union), at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
An old invite of Delhi Student Federation, now DUSU (Delhi University Student Union), at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Established in 1972, the Delhi archives is a repository of non-current records of Delhi government under the department of art and culture. It is responsible for preservation of the archives and making them available research and references.

“We are committed to make knowledge more accessible to the common people. This is an important step towards preserving our precious heritage. While digitisation will ensure preservation of documents, making them available to a larger audience through a website and outreach events will play a key role in dissemination,” said Manish Sisodia, the minister of Art, Culture and Languages.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / by Gulam Jeelani, Hindustan Times / December 14th, 2017