RMIM Archive Article "169".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Majrooh Sultanpuri - Immortal Melodies - part 4
#
# Posted by: Satish Subramanian (subraman@cs.umn.edu)
# Source: Illustrated Weekly of India
# Author: Zaka Siddiqi
#



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			  Majrooh Sultanpuri
			 'Immortal Melodies'

				  by
			     Zaka Siddiqi
		     Illustrated Weekly of India

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   His couplets have been known to come to the rescue of people
   from  polarized  groups  as the CPI, Jamat-e-Islami, the VHP
   and BJP. During the hectic campaigning days of  L.K.Advani's
   rath  yatra,  it  was  amusing  to  see  a news-photo of the
   welcoming pandal erected along the route in a dusty town  in
   UP.   The  big, bold banner had Sultanpuri's couplet written
   in Devnagri script:
   
    	'mayN akelaa hi chalaa thaa jaanib-e-manzil, magar
   	 log saath aate gaye, kaaravaaN banta gaya.'
   
   (I started off all alone towards the destination. People took 
    my lead. And lo, there was a caravan formation!)
   
   One  if  reminded  here of  Ezra Pound   where   he   termed
   T.S.Elliot's  "The  Wasteland":  "a  masterpiece; one of the
   most important 19 pages in English and one of the few things
   in   contemporary   literature  to  which  one  can  ascribe
   permanent value".  Wonder when, if ever,  someone  from  our
   senior  critics  could  be honest enough to give Majrooh due
   credit by acknowledging that at least these 30  ghazals  are
   "some  of  the few things in contemporary Urdu literature to
   which one can ascribe permanent value".
   
   Anyway, Urdu poetry shall never ignore Sultanpuri  for  some
   of his couplets he created much before he was 30.
   
   	'Sar par hawa-e-zulm chale sao jatan ke sath,
   	 Apni kulah kaj hae usi baankpan ke sath'
   
   (Let the winds of oppression with all force blow over my head,
    My cap would remain tilted in the same rakish fashion!).
   
   'Mujhe sahl ho gaeen manzilen, woh hawa ke rukh bhi badal gae
   tera haath, haath mein aa gaya, ke charagh raah main jal gae'
   
   (Travelling became so easy for me, even the wind changed its line
    You slipped your hand into mine and the whole path started to shine)
   
           Dekh zindaan se  parey  rang-e-chaman, josh-e-bahar
           raqs karna hae to phir paaon ki zanjeer na dekh
   
   (Dance, for beyond the prison, the gardens are blowing, and spring is
    glowing. Do not look at the fetters, you want to dance, is all that
    matters.)
   
   	shab-e-zulm nargha-e-raahzan se pukarta hae koee mujhe
   	main faraaz-e-daar se dekh loon, kaheen kaaravan-e-sahar na ho
   
   (Yonder from the marouder's ambush, In the darkness of oppression,
    I hear someone calling me, Let me look from up my hanging post.
    The caravan of dawn could that caller be?)

   Now entering his septagenarian years,  Sultanpuri  has  only
   one  book  that he published in 1959. Not withstanding those
   poems and ghazals prophesying  the  coming  of  the  commun-
   ist   or  socialist   revolution   by  next Sunday or at the
   most, by the end of the  current   month,   the   collection
   was   very  well received.  The 33 ghazals contained therein
   were recited and quoted  throughout   the   Indian   subcon-
   tinent   wherever  Urdu culture  has  its  roots.The  subse-
   quent editions of this collection added only 12  ghazals  to
   bring the  total  number of his creations to 45.

   Ten to 15 more should be added in the  forthcoming  edition.
   That  would make the total 60. One wonders if the history of
   literature could  have  an  instance  of  an  artiste  whose
   contribution would be considered as being the most important
   of modern poets.
   

   


From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian