TSC Book Reviews | Aaine Hairaan Hain | Shahid Parvez Sayed | by Md Yusuf

 

I was asked to review this collection of Urdu poems by my dear friend and an editor of The Sunflowercollective, Abhimanyu. To be honest, at first, I was a bit skeptical due to lack of any experience in such an endeavor, agreeing only for the love of Urdu and more so when I came to learn that the author, just like me, has also done LL.B. (I am a lawyer by profession and he has chosen engineering to make a living).   

 

Before I proceed further, there are certain pertinent issues with regard to the business of a ‘book review’ that I deem appropriate to mention. First, it has to be mentioned that Book reviews are a recent and modern phenomenon. In medieval times, readers - if they were moved enough and were capable of, used to write new books in rebuttal. Nevertheless, I have never heard of any rebuttal vis-à-vis a collection of poetry.

 

Second, while submitting oneself to a review, the poet risks inspection and criticism with regard to the style, and the contents of the poems. It would not be out of place to mention that the poet also risks his reputation, which may be formed only on the basis of the review and not his poems. To me, a reviewer is an unnecessary hindrance between the poet and the readers. Nonetheless, I will proceed with the task, as requested, at the risk of being proved true to what Mr. Shahid says in the collection:

 

                                             Sukhan ka dawa hai aksar, unhi ko ‘Shahid’

                                              Jo jaantey hi nahin hain, ki Sukhan kya hai ! 

***

 

The collection - consisting of Ghazals and Nazms, is titled as ‘Aaine Hairan Hain’. Rumi has said that the heart is like a mirror, and it stops reflecting the divine light when the dirt and dust of worldly desires and attachment covers its surface. The title of the book suggests a feeling of awe or wonder, which perhaps is the motivating factor behind Mr. Shahid’s words. The book starts with a brief introduction about the author, which has been quite interestingly rendered in a diary form (titled as Flashback). The diary mentions important occurrences/events in the life of the author which made him into the person that he is; the introduction endears the reader to the author and helps him learn his background .

 

The collection turns out to be an expression of struggle, faith, courage, and love – lost, and gained. The observations are profound and the expression delicate, maintaining the rhythm and musicality of Urdu. The aesthetics - misty, mild and pleasing.    

 

The Nazms (Fee Verse) are varied. Some of them recount personal religious experiences. The Nazm titled as ‘Mandir’ is witty and observant.  

 

Is mandir ke baare main mashhoor hai

Ke yahan jo pehli martaba

Darshan ke liye aata hai

Uski pehli dua zaroor qubool hoti hai

Ik qadeemi madir ki seediyan

Chadhte waqt usne ye khabar di

Main is ittefaq pe hairan tha

Aur soch hi raha tha ke kya maangoon?

Ki us ne thehar kar

Meri nigahon main dekha aur ilteja ki

Please mujhe mat maangna !

 

The same may be said about the couplets titled as ‘Swami Chidanand Ji ko Samarpit’. I especially liked the classicism and emotion contained in the verses of this poem. There is something in this poem, that establishes Mr. Shahid as essentially a man of classical taste. Though he may flirt with modernity, at his heart there lies something that is beyond the realm of the conscious mind, something that is evocative of times past and other-worldly.

Wo dekhta hai to manzar sanwarne lagte hain

Wo bolta hai to lehja dua sa lagta hai

 

Har ik phool use dekhey ba-wazoo hokar

Wo aadmi hai magar devta sa lagta hai

 

To bring about a contrast, a few Nazms remind one of a very ‘Gulzarish’ approach to life and poetry, wherein objects and concerns of daily life have been used as metaphors. A case in point would be the Nazm titled as ‘Label’ and then ‘Be-ghar’.

 

Suno aaj subah se wo dibba nahin mila raha

Jis par tumne kahin jaatey waqt

Zindagi ka label lagaaya tha

 

Apart from this, there are several Nazms that gather the attention of the reader instantly for their wistful reminiscences: some of these are ‘Faasley’, ‘Din Raat Zindagi’, ‘Eid ka Chaand’ and ‘Yaad tumhey kaun aata hai’. The importance of a woman in the life of a man is reflected in the Nazm titled as ‘Do-Aurtein’ where Mr. Shahid writes that there are only two important women in the life of a man: the first one is the mother, and the other one - the faithful companion in the journey of life. While the one titled as ‘Tanha’ has a beautiful rhythm, ‘Rotiya’n’ is another gem. The distress, injustices and hunger of the world are more than apparent in ‘Surab’ and a sense of loss in ‘Aitraaf-e-Shikast’ and ‘Waqt’.   

 

The collection presents an interesting tapestry of modernity and classicism, where one will not just come across the struggles of worldly life; but simultaneously, also discover the Elusive: hope, fear, death and love. Though a man of struggle and action, Mr. Shahid still recognizes predestination and says,

 

        Wahin pe kheench ke le jaaegi meri qismat

         Mere naseeb ke daane jahan-jahan hongey

 

Mr. Shahid is not happy with the ‘new culture, which he thinks has come to devalue humanity and says,

Nayi Tehzeeb ka pairahan

Saari insaaniyat kha gaya

 

Kisi ne shokhi se angdaai li

Deher main inquilab aa gaya

 

Aarzoo main teri, humnasheen

Main kahan se kahan aa gaya

 

He has a solution in faith when he says,

 

Chha rahi hain deher par taareeqiya’n

Mash’al-e-Imaa’n jaalana chahiye

 

Raaz-e-Ishq paaney ke liye,

Bahare-Gham main doob jaana chahiye

 

Another couplet reminds of the Quranic verse ‘Wad-Duha, Wal-laili-iza-Saja’ (Quran 93:1, ‘By the morning brightness! By the night, when it is covered with darkness!’)

 

Hai shaam main pinha teri zulfon ki syahi

Muzmir terey aariz ka ujaala hai seher main

 

There are hints of Hafiz, Rumi and many other Sufi poets, the pain of unrequited love, and the importance of a form, Mr. Shahid says,

 

Jo mubtila-e-gesu pecha’n ho na saka

Wo apni zindagi main pareshan ho na saka

 

Tum ne nazar ka phe’nka tha, dil ki taraf jo teer

Wo teer, teer hi raha, armaa’n ho na saka

 

Insaa’n hona chahiye, ae aadmi tujhko

Tu kaisa aadmi hai, ke insaa’n ho na saka

 

The much celebrated metaphors of wine and the tavern have been used liberally in the collection, which yet again point towards the classicist inspirations of Mr. Shahid in his Ghazals. The Persian poet Hafiz says, “Manam ke gosha-e-maikhaana, khaanqah man-ast /Dua-e-Peer-e-Mughaan, wird subh-gaah man-ast”. Mr. Shahid, writes, 

 

Jo pee kar hosh main aa jaayein, wo may-kash nahin may-kash

Wo may-kash hain jo pi kar hosh main aaya nahin kartey”

 

Ja raha tha su -e- Haram

Raah main maiqada aa gaya”

 

Pila kar mujhe, mast aankhon se tu ne

Bharam lakh liya meri tishna-labi ka

 

Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are multiple ashaars in the collection that would prove fit to be sung as a Qawwali; this is what the Gnostics call as ‘Arifaana Kalaam’. I can hear the one listed below as a Qawwali being sung in a Khanqahi Darbaar. in Raag Darbari or Shahaana perhaps; set in a suitable taal. Over-all a promising debut, I must say.

 

Kamalat-e-tasavvur se jo waqif kaar ho jaaye

Use Deedaar-e-yaar, ik baar kya, sau baar ho jaaye

 

   Main is ummeed pe baitha hoon terey koochey main

    Ke gham ki dhoop, shayad saaya-e-deewaar ho jaaye..

 

 

I am reminded of a couplet by the young Pakistani poet Mr. Ali Zaryoun, ‘Tumhe main ishq ki sargam to sunwaaon, ye batlao/ Fana ke raaz se waqif ho, samwaadi samjhtey ho?”, when Mr. Shahid says,

 

Wo zamaane se juda hotey hain

Jo muhabbat main fana hotey hain

 

Chand lamhey teri furqat mein

Zindagi bhar ka sila hote hain

 

The gentle and kind approach to life, and his fortitude in doing so is yet again summed up in another of his Ghazal,

 

Merey Khuda ne us ko bhi bhooka nahin rakha

Wo shakhsh jis ne zikr Khuda ka nahin kiya

                                   

Hum ne to charagho’n ki sada ki hai hifazat

Hum ne kabhi bhi kaam, hawa ka nahin kiya

 

 

It was indeed a treat to read this book, and get to know the experiences and expression of Mr. Shahid. However, I must mention here that Mr. Shahid has only given a glimpse of his understanding of the world, and we are waiting to get to the secret. As a poet has remarked: “Main wo maikash hoon, jo na masti main kahey raaz kabhi/Laakh Qul-Qul kahey botal se behti Sharaab!” (Qul in Arabic means ‘Say!’).

 

This is the first collection of his poetry, and I wish, hope and pray that Mr. Shahid chooses to write more, peppered with his inherent humility and human-centred morality, which is so lacking in much of recent poetry. We look forward to read more of Mr. Shahid. Indeed, as he himself says,

 

Duniya ik veeraana hai

Phir bhi chaltey jaana ha

Kuch bhi na poocho, kya kar jaaye

Deewaana phir Deewaana hai