Glimpses of Urdu Poetry

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The book contains a rich fare of the best of Urdu poetry in its three major forms: ghazal, nazm, and rubai. The poems are first given in calligraphic Urdu, which, on the opposite page is translated into English, and transliterated, Roman script. This should be of special help to the non- Urdu knowing readers. It should also give them a feel and flavour of the Urdu text, and whet their appetite for learning the language. The book contains 115 ghazals, 30 nazms, and 40 Rubais. It also contains a sprinkling of humorous Urdu poetry. In these days of limited leisure and fast-moving life, such a compendious volume should come as a whiff of cool breeze in a crowded room. It is hoped that the book will receive a warm welcome from the lovers of poetry.

K. C. Kanda holds a doctorate in English and first-class first Masters degree in Urdu. It is this double competence in English and Urdu that prompted his to undertake the translation of the best of Urdu poetry into English. A recipient of the Urdu Academy award for excellence in translation, Dr. Kanda has produced 12 books of Urdu poetry translated into English. All these books are well received by the readers and have run into several editions. His first book, Masterpieces of Urdu Ghazal was published in 1990. In addition, he has written the following books relating to English poetry: An Anthology of English Poetry (Arnold Heinemann), The Two Worlds of Tennyson (Doaba), Tennyson's In Memoriam (Sterling) and Robert Browning's Dramatic Monologues (Sterling). He is these days working on the poetry of Josh Malihabadi.

Urdu poetry has always enjoyed a wide measure of popularity among the lovers of poetry Among its various forms such as masnavi, qasida, marsia or rubai, the ghazal has always held a place of pride and primacy for the commoners and the connoisseurs alike. To get an idea of the popularity of this form, we should attend a mushaira, a public session of poetry recitation, where the best of living poets, drawn at times from the entire subcontinent, regale their audience with their select compositions, mostly ghazals. The audiences at such gatherings represent a cross-sec- tion of Indian society. But these audiences are sufficiently discriminating and receptive, as quick to applaud a good couplet as to shout down a bad one. This is because they are brought up in the true tradition of the ghazal, and their minds are stored with what Matthew Arnold would call, the touchstones of poetry, "that is, with the best of Mir, Ghalib, or Momin, which will not let them acclaim a false note or a shallow sentiment. There is thus a useful interaction between the poet and his public. While the ghazal helps to shape and refine the public taste, the public too has a roll in controlling the direction and development of their compositions.
The form of the ghazal originated in Iran in the 10th century AD. It grew from the Persian qasida, which verse form had come to Iran from Arabia. The qasida was a panegyric written in praise of the emperor or his noblemen. The part of the qasida called tashbib, got detached and developed in course of time into the ghazal. Whereas the qasida some- times ran into as many as 100 couplets or more in monorhyme, the ghazal seldom exceeded twelve, and settled down to an average of seven. Because of its comparative brevity and concentration, its thematic variety and rich suggestiveness, the ghazal soon eclipsed the qasida and became the most popular form of poetry in Iran.
The ghazal came to India with the advent and extension of the Muslim influence from the 12th century onwards. The Moghuls brought along with them Iranian culture and civilization, including Iranian poetry and literature. When Persian gave way to urdu as the language of poetry and culture in India, the ghazal, the fruit of Indo-Iranian culture, found an opportunity to grow and develop. Although the ghazal is said to have begun with Amir Khusro (1253-1395) in Northern India, Deccan in the South was its home in the early stages. It was nursed and trained in the courts of Golconda and Bijapur under the patronage of Muslim rulers.