Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Urdu Lovers Demand Bharat Ratna for Mirza Ghalib


Mirza Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib

Great Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib on gets an unprecedented support from judges, politicians, bureaucrats and lovers of Urdu in the recently held 12th edition of Annual International Muhaira Jashn-e-Bahar in New Delhi. They all unanimously demanded Bharat Ratan, the highest India's award, for the legendary poet posthumously. Speaking at the beginning of annual international Mushaira  Jashn-e-Bahar , a senior judge of  Supreme Court of India Justice Markandey Katju made fervent appeal to the government to bestow Bharat Ratna to Mirza Ghalib. He said that it would be a befitting and due honour for the 19th century immortal Urdu poet.

He said many eminent personalities were conferred the highest civilian award postmousehtly. His views were equally and forcefully shared by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, Janab Salman Khurseed and others. Justice Katju said that the Urdu was living and thriving language despite it was subjected to many injustices after independence.

Justcie Katju quoted a shair he used in a recent judgment. He said “using just one Urdu couplet led to the release of a long term Indian prisoner from Pakistani jail, this is the power of Urdu”, he said.  In a judgment justice Katju quoted Urdu couplet from a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz: "Qafas udaas hai yaaron sabaa se kuch to kaho/ Kaheen to beher-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale".  “Urdu was dubbed as ‘foreign’ language and certain vested interest tried to suppress it but they cannot succeed in it as the Urdu lives in the heart of the people”, he underlined.

Speaker Meira kumar said it was unfair to identify Urdu with a particular community as it lives in the hearts of Indians.  “The new generation must learn Urdu as it is best example of India’s composite and secular culture”, she said amid applause. The chief election commissioner of India S Y Quraishi said Urdu was alive and would flourish despite facing many odds. “Urdu is only pan-Indian language and linguafranca of the country” he said while admiring  Jashan-e -Bahar’s commitment to reaching Urdu to ever wider audiences..

Founder of Jashan-e- Bahar Trust, Kamna Prasad said the mushaira in its 12th year now, brought the best of contemporary Urdu verse to more than 3000 lovers of Urdu poetry. She also insisted that learning Urdu should be part of school curriculum as this language reflects India’s composite ethos.

This year’s Mushaira brings  the voice of ‘new’ Egypt to India for the first time. When Ahmad Alqadi from Cairo's Al Azhar University rendered his Urdu translation of an Egyptian poet's ode to the martyrs of his country's revolution, a sense of gloom descended over the gathering of Delhi's poetry lovers. Alqadi, who studied Urdu at the Delhi University, now teaches Urdu at the Al Azhar University, and his presence at the annual Jashn-e-Bahar mushaira brought a taste of the Egyptian revolution to Delhi.

"For the cost of a bullet, we can buy a piece of bread...," went out his translation of Egypt's famous poet Farooq Juwaida's verse that he wrote following the January 25 revolution. The mushaira jashn-e-Bahar is the biggest non-official, non-political event in the capital’s cultural calendar and brings Urdu poets from across the globe and lovers of Urdu irrespective of religion and creed. Javed Akhter, Wasim Barelvi and Shaheryar brought the evening alive with their Shayari.

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