Munawwar Rana: A poet with sensitivity and sensibility
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
27
November 2023
Aap
ko chehre se bhi beemaar hona chahiye
Ishq
hai toh ishq ka izhaar hona chahiye
Munawwar
Rana
(You
must appear unwell/ If you're in love, your countenance must reveal that; as
they say in Urdu, Beemaar-e-ishq)
Tumhari
aankho ki tauheen hai zara socho
Tumhara
chahne wala sharaab peeta hai
(Just
think, it's an insult to your limpid and translucent eyes/ That who loves you,
drinks from the goblet; and not from your eyes)
Chalti-phirti
hui aankhon se azaan dekhi hai
Maine
jannat toh nahin dekhi, ma dekhi hai
(I've
seen a moving Azaan/ I've not seen heaven but I've seen mother)
So
jaate hain footpath pe akhbaar bichhakar
Mazdoor
kabhi neend ki goli nahin khaate
(They
spread a newspaper and sleep/ Laborers don't take pills for sleep)
Munawwar
Rana's abovementioned couplets are proof that poetry, written in a simple
language, can also appeal to the readers and listeners in a very effective
manner. All that a poet needs are clarity of thoughts, correct and taut
language and a heightened power of expression. Munawwar is endowed with all
these prerequisites; and even more. His fondness for simple Hindi and Avadhi
(he was born in UP but spent a considerable period of his life in Calcutta)
words and avoidance of difficult Persian and Arabic words got him great
popularity among the masses. But that doesn't mean, Rana's poetry is
substandard or mediocre. This couplet underlines his poetic depth: Kuchh bikhri
hui yaadon ke qisse bhi bahut thay/ Kuchh uss ne bhi baalon ko khula chhod diya
tha (There were many stories of scattered memories/ She too let her tresses
fall loose). Or this one, " Hum kuchh aise tere deedaar mein kho jaate
hain/ Jaise bacche bhare baazaar mein kho jaate hain " (The way a child is
lost in the market, I lose myself when I see you). One concurs with Rana when
he says, " Nekiyaan gin-ne ki naubat hi nahin aayegi/ Maine jo maa par
likha hai, wahi kaafi hoga " (There won't be any need to count my good
deeds/ What I wrote on mother will be enough). Rana has given utmost respect and
importance to human values and relations. If you want to have a cornucopia of
mother's love, read Rana. Mother is the leitmotif of his poetry. In other
words, mother is the guiding light in all his writings. He wrote couplets on
sisterly love as well: Kisi ke zakhm par chahat se patti kaun baandhega/ Agar
bahanein nahin hongi toh raakhi kaun baandhega (Who'll assuage the pain with
love and affection/ If there won't be sisters, who'll tie rakhis?). He's a very sensitive poet with compassion.
This couplet will prove that, " Farishte aa kar un ke jism par khushboo
lagate hain/ Voh bacche rail ke dibbon mein jo jhaadoo lagate hain "
(Angels apply scent to the bodies of those street urchins/ Who broom in railway
compartments).
Though
a nice human and a brilliant poet, of late, he has been in the news for all
wrong reasons like supporting Talibans and the gruesome killing of a French
teacher in October 2020 for showing Muhammad's objectionable sketches in the
class. His rigidity as a Muslim is now disturbingly obvious and his recent
incendiary statements are unbecoming of a poet of his stature. This saddens all
those who've loved him as a poet par excellence. They still love him. By the
way, his Urdu ghazals were translated into English by Tapan Kumar Pradhan. I'm
afraid, translations are pretty humdrum and don't do justice to the original
ghazals in Urdu.
…
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
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