Is The WhatsApp Generation Aware Of The Greatness Of Sahir, Kaifi, Shakeel and Majrooh?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
14 January
2023
Recently,
on the occasion of Javed Akhtar's biography Jadunama, Gulzar and Javed
were present on the same dais conversing and bantering with each other. The
video uploaded on YouTube read, World's greatest lyricist! Agreed, it wasn't
official, but it amply showed this musically impoverished generation's rank
ignorance. No doubt, Javed and Gulzar are fine poets and lyricists, but can
both be called greats (here, greatest!)?
From Top
left hand corner : Jan Nisar Akhtar, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri,
Shailendra, Rajendra Krishan, Shakeel Badayuni, Gulzar,Javed Akhtar, Shahryar,
Kaif Bhopal
-----
We seem to
have become extra generous with adjectives and superlatives and are using words
such as 'great', 'legend' and 'genius' etc. a tad too frequently and for even
those who're just modest and mediocre achievers in their respective spheres. If
these two brilliant poet-lyricists are greatest, how'll this generation measure
the greatness of Shakeel Badayuni, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Sahir
Ludhianvi and Shailendra (not necessarily in the same sequence)?
Weaned on Bidi
Jalai Le or Kajrare Kajrare, youngsters have no idea of the numbers
like ' Man Re Tu Kaahe Na Dheer Dhare' (Chitralekha, 1964, Sahir), ' Meri
Aawaaz Suno' (Naunihal, 1967, Kaifi Azmi), ' Mujhe Dard-e-Dil Ka Pata Na
Tha' (Akashdeep, 1965, Majrooh Sultanpuri), 'Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Akele
Thay Hum' (Nartaki, 1963, Shakeel) or 'Din Dhal Jaaye Hai Raat Na Jaaye'
(Shailendra, 1965, film: Guide), ' Mujhe Tum Se Muhabbat Hai Magar' (Film:
Bachpan, 1963, Hasrat Jaipuri) among others.
These
stalwarts of the past were exceptionally good poets and fabulous lyricists. Ask
any old timer and he or she'll vouch for their immortal creations. There're
certain factors responsible for this ignorance among the WhatsApp generation
and also those who're glued to it regardless of their age.
Our feel
for a language is on the wane. Urdu is almost moribund and its script has
become an anachronism. Though I'm not associating Urdu with a specific
community, even Muslims cannot read and write this exquisite language.
Hindi has
gone to dogs. Nowadays, no one seems to write and speak it correctly. English
in India has always been execrable.
Years ago,
I read a Pakistani Urdu columnist Sameena Akbar's column in Nawa-e-Waqt
in which she wrote, " Ehteram-e-Zabaan Ke Saath Hi Har Lateef Shauq Ka
Aaghaaz Hota Hai " (with the respect for a language, starts the
appreciation for all beautiful things and pursuits).
So very
true! Her words stayed with me. There's no appreciation for any tongue any
more. That's why, the heart-warming and soul-gladdening poetry of the stalwarts
of yore is unintelligible to this generation but they can relate to the humdrum
writings of Gulzar and Javed and are ready to put them on the highest
pedestals. While it's good that people are at least reading poetry of Javed and
Gulzar, however banal that may be, and listening to their listless numbers, we
must never forget that there have been far greater poets and lyricists who
enthralled those with a sense of aesthetics and Zauq-e-Jamaaliyaat.
Alas, gone are those days.
This
reminds me of Ghalib's famous quatrain, ' Woh Firaq-O-Visaal Kahan/ Woh Shab-O-Roz-O-Maaho-Saal
Kahan/ Fursat-e-Karobaar-e-Shauq Kise/Zauq-e-Nazzara-e-Jamaal Kahan?' (Where
have gone those days of union and separation/ Where're those lovely nights,
days, moon and years/ Who has the time to indulge in love/ Where is that
ebullient appreciation to see anything beautiful).
----
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.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/whatsapp-sahir-kaifi-shakeel-majrooh/d/128870
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism