Mir Anis and Mirza Dabir and their Forgotten Predecessors
Mir Anis Mirza Dabir
By Prof.Mazhar Naqvi
Mir Zameer, Mir Khaliq
and Fasih are three marsiya writers whose contribution to enrich elegiac poetry
in the memory of martyrs of Karbala remains overlooked among the custodians of
Urdu literature and Azadars alike. Of the trio, Mir Khaliq is better known as
the father of ‘Shahanshah-e-Marsigoi’ (Emperor of Elegy composition) Mir Babar
Ali Anis whereas he himself was an eminent marsiya composer .All of them
composed their marsiyas in late 18th century and enjoyed some kind
of popularity as well. All of them strived to earn respect for elegiac poetry
through their novel experimentations and their work surely provided a solid
base for their worthy successors like Mir Anis and Mirza Dabir who gave an
exalted position to marsiya writing in Urdu poetry and popularized it among the
masses.
The role of Zamir is more significant in this
context. He not only himself composed marsiyas in an innovative way but also
combined his efforts with Mir Khaliq to bring changes in the conventional techniques
to develop an altogether new pattern
.They standardized the form of marsiya and its ingredients by and large remain
the same as they were in their days. How excited Zameer was of his achievements
is evident from his composition:
“Aage to ye andaz sune the na kisi ke
Ab sab ye muqallid huye
is tarz –e-Navi Ke”
“No one had heard so
far the new style; now everyone has faith in the new style”
Before Zameer, chehra
(face) was not part of marsiya composition but he made it a permanent feature. He
also introduced many other themes such as sarapa (demeanor) of the hero and
did not cover the overall physical appearance of his prime character but also
elaborated various parts of his body. The term sarapa is a Persian word and it
refers to description from tip to top. Zamir perhaps under the influence of
reti and Sufi poets who composed poetry to highlight the beauty of their
beloved by describing her from tip to top ( Nakh –Shikh) also used the pattern
with a difference. Instead of using Nakh shikh Varnan( description) in
his marsiyas for any heroine or female character, he portrayed the heroes of
Karbala with the help of the pattern set
by medieval Indian mystic poetry contained in the works of Kabir, Raskhan,
Jaisi, Meera and many others.
Zamir also experimented
with Charan style to add color to the description of his hero’s bravery in the Jung( Fight or struggle). He seems to have been influenced by Charan
tradition displayed by Chandrabardai in
his ‘Prithiraj
Raso’ that was penned down by him to eulogize his patron. Charans
were retained by Rajput rulers and were paid for composing in praise of their
patron in the princely states of Rajputana. Prior to Zamir, Jung was a briefly
described by both Deccani and Delhi marsiya writers. Zamir considered it to be
as essential as other parts of elegiac poetry and even praises horses and sword
s of martyrs while describing their Jung
with matchless bravery despite hunger
and thirst.
He also probably drew
inspiration from ‘Akharas’ that are an integral part of Muharram processions in
Awadh even today but more popular in places like Ranchi and certain other pockets
of Jharkhand. This is visible from the use of words like Nezabazi, patabazi,
binaut, fikiyat and bunk by Zamir. All these words are associated with the
martial arts prevailing in Awadh of 18th century and refer to combat
or self-defense with staves, knives, long wooden sticks, short spear and wooden
swords. He also added landscape ‘manzar nigari’ (landscaping) in a very lucid
and simple style in his compositions. He relied heavily on similes, metaphors
and exaggerated analogies .His marsiyas are however very lengthy and about two
hundred in number. This may be a reason for the less attention he continues to
attract from the stakeholders of Marasim-e-azadari.
Mir Khaliq deserves
praise for his concentration on ‘rukhsat’ (leave-taking), Shahadat
(Martyrdom) and Bain( Wailing).He presented these themes in a novel form and gave much attention on Hazrat Qasim in his
compositions. While describing Hazrat Qasim’s legendry wedding on Shab-e-Ashur,
he generously portrayed socio-religious customs of the then Awadh society. Most
of his marsiyas deal with the theme of the ‘rukhsat’ and ‘Amad”(arrival) of
Hazrat Qasim in the battle field and also his exemplary Jung. His language is
very sweet and it was his marsiyas that contributed to the growth of Mehndi
processions that are taken out on 7th Muharram in Indian sub-continent
.He is also believed to have composed over 200 marsiyas.
Fasih who was born in
1780 initially followed the style and pattern of Delhi school of marsiya
writing. Probably, he was influenced by Mir Lutf Khan and other Marsiyakhwans
of Delhi who figure in the diary ( Muraqqa-e-Delhi) of Dargah Quli Khan. Fasih who has to his credit
about a hundred marsiyas also deviated from the pattern evolved by Zamir and
Khaliq. He did not include all the essentials constituents of a marsiya. He avoided
‘Chehra’ and other formal aspects of marsiya writing. Use of lengthy meter is
another noteworthy characteristic of Fasih. His tendency indicates that he longed
for recital of his marsiyas in processions and not from the pulpit of Imambaras
where the mourners prefer elegy in short meter and considers a lengthy one as a
hindrance in the flow especially when
the reciter attains high pitch and his voice chokes with emotion while
narrating the tragic events s of Karbala or the last moments of a martyr. He
also used words that were not popular in Awadh and he appears to be under the
shadow of the works of Deccan and Delhi marsiya writers who preferred to follow
the style originated from the time of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah and Wali Deccani.
His marsiyas however contain ethical values of highest standard, for he
considered the martyrs of Karbala as ethical role models for entire humanity
who laid down their lives for protection of human values under the leadership
of Imam Husain. In certain marsiyas, Fasih also follows the pattern of Dilgeer
as a result of which he has given more attention on waqia nigari (narrative)instead
of’ manzar nigari’( Landscaping) It is a mystery as to why he did not go for
any kind of innovation and liked to verse only popular ‘Rivayats’( traditions).
It is unfortunate that
these marsiya writers are not remembered much by Azadars nor their marsiyas are
recited at Majlises in their own ‘Karmbhumi’ i.e. Lucknow as a tribute to their
devotion to Shohda-E-Karbala .Mir anis and Mirza Dabir continues to captivate
the hearts of mourners .No doubt that they popularized and perfected the art of
marsiya and also fulfilled the aesthetic urge necessitated by the arrival of
eminent poets to Lucknow from Delhi after the decline of Mughal kingdom. But we
should not forget that it was Zameer, Khaliq and Fasih who were pioneers in
adding grace to literary value of Marsiyakhwani that was in the domain of lower
class of society in Delhi as mentioned by Dargah Quli Khan who has also lamented
that Marsiyakhwans were not well paid and were in demand during the Ashura only.(Reference
available on request).
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