Poet Nations

The one art form that is unequivocally loved across Pakistan is poetry. Hamd and nauha, qawwali, mushairas, ghazals set to music, lyrics of pop songs, sufi poetry at the shrines of saints, qawwali , poetry written on rickshas buses and trucks, on the walls of dhabas – there is something for everyone.   I am not referring to poetry that hides in books read by fellow poets, but the public sharing of poetry.

While all nations celebrate their poets, few have assimilated poetry into the very fabric of society from politics to leisure.

Arabs held the poet in high esteem. From simple phrases or saj to rajaz, qitah and qasidah, the poet inspired warriors, belittled the enemy, recalled past glories, celebrated the romance of desert life.  The poet was the most respectable member, sometimes leader, of the tribe. Poets were believed to have wisdom, judgement and a sense of history. Aswa or commercial markets developed into cultural fairs where an arbitrator, for whom a red tent was erected, was appointed   to judge between the poets and poetesses of various tribes. The best poems were written in gold and hung in the Ka’aba known as the Mualaq’at. The Quran itself persuaded by its eloquence. Poetry, focusing on subtle nuances, contributed to the development of language -  1000 words for sword, 5000 for camel and specific words for the eight stages of thirst. Muhammad Ahsan Shakoor writes, Arab poetry became ‘the archive of their history, the evidence for what they consider right or wrong and the principle basis of reference for most of their sciences and wisdom’.

Somalia is presented as a starving, war torn nation. Less known is it identity as a nation of poets. Somali scholar, Said Sheikh Samatar, explains oral poetry is central to Somali life, influencing culture and politics and was once the chief means of mass communication.   Richard Burton wrote in 1864, ‘Somali society teems with poets’. The Dervish Movement was led by a poet, who used his verse to unify people against the British colonialists. Defeat and new restrictions, quietened the verse of rebellion. The dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, used poetry to establish his authoritarian regime. Today poetry is used to create peace between warring tribes, but is more romantic than revolutionary.

The Pakistani nation invariably turns to poetry to express the otherwise inexpressible.  Poetry provides solace, humour, a platform to voice indignation, to call for justice and represent the voiceless. The poetic forms of Ghazal and Qasidah travelled from Arabia via Persia during the Muslim rule of India and became incorporated in Urdu, and regional languages. The emperors and nawabs patronized poets. Bahadur Shah Zafar, the poet king, held poetry gatherings in his court. With great ceremony, a candle was placed before the poet whose turn it was to recite. The Sufis developed poetry in vernacular languages. Char Bayt developed to inspire soldiers where lively competing groups accompanied poetry with dufs. Today public mushairas are held, ghazal evenings, bait bazi ( a competitive poetry game) . Religious devotion is expressed in qawwali, naats and nauhas. Cinema and pop music established new possibilities for poets. Political philosophy was encapsulated in writings of poets like Khushal Khan Khattak,  Gul Naseer Khan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib. Feminism found a voice in Parvin Shakir and Fehmida Riaz. Political rallies develop their own poetic songs.  Humourous cell phone  messages start  with Faraz kehtay hian…

Poetry invigorated the freedom movement.   While many worked towards the creation of Pakistan, the national narrative presents it as the dream of a poet, Muhammad Iqbal. 

Some years ago I asked  Ishaq Khamosh, a Baluch poet activist, what we could do to bring unity to Pakistan. His solution was to hold a multilingual mushairah!

Durriya Kazi

January 13, 2020