Maazi ka Aindah: The future of the past (A book review)

The sweetness of Urdu, especially poetry doesn’t need any introduction in terms of its influence to the mass. No doubt, the different genre of poetry has that specific power, which can bring big changes and revolution in the society. That ‘effectiveness’ of the poetry nowadays is almost vanished. No doubt still people say stories, write songs and Ghazals, but that effectiveness, which can create revolution, has been changed into silence. If any one will try to find the cause probably the person like me would think might be the poetry is not so up-to-date. This is the age of electronic media, but that is not right, because the genre of communication, and the media of communication are totally two different things… Poetry also can be portrayed through the electronic media. But the thing is that do we have that ‘effectiveness’ in today’s poetry, which can provoke the mass for good or bad reasons. Here the quality works. Yeh zulm-o-jabr ki Aandhi yeh Khamoshi ka HesarKisi bhi shakhsh ke munh mein yehan zaban hai kya(The wave of brutality and the circle of silence,Is there anyone who has tongue in his mouth?)If you look at this couplet you can find that ‘effectiveness’ that has the ability to provoke the society and this kind of poetry has the ability to bring big changes (revolution) in the society. Unfortunately we do not have many examples of this kind of poetry.The above couplet I found while I was turning the pages of a book of Urdu poetry named “Maazi Ka Aindah (The future of the past)” the name was so different and philosophical; it forced me to read it. The time we are in at present this is also a valuable future of the past, very similar to the great philosopher T S Eliot’s kind of ‘Time’ philosophy. I turned the pages further and one by one found many couplets that contains Sea in the cup. Though we can notice different let-outs of his poetry as love and hate, time and period and so on. But what I believe that his main poetic approach is of course sadness. Here to make my view authentic I think it is a strong necessity to prove it, with examples. I would like to present here two of his couplets of his Ghazals, through that the approach of sadness you would feel strongly. Bada-e-Gham se hai sarshar mera batin bhiAur usi gham se ujala hai ye bahar saara.(My inside is all flourished with the wine of sadness And all out side is blazed with the glow of the same.)When we talk about sadness, it reminds the big name of Urdu poetry. Faani Badayuni; the person who has left his foot-print behind and Mr Mazhari is one of his followers who repeated the history.Yeh gham hi madawa-e-gham hai meraMujhe gham se bahar nikalo nahi(This pain is the healer itselfDo not pull me out of this pain)I believe now it is clear with the above example that, how Mr Mazhari has mastery to present the thoughts full of sadness through the sweet Urdu couplets. Jawab us ki nazar mein yehi munasib thaZaban kaat li us ne meri, Sawaal ke baad.(This was the right answer that suited him,He cut my tongue, as I asked a question.)These kinds of couplets have the ability to provoke the society to raise voice against the brutality and nastiness in the society. I read this book completely I had the curiosity about the poet. Who is this person? Is he from 18th or 19th century? It is not true because I know him as a contemporary poet and critic.This book reminded me that, the Urdu poetry still exists. With the same éclat, and with the same sweetness, which is, it’s identity. There are some poets like Mr Kausar Mazhari who have the same zeal to serve the Urdu poetry like the people before had it in the history of Urdu poetry like Haali, Iqbaal, Faiz, Nun Meem Rashid Etc. After reading this book I got the curiosity to know little more about the Author. There was no surprise when I came to know that Mr Mazhari is an author of several books in several Genres Mr Mazhari is an author of not only this Maazi-Ka-Aindah what I was talking about but he has authored several other books like a Novel Ankh Jo Sochti Hai, An Urdu translation of Khalil Jibran’s Novel. The Broken Wings, Juraat-e-Afkaar, (A collection of literary essays.) Jadeed Nazm Haali Se Meera Ji Tak etc. When I went through the first 25 pages of the book I got more about the author and his background. The author is a lecturer in the Department of Urdu, Jamia Milla Islamia, There is a brief introduction of the book in the beginning by Dr Maula Bakhsh, Head Dept. of Urdu, Dayal Singh College Delhi University. His remarks on Mr. Mazhari’s poetry are worth noticing. He writes:“ Mr Mazhari’s poetry is a small fire among another pile of his works of criticism (the work he is famous for) in other words his poetic talent is not so much focused because of his other literary businesses.” (Page:24)The book “Maazi ka Aindah” is worth reading and highly recommended.