Raghupati Shahia, popular known as Firaq Gorakhpuri (1896-1982), is a renowned Urdu poet and critic, whose prolific works spanning over more than half a century left deep imprints on Urdu literature. He is credited for introducing a modern sensibility in the poetic tradition and inspired a whole lot of younger generation.
In the early 1990s, Dr Nawazish Ali did his PhD thesis on Firaq’s life and art under the supervision of Dr Sohail Ahmad Khan, which has now been published as a book. Firaq Gorakhpuri : Shakhsiat Aur Fun is significant as Firaq’s works have been out of print for some time, and there is no other book available in the market reviewing his achievements.
The book gives a detailed account of Firaq’s life, family history and a sketch of his personality, citing written sources and some details obtained from the interviews of his friends and family members the writer conducted during his visit to India in 1988. Firaq’s unhappy relationship with his wife, Kishori Devi, is well known in literary circles, but Nawazish Ali took pains to dig out more details on their unhappy marriage. We come to know that Firaq’s father, Ibrat Gorakhpuri, was also an Urdu poet, whose works served as an initial inspiration for Firaq’s poetry that began in 1919. He was a pupil of the poet Wasim Khairabadi who came from the tradition of Amir Minai.
The book’s real value lies in the critical evaluation of Firaq’s poetry. Ali writes that Firaq’s ghazal is a rare and creative juxtaposition of different trends found in Urdu, English, Persian and Hindi poetry. In one chapter, covering nearly 150 pages, Ali traces the influences of classical Urdu poets, like Mir, Dagh, Amir Minai, and Momin on Firaq’ ghazal and afterwards his own contribution to this genre. In fact, Firaq’s style kept changing and he imbibed influences of many other classical poets. He was also associated with Progressive Writers Association since its beginning and wrote some poems under its influence.
Although Firaq started his poetic career in 1919, he came to be widely recognised in 1937 when Niaz Fatehpuri wrote an essay on his poetry in the annual issue of the noted literary magazine, Nigar. In 1941, the same magazine published Firaq’s poetic works. In 1945, Nia Idara, Lahore published the first anthology of his poetry, Shola Saz. By that time, Firaq was one of the most influential literary figures. He inspired a whole generation of new poets that surfaced during the late 1940s and the 1950s. Ali writes: “The new generation of Urdu poets has learnt a lot from Firaq. No other contemporary of Firaq influenced more the poets representing modern ghazal than did he alone. Firaq’s ghazal is the avant-garde of modern ghazal.”
In 1965, Urdu’s distinguished scholar and critic Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqui had also written that “Firaq’s contribution will be very important in whatever form the Urdu ghazal acquires in the future.”
Nawazish Ali has given scores of examples to prove Firaq’s influence over the poetry of Nasir Kazmi, Khalilur Rehman Azmi, Ahmed Mushtaq, Saleem Ahmad, Aziz Hamid Madni, Aslam Ansari, Ubaidullah Aleem and Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi.
The writer says Firaq is neither a wholly traditional poet nor modern. Instead, he says, if we evaluate Firaq in the period of Hasrat, Asghar, Fani and Yagana, he emerges as a modern poet. “Firaq’s ghazal was modern in that it represented the tone and sensibility of his times, while showing sensitivity to the classical expressions as well. Firaq enabled ghazal’s creative tradition to imbibe modern sensibility of the contemporary world.” At a time, when his contemporaries were following the traditional themes, in Firaq’s ghazal, we encounter a new man who ponders over universe afresh and tackles the issues of modern thought and a changed attitude towards romantic relationship.
Although physical beauty and love are dominant subjects of Firaq’s ghazal, his lyrics encompass such thoughts, emotions and themes which had not been represented in the old classical ghazal before him. In the words of scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi, the entire field of human yearning and suffering forms his canvas. Firaq’s art is also distinct in his portrayal of mood and external settings and atmosphere — the qualities that lacked in Urdu lyrics and which he might have learnt from English literature of which he was a teacher at the Allahabad University.
One major distinction of Firaq’s verse is his creative use of Hindi words thanks to his intimate knowledge of Hindi language and literature, which added a new colour to Urdu poetry. The Indian culture and the spirit of Indian civilization seek expression particularly in his rub’ais, writes Nawazish Ali. A married woman’s charms, a woman’s love for her family, romance of the married life and colourful pictures of husband-wife’s relationship are the dominant themes of his rub’ais. The author says the use of Hindi and Sanksrit words in his rub’ais have created a magical effect in these verses; Firaq has portrayed the physical charms of the beloved in such detail that the poetry appears to be painting. A chapter deals with the poems of Firaq and their critical evaluation. His two poems, “Aadhi Raat” and “Parchain” have been mentioned as a great contribution to the genre of Urdu poem.
Nawazish Ali’s thesis summarises and compiles other critics’ work on Firaq which are spread over hundreds of books and literary journals.
source: http://www.KashmirMonitor.org / by Adnan Adil / February 05th, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment