The Captured Gazelle’ ‘ BOOK- ing Kashmir’ through the poems of Ghani “ kuch gadaa shaa’ir nahin hun Mir mein tha mera sar mashq divan- e- Ghani” ( Mir Taqi ‘ Mir’) ( Mir, I am a poet of no mean credentials. For I have honed by skills on the divan of Ghani) ‘ T he Captured Gazelle’, an intoxicating translation of the poems of 17 th Century Kashmiri Persian Poet, Mulla Tahir Ghani Kashmiri, is a fruit of evident labor for which the nation owes a debt to Mufti Mudasir Farooqi, the translator. To classify this work as a mere translation would be imprudent. The Introduction to the translated works of Ghani, written with remarkable academic clarity and a deep understanding of the history, culture, society and politics of the poet’s time is the invaluable “ fragrant musk” of this book. Being a progeny of Mulla Tahir Ghani Kashmiri from my maternal side of the family ( Ashais), I should also put on record the gratitude of my family to the translators of the book, the editors and the publishers. More importantly, every patriotic Kashmiri who takes pride in the rich cultural legacy of this land should congratulate Mufti Mudasir Farooqi and Nusrat Bazaz for this remarkable book. Reading Ghani provides an esoteric reaffirmation of the Kashmiri identity. Ghani’s unconventional reluctance to political, royal patronization set him parat in a rebellious class of his own. Eulogized by greats of the ilk of Iqbal, Mir Taqi Mir and Sa’ib and lending inspiration to countless poets to come, Ghani is unambiguously one of Kashmir’s most important literary icons. His poetry is viscous yet unmistakably smooth. Poets seldom attain the prized ability to amplify the thoughts and sorrows of an average reader with such spectacular ease. Although his style is not vernacular, Ghani’s poetry touches the raw endings of your nerves with effortless alacrity and poise. The unassuming nature of Ghani’s poetry is reflective of his personality and thinking, his forthrightness in tyrannical times being like fresh dew drops on lotus leaves in Dal Lake, which insultingly defy the opaqueness of the murky waters on the other side of the flower. Why isn’t Ghani as famous as some of his other contemporaries ( who incidentally were in awe of his poetry) or as “ immortalized” by regimes and rulers as some of his successors? Well, for various reasons. For starters, as Mufti Mudasir Farooqi points out in the introduction to the book, Ghani’s style – a confluence of Persian and Indian Styles called Sabk- e- Hind, came to be criticized by traditionalists who, as Orhan Pamuk would say in ‘ My Name Is Red’ – believed in “ the ways of the Old Masters”. This literary movement, the adabi baazgasht (‘ literary revival) held that the colorful, intensely creative and rich evolution in the style of Persian poetry was a challenge to the purity and originality of the art – the new elements of tamseel ( exemplification) and ihaam ( wordplay) being literary condiments best kept out of the realm of Persian poetry. There are other reasons as well. Ghani’s aversion to royal courts is well known. At a time when poets were being weighed in gold and paid in cartloads, Ghani consciously shunned all such patronage. The author, in the Introduction to ‘ The Captured Gazelle’, points out that Aurengzeb, the Emperor of Hindustan directed Saif Khan ( Kashmir’s Governor) to send Ghani to Aurengzeb’s court. When Ghani was summoned by Khan and informed of the wish of Aurengzeb, Ghani asked that the Indian King be told that Ghani had gone insane. When the Governor expressed hesitation in calling a perfectly sane man insane, Ghani tore his shirt and walked out “ like a frenzied man”. Ghani never became a court- poet and died with a legacy of his own individualism and austereness, refusing to be tamed into parrotry and indulgence by any King. And since history has been written in royal courts or mostly by scribes and historian funded by royal courts, a rebellious, eccentric poet who stayed away from the courts – was obviously and meticulously robbed of his share of documented history and celebration. Ghani, a master of metaphors, paradox and similes and a breathtaking freshness – ingenuity in the brilliant use of figurative perception and consequent writing, wins your heart at the first encounter with his verse. I have no doubt that Ghani’s poetry, in the times to come, will swarm bookshops and galleries across the world. This I say, informed by the translator in the Introduction that Sabk- e- Hind Persian Poets from India are now being reconsidered by critics and littérateurs in both Iran as well as India. As for us – Kashmiris – who have unfortunately been chronically absent from the reading rooms of cultural and historical enquiry and pride about our roots – perhaps its time to acknowledge that our alleged identity crisis is not in the least because of the lack of icons or cultural pride, but primarily because of our procrastination and lack of fascination with our own history. We have no dearth of great poets, thinkers, philosophers and Sufi saints in the treasure troves of our history. And Ghani, without a doubt, is one of Kashmir’s most important poet and thinker. And this book captures Ghani as remarkably as possible, overcoming the constraints and limitations of translation beautifully. The Captured Gazelle is a must read and I rate the book 5/ 5 for its brevity, brilliance and stainless academic inquiry. Two thumbs- up to the translators! (“ Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” – Mark Twain. ( Junaid Azim Mattu is the Spokesperson of J& K Peoples’ Conference. Views are personal). HOPE Junaid Azim Mattu Junaid. msu@ gmail. com
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 06:02:35 +0000
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