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Aasman aur bhi uththta
hai to uthth janey do INDIAN literature has a long tradition of creating bird characters that think, talk and act like human beings, and have become household names. There is Garuda in our ancient scriptures and mythology, Jatayu in Ramayana and Shuka in various Sanskrit texts, including the ones pertaining to astrology. However, birds as poets – especially in Urdu? Can’t recall? But that’s not a surprise because, perhaps, it never occurred to any writer of substance to create one. B. D. Kalia ‘Humdum’ has filled this gap with his latest book. Often we attribute assorted qualities to different birds, viz., crow as messenger, vulture as bad omen and owl as harbinger of desolation, which this oft-quoted verse suggests, "Bas ek hi ullu kaafi hai barbaad gulistaan karne ko/Har shaakh pey ullu baitha ho anjaam-e-gulistaan kya hoga." The owl-poet in Humdum’s book retorts, "Bastiyaan veeran karna husno-mai ka kaam hai/Boom tow ullu ka pattha muft mein badnam hai" (it’s liquor and beauty that destroy human dwellings, the darned owl is reviled unreasonably).
The following couplets articulate avian protest against human beings’ tendency to capture birds and cage them, feed them, use them for entertainment and sell them for profit: Daal kar pinjre mein panchchi ko jo sab pakwaan dey/Woh sitamgar ho na ho woh meharbaan uska nahin. And, Azad mujhko kar dey o quaid karne wale/Main bezubaan hoon quaidi mujhe chchordkar dua ley. When the bird is freed it thanks the captor in this manner: Ab dua deytay huye thaktee nahin meri zubaan /Quaid sey jo kar diya azad toonay meharbaan. Through various ashaar (couplets) the bird-poets assert their superiority over human beings in this manner: Hameen Suur-Tulsi, Hameen Mir-Ghalib/Hameen inmey rehtey thhey chola badalkar. Putting a stamp on the bird poets’ moral superiority Humdum avers: Deeno-imaan kay waali tujhey maloom hai kya/Peshtar mullah sey deitein hain azaanein panchchi. This book highlights the process of projecting the beauty of Urdu poetry through the medium of birds. Something that is unique – even if one considers the past and present of Urdu poetry. On a more elevated level, it deals with such ideals as freedom, peace, the etiquettes of mushaira like giving daad (appreciation) and acknowledging it. In fact, the ambience for the mushaira has been created with great skill and imagination. Parindon ka aalami mushaira is a product of Kalia’s fertile imagination. He has articulated the birds’ muted feelings through this volume. To my knowledge this is the first successful attempt of its kind. He writes not only in Urdu but also in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Haryana Urdu Akademi, UP Urdu Akademi and Haryana Waqf Board have showered various awards on him from time to time. His writings are also greatly appreciated in Pakistan and London. This book’s Hindi version, Vishwa Kavi Sammelan, too, has been well received by poetry lovers. Parindon ka Aalami`85 also includes valuable tips for writing Urdu verse wherein the author has delineated and explained various aspects, which could prove useful to academicians and students of Urdu literature. Humdum is the
founder-president of an Urdu cultural organisation called Ehsaas-e-Adabi.
Extracts from his travelogue, America ka Safarnama, have been
included in the GNDU’s BA course curriculum. It is also a subject
for Ph. D dissertation in Kurukshetra University.
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The
book’s cover depicts the style and ambience of mushaira,
setting the contents’ mood. It is a humorous, poignant and
thought-provoking take on human beings’ hypocrisy, cruelty and other
foibles vis-a-vis our feathered friends. A few "famous
bird-poets" that have presented their kalaam in this
collection are Garud Aalami (President), Hansmaan Sarovari, Mor
Bharati, Tota Ludhianvi, Bater Jalandhari, Kumri Kanpuri, Bulbul
Banarsi, Surkhab Panchkulvi et al.