urdu hai mera naam – iqbal ashhar

urdu hai mera naam maiN Khusro¹ ki paheli²
maiN mir³ ki hamraaz⁴ huN, Ghalib ki saheli⁵

1.Amir Khusro 2. puzzle, mystery 3. Mir Taqi Mir 4. confidante 5. playmate, friend

Urdu is my name and I am the mystery of Khusro.  I am the confidante of Mir, the playmate of Ghalib.

Iqbal Ashar is a young poet.  This linguistically straightforward and beautiful composition is also­­ very musical and rendered very well by the poet himself. Click on the song file to play his recitation.  Enjoy.

Amir Khusro is credited with compositions that are an unusual combination of khaRi boli and Farsi and can be considered proto-Urdu but are difficult to categorize.  Hence the use of the word, “paheli”=puzzle. Hamraaz and saheli imply adolescence and a case can be made that that was the stage for Urdu in the time of Mir and Ghalib who were probably more comfortable in composing in Farsi, the language of the “refined” as opposed to Urdu, the language of the common people.  But the implication that Urdu came of age during Mir and Ghalib’s time is beautiful.

dakkhan ke vali¹ ne mujhe godi meN khilaaya
sauda² ke qaseedoN³ ne mera husn baRhaaya
hai mir ki azmat⁴ ke mujhe chalna sikhaaya
maiN daGh⁵ ke aaNgan meN khili ban ke chameli
urdu hai mera naam maiN Khusro ki paheli
maiN mir ki hamraaz huN, Ghalib ki saheli

1.Vali Dakkhani, 1667 2. Mirza Rafi Sauda, 1713, an early Urdu satirist and panegyrist 3. ode, eulogy, panegyric 4. greatness, privilege 5. daaGh Dehlavi

Vali, of Dakkhan nurtured me in his lap.  Sauda’s panegyrics brought out my beauty.  Mir was priveleged to teach me to walk.  And I flowered in the garden of Dagh.  Urdu is my name and I am the mystery of Khusro.  I am the confidante of Mir, the playmate of Ghalib.

Vali Dakkhani is considered the earliest writer of Gazals in Urdu.  Sauda specialized in eulogies … also early in the life of Urdu.  Here Mir is credited with the infancy/walking stage although the earlier reference to adolescence is perhaps more appropriate.  DaGh Dehlavi was the stepson of Mirza Fakhroo the son of Bahadur Shah Zafar.  He found refuge in Hyderabad and died there.

Ghalib ne balandi¹ ka safar mujh ko sikhaaya
haali² ne muravvat³ ka sabaq⁴ yad dilaaya
iqbal ne aiina-e-haq⁵ mujhko dikhaaya
momin⁶ ne sajaii meri KhwabauN ki haveli
urdu hai mera naam maiN Khusro ki paheli
maiN mir ki hamraaz huN, Ghalib ki saheli

1.heights, greatness, vision 2. Altaf Husain Hali, 1837, wrote one of the earliest works of literary history/criticism 3. humility 4. lesson 5. mirror of righteousness (Islamic?) 6. Mir Momin, 1800

Ghalib taught me flights of great vision.  Hali gave me lessons in humility.  Iqbal showed me the mirror of righteousness.  Momin gave me dreams of home and comfort.  Urdu is my name and I am the mystery of Khusro.  I am the confidante of Mir, the playmate of Ghalib.

It is generally agreed that Urdu poetic composition reached its heights with Ghalib.  Humility and Mohammed Husain Hali – the association is historically acceptable.  Iqbal’s heavy introduction of Islamic religiosity in Urdu poetry (poetically great but otherwise questionable) is reflected here.  Momin, a contemporary of Ghalib was a romantic poet.

hai Zauq¹ ki azmat² ke diye mujh ko sahaare
Chakbast³ ki ulfat⁴ ne mere Khwaab saNwaare
faani⁵ ne sajaaye meri palkauN pe sitaare
akbar⁶ ne rachaii meri berang hatheli
urdu hai mera naam maiN Khusro ki paheli
maiN mir ki hamraaz huN, Ghalib ki saheli

1.Mohammed Ibrahim Zauq, 1789, court poet and ustad to Bahadur Shah Zafar 2. greatness, privilege 3. Brij Narain Chakbast, 1882, among other things wrote parts of Ramayan in Urdu poetic tradition 4. love 5. Faani Badayuni, 1879 6. Akbar Allahbadi, 1846, famous for satirical humour

Zauq had the privelege of supporting me.  Chakbast’s love made my dreams beautiful.  Faani brought starlight to my eyes.  Akbar coloured my palm with henna.  Urdu is my name and I am the mystery of Khusro.  I am the confidante of Mir, the playmate of Ghalib.

Akbar Allahbadi is considered a pioneer in sarcastic/humorous poetry … hence the reference to “hatheli rachana”.

kyuN mujhko banaate ho ta’asub¹ ka nishaana²
maiN ne to kabhi Khud ko MusalmaN nahiN maana
dekha tha kabhi maiN ne bhi KhushiyauN ka zamaana
apne hi vatan meN huN magar aaj akeli
urdu hai mera naam maiN Khusro ki paheli
maiN mir ki hamraaz huN, Ghalib ki saheli

1.bigotry, discrimination 2. target

Why do you make me the target of bigotry.  I have never claimed to be restricted to Muslims.  I too once saw an age of happiness.  But today I am helpless in my own home.  Urdu is my name and I am the mystery of Khusro.  I am the confidante of Mir, the playmate of Ghalib.

The common refrain among Urdu lovers is that Urdu IS a native Indian language, it has nothing to do with religion or religiosity, it should not be bundled with communalism or with extra-territorialism.  In truth Urdu is a foreign language in Pakistan. It is a pity that there is a note of defensiveness in all these claims – in saying, Urdu is not synonymous with Islam.  In place of such defensiveness, I quite like the assertiveness in the misra of a couplet composed by one of my nephews, Qamar Hasan …

jis dharti ka putr hai tu, vo meri bhi mata hai

… and in the telling couplet of Rashid Banarsi.

agar Urdu pe bhi ilzaam hai bahir se aane ka
to phir Hindostan kiska vatan hai, hum nahiN samjhe