by Padma Bhushan Prof. Gopi chand Narang on March 25, 2014
The term qawwali is derived from qul, the imperative of the Arabic verb qaula 'to say', 'to speak', In the Holy Quran suras 109, 112 and 114 begin with the word qul 'say!', and this is evidence of the sanctity with which it is regarded. Reading anyone or all of these verses is also part of the fatiha; therefore pronouncing the word qul is the equivalent of a blessing or the conclusion of a prayer. In Arabic qawwal does not mean 'a singer', but rather 'one who speaks volubly' or 'a story teller'. When it was adopted by Urdu its semantic boundaries shifted and the term qawwal was exclusively applied to a person who sang qawwalis. The word qawwal was possibly first used in Turkish in connection with the 'whirling and chanting dervishes' of Jalaluddin Rumi, but when it reached India it gradually became a standard element in the sufistic ritual of the seminaries (khanqahs). In its present form the qawwali is first and foremost an exquisite manifestation of the music and culture born from the interaction of Hinduism and Islam. As a musical form it belongs exclusively to the Indian subcontinent, which began to develop after the advent of Islam during the middle ages. It was patronized and cherished by most Muslim sufis, especially those belonging to the Chishti order.
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by Padma Bhushan Prof. Gopi chand Narang on March 15, 2014
Urdu Ghazal is not all about emotions and impressions. It also entails certain ontological and ideological leanings. Though Urdu Ghazal chronicles aesthetic expressions of eternal human fascination with love and beauty which overshadows all other aspects of human life, under the influence of Sufism, it all along displays the metaphoric as well as real aspects of spiritualism. Therefore, weaving philosophy into the warp and woof of poetry it has attempted to disentangle secrets of eternity and existence. These efforts, however, are not aimed at offering any logical solution to the ideological or intellectual enigma. They are mere impressionistic or ecstatic outpourings of poets' inner vision resulting from their discernment of inherited religious beliefs, contemporary culture and social milieu. Therefore, to comprehend the approach of Urdu Ghazal towards the fundamental issues/ problematic of the self and the universe and the creator and the creation, it is imperative to keep in mind the social milieu, the cross currents of Hindu and Muslims thought, and the growth of Sufism which nurtured Urdu Ghazal to its pinnacle.
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by Padma Bhushan Prof. Gopi chand Narang on March 15, 2014
How not to read Faiz 1 does imply how Faiz must not be read, or how Faiz be read. But this is not what is intended here. To say how Faiz be read or how it should not be read sounds prescriptive, and it is not the role of criticism to be prescriptive. There are readings and readings. Faiz is a popular poet and who can tell his admirers how to read and how not to read Faiz. It is besides the point that there is no dearth of critics who take such stance without realizing that their writing is neith er of any use for literature nor for literary criticism. Notwithstanding, the poetry of Faiz is read by all sorts of readers, and the graph of his popularity stays pretty stable. It is a lso understandable that the camp- followers of a particular breed use the poetry of Faiz to shield their own shortcomings. Popularity has its own downside, because the crowd of adm irers comprises majority of those who do not know why they like their hero. Do t hey admire him because of their genuine appreciation of his text or simply because other s admire him? The popularity of Faiz, intact even today, was established in the second h alf of the twentieth century, and this is not a short period for the firming of a poet’s significance. During this period, much has been written about Faiz, but it is a sad fact tha t many of his admirers admire him for wrong reasons; they have written little about his poet ic worth. In this regard, Faiz deserves our sympathy.
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