Where author pays tribute to the unsung Shayaras –(Women sher-o- shayari writers) of the past and explores technicality of Urdu poetry .
Teri nazm ,
Kisi kaagaz pe likhey lafzon mein ko gayi .
Teri Ghazal ,
Kisi badnaam mehfil ki ronak ho gayi.
Teri awaz ,
Ajj bhee veerano mein goonjati hai.
E shayara , teri rooh
Kisi jane shayar ki Ilhaam ho gayi.
--Clueless (I am proud of this one)
So unknown and lost they are that when I Wikipediad Shayara , the result was:
Did you mean: Shayar ?
This time Google also turned out to be chauvinist. Nope there isn’t’ much on web .
Amongst the Amir Khusros , Mirza Ghalibs , Mehedi Hassans ….. some names like Begum Akhtar, Farida khanum where linked majorly for their ghazal gayaki.I still remember a filling scene in a movie In custody 1993 , where Shabana Azmi is lamentable about her creations not being recognized , while the whole movie revolves around an ageing poet Nur Shahjehanabadi’s work preservation.
They very much existed .Apart from usual , every kothas originally meant for musical -mystic entertainment were also home for such phankars. Female artists including tavayafs were shayari composers .But with their name their voice , creations went confounded and lost.
One truly admires any poet’s work irrespective of the gender behind and nor am i a feminist. But something did provoke me. Even today people don’t take a female poet seriously .That whole kashish in reciting is much appreciated when coming from a man’s mouth . Is it just that people are not used to? Or people just don’t want to ?.
One of the reasons for rareness of Shayars apart from unrecognizable condition of women in Islam and in history, in general , on some digging down actually comes out from what ghazal is or was traditionally about.
Apparently , ghazal not only has a specific form, but traditionally deals with just one subject: Love. And not any kind of love, but specifically, an illicit and unattainable love hence is always written from the point of view of the unrequited lover. Since we all have grown with Devdas(s) continuum on broken heart saga, shayari suited more on them. As if there were no Meerabai(s)? yeah but all that dwelled bhazan’s. Sigh !
That is one of the theories though .
Able to compose a sher or poetry is an instinctive creative prowess, which is nurtured in a person irrespective of prejudice.
However things haven’t changed much .Name one famous female equivalence of Galib or even a budding writer?Yes , they existed and are still blooming in shadows. The art itself dying in this fast paced hip-hop world is another story altogether though.
Urdu poetry is not all about just rhyming words.
Sher is (Couplet). It consists of two lines (misra); first line is called 'misra-e-oola' and the second is called 'misra-e-sani’.
Ghazal is a collection of shers ( Ashaar).
Nazm is an Urdu poetic form that is normally written in rhymed verse.
More gyaan explained by Jagit singh here.
PS1: After a long time , have composed Ashaar .
PS2: Btw, we have moved up in life. Got 2 cots coz of rt g .It feels good to sit on elevated surfaces.
PS2:Hmmmmm, The end.
