A Tribute to Hindu Marsiya Writers

A Tribute to Hindu Marsiya Writers

By Prof. (Dr.) Mazhar.Naqvi

The martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain has formed the subject of much writing in elegiac poetry, or to be more exact, the marsiya along with its varieties — salam, sauz, and nauha in Indian sub- continent. But the participation of non-Muslims, especially Hindus, in such writings has been very scarcely mentioned.

In fact, during its heyday the Indo-Muslim culture had produced two great traditions, namely Sufism and Muharram. In these traditions Hindu and Muslim religious sensibilities seamlessly fused with each other. As a result, a large number of Hindu poets prominently figure among marsiya writers.

The credit for tracing the Hindu marsiya writers goes to Kali Das Gupta Raza. He is considered to be an authority on Ghalib but he used to write marsiyas as well. Gupta Raza was a great admirer of Imam Raza and had added “Raza” as his ‘takhallus’ out of his sheer devotion to the Imam. At a ripe age, he planned to compile a ‘tazkira’ of Hindu marsiya writers but could not complete the task due to his demise. He however left behind description of a number of Hindu marsiya writers. From his account, one comes to know about the galaxy of Hindu marsiya writers.

According to him, the first Hindu marsiya writer was  Ram Rao.His pen name was ‘Saiva’. He belonged to Gulbarga but migrated to Bijapur during the reign of Ali Adil Shah. In about 1681, he translated ‘Rozatush Shuhada’ in Deccani in addition to the original marsiyas written by him.Sri Makkhan Das and Balaji Tasambak with ‘Tara’, as his pen name are also worth mentioning. They flourished in Deccan after Ram Rao. Another Hindu poet Swami Prasad also wrote marsiyas in Urdu under the pen name of ‘Asghar’.

When the centre of Urdu shifted from the South to the North and the Azadari thrived under the patronage of Awadh dynasty in Lucknow, Hindu poets and writers did not lag behind in participating in Muharram rituals. They ardently engaged in writing marsiyas. The best and better known among them was Munshi Channu Lal Lakhnavi. He wrote ‘Ghazals’ under the pen name of ‘Tarab’ and marsiyas under the pseudonym, ‘Dilgir’. In his later period, he wrote marsiyas alone and distinguished himself in the field.

The Hindu Marsiyanigars also include a female named Roop Kanwar Kumari. She belonged to a family of Kashmiri Pandits who lived in Agra. She did not like to appear in public gatherings and had contacts only with those marsiya writers whom she regarded competent enough to guide her in her writing. She wrote during the 1920s and ’30s. In her marsiyas, an intermixture of two cultural sensibilities is found. She had devised for herself a mode of expression wherein ‘Hindised Bhakti’ terminology and Persianised expressions of marsiyas are seen blending together in a sound way. This blending of the two modes of expression imparts a new flavor to the marsiya and for this reason she stands distinguished among her contemporary writers. She relishes in calling Hazrat Ali a rishi, or a devotee or simply maharaj and saying ‘Najaf Hamaray Liyai Harduar-au-Kashi Hai. Here is a couplet of her unique style:

Ali’s feet shelter all
Ali’s loved by the two souls
No one knows Ali’s reality
But the Prophet and
God Almighty

Raja Balwan Singh, son of Maharaja Chait Singh of Benaras also excelled in composition of marsiyas. He was ousted from Benaras by the Britishers. He succeeded in winning a Jagir from the Maharaja of Gwalior. His son mostly lived in Agra and became a disciple of Nazir Akbarabadi. He distinguished himself as a marsiya writer, though he also wrote in other verse forms. Similarly, a noble of Lucknow Lala Ram Prasad also used to compose marsiyas under the pen name, ‘Bashar’. He was a devotee of the Ahle-i-Bait. In his last days, he migrated to Karbala where he breathed his last.

Lala Har Prasad also deserves a mention in this context.He was not a marsiya writer but had a passion for reciting them. Every year, he participated with devotion in tazia processions and recited his favorite marsiyas depicting the martyrdom of Hazrat Abbas. He belonged to the family of Raja Mahra.

As is well-known, in Hindi poetry the sentiment is expressed by the woman, who has to bear the pang of separation and is consoled by relatives and friends. But in one such case the affected woman said to them: “How can I bear this when patience exhausted itself with Hussain in Karbala”. And when Mir Anis heard these lines of Dilgeer, he spontaneously exclaimed: “I am prepared to exchange my entire collection of marsias for this couplet.” This anecdote is sufficient to prove how the devotees of Hazrat Imam Hussain should acknowledge the contribution of Hindu poets to the art of marsiyanighari. 

( The author is a Kanpur based heritage management expert. He is also Director Genral of a leading educational groupo of North India.He has deep interest in Islamic studies.This article has been written as Muharram is starting from October 26, 2014 and the contribution of Hindu Marsiya writers has remained a neglected topic so far).