By MM News,
New Delhi,Oct 26: If literature is a mirror of culture and a powerful formative influence, a literary evening presented by Jashn-e-Bahar Trust in the national capital this evening, showcased just this. Presented in Dastangoi style, it traced the evolution and history of Urdu Marsiya writing as a literary genre truly steeped in Hindostaniyat which has enriched the treasure trove of Urdu and our socio-cultural ethos.
Marsiya essentially centres around the continuous tradition of retelling the tragedy of Karbala since 682 AD. The evening’s Dastan started with tracing Urdu Marsiya’s genesis that drew from India’s rich folk traditions, its origins in Dakkan (south) and its flowering in the Shumal (north). Extremely well-researched, crisply written and beautifully performed, it presented a riveting amalgam of spellbinding storytelling and exhilarating poetry. The sheer Indianness of marsiyanigari and its symbiotic relationship with India’s Ganga-Jamni syncretic culture was skilfully brought out.
An exhibition of specially curated and designed panels provided perfect ambience to the unique mehfil-e-adab. It depicted several high points in the evolutionary journey of Marsiya as a genre of poetry and traced its role in shaping later literary genres like protest poetry in modern times.
“It truly is journey from Karbala to Kashi. From Gautam Buddh to Mahatma Gandhi, if the concept of non-violence resonate in India, then, Hazrat Imam Husain had also said that he does not want war. In fact, this land of ‘Truth and Non-violence’ had so easily adopted the lessons of Karbala,” said Kamna Prasad, Founder, Jashn-e-Bahar Trust.
“Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote – ‘I learnt from Husain how to be oppressed yet victorious,” she added.
The Marsiya is unique in world literature as it combines elements of pathos, elegy and epic in a single narrative, she said. And this was ably brought out by the select team comprising Fauzia Dastango, India’s first woman Dastango; Azhar Iqbal, poet, writer and theatre artist; and Syed Md Kazim, research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, who performed during the evening.
The programme was presented with the support of Morarka Foundation.