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Once again, so many ‘all-India’ mushairas were held in Delhi recently, that it became difficult to keep track.

Though a section rues decline in standards of poetry that is read from the stage, the fact is that the institution of mushaira keeps growing stronger.

The historic Shankar-Shaad Mushaira, the 47th such event, organised by DCM group, was held in Delhi recently. This year Anwar Jalalpuri presided over the mushaira.

The founders of Delhi Cloth Mill (DCM) Lala Shankar Lal and Murli Dhar Shaad’s poetry was sung at the start. Audience listened to rapt-attention when veteran poet Shaharyar recited:

Jo chaahti dunyaa hai, voh mujhse nahiiN hogaa
samjhautaa koii Khwaab ke badle nahiiN hogaa
[Shaharyar]

zindagii kis se kahegii koii tayyaari nahiiN
maut ke bas meN to ek lamhe ki bhii yaari nahiiN
[Wasim Barelvi]

jo der thii qafas se nikalne kii der thii
phir aasmaaN saara kabutar ka ho gaya
[Munawwar Rana]

Jaam khaali the, magar maiKhaana to aabaad thaa
chashm-e-saaqii meN taGaaful thaa, pashemaani na thi

jin safiinoN ne kabhii toRaa thaa, maujoN ka Ghuruur
us jagah Duube jis jagah daryaa meN tuGhyaanii na thii
[Malikzada Manzoor Ahmed]

Poets from Pakistan including Zohra Nigaah and Ghulam Abbaas Tabish, and shayars from other countries attended the event.

Of course, some poets who relied more on their rendition style or those who sing from the stage, but there is serious poetry as well and hundreds wait till late night to listen to the poets.

Another mushaira was organised at Jamia Millia Islamia. In the auditorium of Faculty of Engineering, poets regaled the shayari aficionados. Elderly Bekal Utsaahi, known for his geets, was heard with due respect. He presided over the grand poetic meet.

daftar meN zehn, ghar meN nigah, raaste meN paaoN
jiine kii aarzuu meN badan haath se gayaa
[Ghazanfar]

nuchi qamiis, phatii aastiiN, kuchh to hai

Khamushii chhupaatii hai aib aur hunar donoN
shakhsiyat ka andaaza guftguu se hota hai
[Shams Ramzi]

ab apne aap ko qatraa bhii kah nahiiN saktaa
buraa kiyaa jo samandar se aashnaii kii
[Iqbal Ash'har]

kabuutar aake yahaaN saarii raat rotay haiN
ye kaun log haiN jo maqbaroN meN sotay haiN
[Malikzada Javed]

yahaaN to aadmii milnaa muhaal hai yaaro
voh chaahte haiN ki parvardigaar mil jaaye
[Surendra Shajar]

Ikhtilaaf aapas meN der tak nahiiN rakhnaa
ranjisheN miTaane ko ek salaam kaafi hai
[Abid Wafa]

The third mushaira was during the Sahitya Akademi’s seminar on Faiz. Renowned Bengali writer and one my favourite authors Sunil Gangopadhyay had presided over the initial session. The mushaira was a success.

The poetry-lovers were delighted to see legendary poet Balraj Komal recite at the mushaira. Shaharyar, Farhat Ehsas, Khalil Mamoon, Pritpal Singh Betab and Shakil Azmi were applauded for their couplets.

kashti-e-jaaN se utar jaane ko jii chaahtaa hai
in dinoN yuuN hii mar jaane ko jii chaahtaa hai
[Shaharyar]

achchhii chiizeN lagengii aur achchhii
darmiyaaN kuchh Kharaab rakh diyaa karo
[Balraj Komal]

terii aaNkheN Khudaa mahfooz rakhe
terii aaNkhoN meN hairaani bohat hai
[Sheen Kaaf Nizam]

kisii kisii ko thamaataa hai chaabiyaaN ghar kii
Khudaa har ek ko apnaa pataa nahii detaa
[Parvin Kumar Ashk]

The mushaira at India Islamic Cultural Centre that was organised jointly under the aegis of Urdu Academy, Mehfil-e-Urdu and Nobel Education Foundation, was also quite successful. Here is a selection of couplets rendered on the occasion.

One of the most respected Urdu poets, Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi recited:

she’riyat khush-gavaar ho ke rahii/ilm-o-fan kii bahaar ho ke rahii
daur-e-qahat-ur-rijaal meN dekho/zindagii baa-vaqaar ho ke rahii

mizaaj puuchhne vaaloN kii Khair ho yaa Rab
mizaaj puuchhne vaale bhii kam hii rah gaye haiN
[Vaqar Manvi]

log kahte haiN ki is khel meN sar jaate haiN
ishq meN itna Khasaara hai to ghar jaate haiN
[Shakil Jamaali]

tujhe shaahi haram kii ek din zeenat banaayenge
baDe naazoN se paala hai tujhe Urdu zubaaN hamne
[Khurshid Haider]

sulah ke vaaste ba-zid kyuuN ho
tiir baaqii nahiiN kamaan meN kyaa
[Salim Siddiqui]

sabhii vaade-iraade, ahad-o-paimaaN TuuT jaate haiN
Ghariibi meN baDe Khuddaar insaaN TuuT jaate haiN
[Shams Ramzi]

na jaane tumne sub’h ka qasiida kaise likh liyaa
yahaaN to kal bhii raat thii, yahaaN to ab bhii raat hai
[Iqbal Ash'har]

aaNkh bhar bhar aaii aur dhundhlaa gaye manzar tamaam
kis qadar tiikha hai terii be-Rukhii ka zaaiqa
[Zafar Moradabadi]

tumhare saath guzaara huaa voh ek lamhaa
agar maiN sochne baiThuuN to zindagii kam hai
[Moin Shadab]

jis din kitaab-e-ishq kii takmiil ho gayii
rakh denge zindagii teraa bastaa uThaa ke ham
[Javed Mushiri]

The mushaira-e-shayaraat, an exclusive women’s poetic meet, was also held recently. It was organised by Delhi Urdu Academy to mark the International Women’s Day. It was decided that no male would appear on the stage, however, there was a row between two poetesses.

Comments from audiences and unruliness forced Professor Akhtarul Wasey had to intervene. Malka Nasim, Azra Naqvi, Ana Dehlvi, Iffat Zarreen, Tarannum Kanpuri and over a dozen other poets participated in the mushaira.

maiN us se duur bhii jaauN to kis tarah jaauN
voh itr ban kar mere pairahan meN rahtaa hai
[Waseem Rashid]

Read earlier posts on Mushaira reports on this blog:

1. Enchanting couplets at an Urdu Mushaira in Delhi
2. Makhmoor Saeedi, Zubair Rizvi recite couplets at Mushaira
3. Tarahi mushairas: A glorious tradition of Urdu poetry

Lijiye Huzoor: Bun-Kabab haazir hai!

The Bun-Kabab is not a traditional street food but over the years it has emerged as a popular non-veg delicacy in India.

Though there is no dearth of mouth-watering delicacies but one needs to be aware of the localities where such food is available. Mostly these shops are in Muslim dominated mohallas.

It is in these lanes that one gets to find food ranging from ‘haleem’ [khichda], ‘spicy kalejis’, qeema samosas, seekh ke kebab to biryanis of all sorts and the ubiquitous chicken.

But in recent years an addition has been made in the form of’bun kabab’, which has acquired a bigger following and has spread to several cities.

Firstly, it’s easy to make and serve. If the ‘shaami kababs’ that are filled inside are good enough and the quality of buns is not bad, the hot bun-kabab tastes heavenly on an empty stomach.

In fact, a layer of green chutney and onions inside the bun, can do wonders. It’s a close cousin of the burger but when it comes to taste, I assure you the bun-kabab is miles ahead and there is no comparison. Bun Kebab is the winner.

Alas, in an era when there is such deterioration of street food that biryani sellers turn the biryani into khichdi and put 2-3 kinds of chutney along with dahi or raaita, the bun kebab stands apart.

It is in the labyrinthine lanes in Muslim ghettoes in different cities that you get to find traditional food. Not just non-veg, but also unique sweets like ‘nan-khatais’ and ‘andarse ki goli’.

Remember, every kabab wala is not a master and one has to try out at different joints before finding your favourite shop or stall that makes the best bun-kabab or any other similar dish.

If you are a real foodie, you will certainly venture out and find out yourself. Quality is a big issue and that’s the reason one needs to do lot of survey before finding your favourite joints.

Once you have munched enough, it’s time for tea. And nothing beats the ‘namak wali chai‘. It doesn’t taste salty. In the huge samovar, the tea maker just sprinkles a bit of salt but the taste and the aroma are altogether different.

In the chai-khanas, the elders get the tea in ‘pyali’ while the youngsters mostly have it in glasses. The ‘namak wali chai’ seems to energize also.

Read earlier posts on Qeema-samosa sellers:

1. A samosa-seller’s nap under the tree shade
2. Chacha’s qeema stuffed samosas

Read earlier posts on ‘chaai’ and tea shops:

1. Culture of chai: Teashops are vanishing
2. My morning cuppas in Hyderabad

The spectacular growth of newspapers in India in the first decade of 21st century is perhaps the most gladdening and surprising story for media world.

Particularly, because the phenomenon was witnessed when America and Europe witnessed drastic fall in readership and several newspapers stopped print editions to switch to just online versions.

As I look back I can feel how newspapers and magazine have grown in the country. Ten years ago there were few papers and just a couple of standard magazines.

Until 2000, the newspaper industry appeared saturated and no new players were emerging. Perhaps the only exception was Times of India that was growing exponentially. It was no different for the regional language media either.

But the situation has changed dramatically in the decade 2001-2010. New mass circulated daily newspapers emerged on the scene and established newspapers also grew. Besides, more magazines are now available than ever.

I remember that till 2000, there were few options. Now if I go to a book stand, I return with a fresh issue of a news magazine almost everyday.

While India Today and Outlook somewhat retain their circulation, its rival The Week has grown significantly in the last couple of years.

The circulation of magazines may not have increased dramatically but the overall reach and their impact has gone up. In terms of special and investigative stories The Week, and of course Tehelka, have consistently scored over India Today. Among the major positive changes, which I can recall, that occurred in this decade include:

A Decade of Print Media Boom in India

1. A new daily newspaper DNA–Daily News Analysis–was launched from several cities
2. India Today group’s daily newspaper Mail Today gives competition to HT, TOI in Delhi
3. Hindustan Times starts Mumbai edition staking the claim to be a TOI rival at the national level
4. Express groups’ New Indian Express holds fort in South India and grows
5. Deccan Chronicle expands
6. New financial daily, Mint, makes its mark and now has multiple editions across the country
7. TOI goes down South and becomes a pan-Indian newspaper
8. Tehelka, first as weekly paper and later in magazine format, makes a mark
9. Open magazine launched. Another option to readers after India Today, Outlook, The Week and Frontline
10. MJ Akbar’s Covert is launched but when it closes down, he launches The Sunday Guardian weekly. Another magazine The Sunday Indian is launched. Though Arindam Chaudhuri’s magazine isn’t often discussed much, its editions in 13 languages can’t be discounted.

The circulation of newspapers continue to grow. While industry pundits predicted doom for print media, they forgot that in India, there is almost 40% population that is yet to achieve basic literacy.

Besides, the aspirational lower-middle class and middle class reader often graduates from vernacular to English media for a variety of reasons and this process will continue for at least next 30-40 years.

In India revenues aren’t drying up as the TV channels have reached their optimum in terms of advertising revenues. However, newspaper remain a major source for information and the classified advertisements continue to grow and fetch returns.

Rising Regional press: Hindi, Urdu newspapers, vernacular media expand

The trend was not restricted to English media. Hindi newspapers also witnessed a rise in circulation. While Punjab Kesri declined, the three major papers–Dainik Jagran, Hindustan and Dainik Bhaskar–kept growing fast and are selling in millions.

New dailies were successfully launched. Papers like Hari Bhumi and Prabhat Khabar started publishing from new editions while Rajasthan Patrika and Hindustan went for expansion on a massive scale. Patrika went down South and even up to West Bengal.

The soaring circulations in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh forced papers to launch separate pull outs for districts and pages for small cities and towns.

While New York Times and Boston Globe had a tough time continuing their print editions, in India regional dailies are selling in millions [tens of lakhs] and the readership is in crores and is rising steadily. Defying global trends and negative predictions, the Indian akhbar survives. This is the reason the decade 2001-2010 would go down as an important period in Indian print industry.

The rise of Urdu media: Five channels, multi-edition dailies

Urdu media also grew exponentially. The Sahara group’ Roznama Sahara is now published from across the length and breadth of country. Another daily Sahafat expanded from Lucknow and is now published from Dehradun, Delhi, Mumbai et al.

The launch of high standard magazines like Bazm, weekly Chauthi Duniya and Urdu version of The Sunday Indian were among other important events. While Siasat, Munsif and Inquilab remain leaders, the daily Etemaad was launched in Hyderabad and it is also a successful paper.

New daily newspapers including Hamara Samaj, Hindustan Express and the recent launch of Jadeed Khabar are forcing the old and existing Urdu papers to compete, look for special stories and work hard to improve themselves.

Following ETV, the launch of DD Urdu, Zee Salaam, Alami Sahara and the recent launch of Munsif TV gave a filip to Urdu media in India. In fact, it was a sort of fairy tale story for Urdu media in this decade. The newspapers were in a bad shape and magazines were on the decline till 2000.

But the situation has changed so much that even the most optimistic person wouldn’t have dreamt about. I am not much familiar with language media in other states but there are new success stories of Telugu newspapers, Malayam, Tamil, Bengali and some other regions.

Clearly, it was a decade of media revolution and revival in India. As far as standards of journalism, the trivialization of news, the India TV phenomenon and the focus on Bollywood gossip, I think that’s enough material for another writeup. 

 To a section it is worrying how one group commands such strong readership & influence among Indian Muslims due to its newspaper, Urdu weekly, monthly Bazm-e-Sahara & now the first nonstop Urdu news channel from India.

Sahara has broken new grounds in Urdu media in India. It has been an unbelievable journey, especially when most established publication groups including Shama Group, Biswin Sadi and Blitz left the field, claiming lack of readership and purchasing power among Urdu speakers.

Clearly there is a market for Urdu publications and channels, provided, the product is good and the publishers must stop treating the Urdu reader as a ghettoised man who only wants to read or watch about Palestine or minority politics. The success of Roznama Sahara and The Sunday Indian’s Urdu version have proved it.

[*Alami means International in Urdu]