Books on Urdu poetry | One tongue, many voices

In this book of essays, Rakhshanda Jalil shines a light on the inclusive and pluralistic nature of Urdu poetry

ISSUE DATE: Sep 30, 2024

Shiva’s body is “like a glittering sapphire”, he is “knowledge, nectar, action”, the “Granter of Salvation”: these encomiums appear in three different Urdu poems. “Written by both Muslim and non-Muslim poets at a time when inclusion and pluralism were the norm rather than the exception, these need to be revived and re-read not merely for their evocations of communal harmony and goodwill, but also because much of it is simply good poetry,” writes Rakhshanda Jalil, in her new compilation of essays, Love in the Time of Hate: In the Mirror of Urdu.

While Urdu poetry might be commonly associated with Islamic culture, this chapter, among others, shows us just how wrong that assumption is. “I found myself on a self-­appointed crusade to excavate how diverse the concerns of the Urdu poet have been and how Urdu poetry is NOT poetry by Muslims for Muslims about Muslimsâ€æ,” she writes in the ‘Introduction’.

Ram, for instance, is described as “knowledge incarnate” and “a mirror of love and affection”. Gautam Buddha, Jalil writes, “is almost always invoked when the Urdu poet wis­­hes to stress the antiquity of this ancient land”. Besides the cross-cultural and cross-religious impulses, Urdu poetry has something to say about nearly everything. From major historical events like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the dawn of independence to metaphysical musings on women and home, to something as banal as paan. Revolutionary fervour seeps into much of this poetry, and there is often a clear link with people’s movements. Taken together, the essays offer a glimpse into the many modes and moods of the Urdu poet.

Jalil, a writer, translator, critic and editor, has written extensively on literary figures, poetry and Urdu writing. This book lands in an atmosphere of communalism, as she reflects on in her ‘Introduction’. But instead of dwelling on the fissures in Indian society, it is meant to be a hope-driven palliative, an antidote to reality through the romance of the written word.

Jalil’s book clusters essays into four sections: ‘Politics’, ‘People’, ‘Passions’ and ‘Places’. Some were written over the years and published elsewhere. Her essays are strongest in the moments when her personal tastes and experiences creep in, or when she digresses into the lives of the poets she quotes. But there are moments when the collection feels too long; eager to cover too much ground, with some essays reduced to a collection of excerpts from poems.