Toast to Deccani shayari

J.S. Ifthekhar
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Hyderabad: Man knows how to cry from birth, but laughter takes some learning. Hyderabadis, however, seem to have a natural flair for it. The good turnout at the `tanz-o-mizah' mushaira was proof enough.

The biting chill was no deterrent, nor was the open-air Quli Qutb Shah Stadium. Urdu lovers gathered in large numbers to enjoy the programme organised as part of the annual `Yad-e-Sarwar Danda' mushaira -- a tribute to the poet who immortalised the Deccani style of shayari.

Perhaps in keeping with the `ladies first' principle, Shaheen Sultana was asked to take the stage and `Halchal Hyderabadi,' as her nom de plume goes, set the ball rolling.

Raat bhar neend na aaye to mujhe khat likhna
Yaad jab meri sataye to mujhe khat likhna
Id ke chand mein tum ko nazar aaungi
Chand baadal mein ghir jaye to mujhe khat likhna

And as the laugh-a-minute session progressed, the night warmed up. Capitalising on the cricket fever, Khatpat Bhainsavi regaled the audience with his `cricket shayari.'

Tere dil ke pitch pe main ishq ke chakke-chavve laga loonga
Tu agar nazar se karti rahi bowling, main century bana loonga
Poetess Nani Hyderabadi had the audience in splits with her couplets marked with double-entendre.

Ishq mein mera deewana banne ko tayyar hai
Meri nazron ka nishana banne ko tayyar hai
Kya bataoon jab se Nani takhallus rakhi hoon
Aaj har ek shayar Nana banne ko tayyar hai
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-THE HINDU,
Hyderabad

Dakhni poetry rocks YouTube

Baalaan kale karte karte, mooh bhi kaala ho gaya
bachche dekh ko darte jaaraen, nai bole to sunte nai
charbi chaat ko duble dikhne, ek hafte se diet po hain
Chalte-phirte dhakliyaan khaaraen, nai bole to sunte nai

‘Dakhni' shayari has found a new home today -- the cyberworld. Gen-next might not be attending ‘mushairas' but it is active online, posting comments on comic takes by Hyderabadi poets and joining the e-fan clubs. Facebook, Yahoo Groups, blogs and now YouTube are abuzz with information on the poets from the twin cities such as Suleiman Khateeb, Ali Saheb Miyan, ‘Bedhadak' Hyderabadi, Ghouse Mohiuddin Ahmed ‘Khamakha', Mustafa Baig and Mujtaba Hussain, writing parodies in the ‘Dakhni' tang.

Pleasant surprise
A popular video that has been doing rounds on YouTube is “Nai Bole to Sunte Nai” that finds Ghouse ‘Khamakha' presenting his rib-tickling poem at a ‘kavi sammelan'. This online applause comes as a pleasant surprise for the 82-year-old poet who been associated with the likes of Naushad, Dilip Kumar and Ravindra Jain. ‘Khamakha' has presented his works in front of packed audiences in Australia, Canada, the US and even China.
“I am not aware of my YouTube video though it's a good thing for ‘Dakhni' poetry. Inspirations for my works range from political discussions and observations of trends happening around,” says ‘Khamakha'. His works inspired a MANUU student to do an M. Phil on his poetry, while a poet from Nizamabad has chosen ‘Khamakha' as the topic for his Ph.D thesis! “I have been an avid viewer of ‘Dakhni' poetry on YouTube. You find volumes of good poetry online,” says Ahmer, an MBA graduate.

Regional films
One of the reasons for the continuing impact of the language once patronised by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah on the new age audience is probably the English-meets-Dakhni style in current works. Also, sombre satirical takes have mellowed down to spoofs on daily life.
Of late regional films have incorporated ‘Dakhni' poetry in their productions. “You can find the ‘Dakhni' song ‘One by two peetay hain chai' in the film ‘Hungama in Dubai' which was well accepted,” says writer-actor Faheem-ul-Haq. “The genre of ‘Dakhni' poetry is not just about humour. It has great literary value. Today there are a few poets left who are known for ‘Dakhni shayari',” he adds. In times when there is meagre support for this unique style of poetry, social media definitely comes as a boon to popularise these valuable works.