Jashn-E-Rekhta Festival : Celebrating Urdu
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diary volume XXIX. No. 2 March–April 2015 JASHN-E-REKHTA FESTIVAL : CELEBRATING URDU Mushaire ka Badalta Rang-Roop Speakers: Munawwar Rana, Akbar Natiq and Satyapal Anand Chair: Ravish Kumar, March 14 Popular poet Munawwar Rana said that the tradition of Mushaira hasn’t changed much over time. However, he regretted the growing trend of bad and shallow poetry and stressed the importance of preserving the highly developed tradition. The genesis of this tradition, its cultural value and relevance in modern times were the main points of discussion. Satyapal Anand said that there has never been any During the discussion, Munawwar Rana noted that tradition similar to that of Mushaira in Europe and this tradition is being increasingly politicised. It has America. There, poetry is ‘read out’ rather than become a norm for politicians to organise Mushairas to performed. campaign for votes. He also spoke about the anonymous Munawwar Rana added that these days in Pakistan, not and not so easy lives led by poets. Poetry and Mushaira many people watch or listen to Mushairas. Speaking is passing through a bad phase. from personal experience, he said that the harmful competitiveness of poets who at times attempt to degrade one another is not appreciated and it is precisely this which deters people from attending Mushairas. He also pointed out the differences in the same tradition practiced in India and Pakistan. In India, even today Mushairas are very popular, but that is no longer the case in Pakistan. Ravish, at the same time, regretted the deterioration of this tradition. Towards the end, the session was opened to questions. The witty responses, sometimes also in the form of beautiful couplets by Rana and Natiq won the audience’s hearts and the powerful poetry by Satyapal Anand touched everyone. 1 jashn-e-rekhta diary and the doctor who is an avid reader of his works is Tetwal ka Kutta – a play based on some of the second act of the play. The patient shows some of Manto’s short stories Presented by Wing’s Cultural Society, March 15 his writings to the doctor who, still unaware, ridicules the pessimism in it. The psychiatrist I.M. Shareef is On the second day of Jashn-e-Rekhta, Tetwal ka kuttta shocked when he gets to know who his patient really (Tetwal’s Dog), a play written by Danish Iqbal based on is and changes his attitude. Normal doctor-patient certain episodes of Manto’s life and a few of his short conversation is interspersed with dialogues which stories was enacted. portray the philosophy of Manto’s writings. A disillusioned and dishevelled Manto, given to smoking The second part of the play is the enactment of two and drinking and roaming the streets of Lahore in the of Manto’s famous later short stories. The story of cover of darkness is the starting point of the play. He Thanda Gosht (Cold Flesh) is presented in three lines is shown as unable to come to terms with the fact that through Manto’s narration to the doctor during their India and Pakistan are different countries. Manto is conversation. The third act of the play is the enactment introduced to the audience as a famous writer by way of a self-introduction by the actor Tarique Hameed. of Kali Shalwar (Black Trouser). Manto, at the end of the act, asks the doctor and audience if they found anything Manto’s visit to a psychiatrist on court orders and the pornographic about the story. interesting conversation which unfolds between him The last and major part of the play is the enactment of the short story Tetwal’s Dog, which is also the play’s title. The story is set in Tetwal village of Kashmir during the first war between India and Pakistan. A dog which strays from one side to the other is petted by the soldiers and at the same time suspected to be the informer of the other. The dog becomes an ignition point for the soldiers and they fire at the dog for different reasons, which then dies a ‘dog’s death’ in between neither side. This is then conveyed as a metaphor of humanity and also Manto’s own life. Moderator Baran Farooqi then threw in a point about Urdu Adab Ki Taanisi Awaz the necessity for writers to remove the layer of cultural Speakers: Azra Abbas, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Amjad Islam Amjad and Tarannum Riyaz conditioning (and thus male-centred prescriptivism) Moderator: Baran Farooqi, March 14 and observe the world like a child to see through things which Ismat Chughtai perfectly did in Lihaf. At the panel discussion, the first speaker was Sukrita Tarannum Riyaz followed by speaking mainly about Paul Kumar. She discussed the works of Ismat Chughtai, poetry. She made a distinction between loud feminism especially her convention-breaking (and controversial) and subtle feminism and appreciated the latter. short story Lihaf. Her introduction of Begumati Zuban She quoted Ada Jafri as a perfect example of subtle feminism and prescribed that poetry should be such to (a female gendereolect of Urdu) through some of her be appreciable. She then said that though the poetry characters into the world of Urdu literature and its of Parveen Shakir, Kishwar Naheed and the like were significance was further discussed. milestones, there was an element of shrillness in them. 2 diary jashn-e-rekhta increasing conservatism. It is important that their voices be heard and not ignored, she said. She added that women-specific experiences like menstruation or pangs of child birth should and have been converted into poetry without which the experience would be left unknown. Amjad said that what happened in the West hundred years back is only now visible in Indo-Pakistani literature. Baran expressed hope for Urdu literature to reach the state where things like vagina monologues become common and such openness becomes a part of poetic An analogy was drawn between Kiran Desai and Ismat convention here. Sukrita commented about the Chughtai for their blunt use of language. She quoted lack of creativity in the critical sensibility of writers. facts that female writers and poets in the beginning There is a lack of theoretical literature which is why wrote in the name of their fathers, husbands or brothers. unconventional things take too long to be accepted. She appreciated Bano Qudsiya and Qurratulain Haider Tarannum reaffirmed that she considered all these for their subtle feminism in their works like Raja Gidh, things an aping of the West and said that some Agle Jana Mohe Bitiya Na Kijo and Sitaharan, and placed indigenous wave should begin. Baran concluded the them in the highest category. session by letting it be known that there is a dire necessity of feminist theorising in India to open up Sukrita expressed her views about the requirement closed spaces and blur differences. of aesthetic restraint, especially with regard to protest and feminist literature. She rather viewed Shakir and WIKALP Kishwar’s ‘shrill voices’ as an equilibrium reaction to NANDLAL The tango is a dance that is exquisite to watch when Argentine Music performed well. It originated in the 1890s along the Rio PERFORMANCE: An Evening of Argentinian Music de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Piano recital by Mariano Alberto Vasquez Uruguay, and spread first in Europe and then in North Collaboration: Embassy of the Argentine Republic America during the early 20th century. It is now part of March 2 the standard ballroom dance repertoire. Mariano Alberto Vasquez impressed with his piano Artiste Mariano Alberto Vasquez, well-known pianist playing, displaying a very good feel and a good and also tango dancer, presented a piano recital that understanding of dynamic range. An interesting was almost an exclusive celebration of Argentine impromptu touch was the performance by a pair of tango music. Except for one zamba (an Argentine folk dancers who essayed the tango itself on two numbers. dance) and a couple of numbers featuring the chacarera The recital concluded with a rendering of probably (another Argentine folk dance that is considered the the most well-known and widely performed rural counterpart of the cosmopolitan tango), all the tango standard—La Cumparsita—a song written by numbers performed showcased the tango or its variants Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodriguez in 1916 (tango, tango vals and milonga). when he was just an 18-year old student. Interestingly, it also uses a portion of the song Miserere from Giuseppe The major composer featured was Astor Piazzolla, Verdi’s famous opera Il Trovatore. who is considered the foremost Argentine composer of S. CHIDAMBAR tango music. 3 films diary another, and the cycle goes on. The Reel shows a person FESTIVAL : 11TH IAWRT Asian who lives with the war, in the throes of an unending war. It shows that while music is a basic need, war does Women’s Film Festival not permit it. Collaboration: IAWRT, India Chapter; Max Mueller Bhawan-Goethe Institute; the Japan Foundation; Sangat Q: What do you think of this festival? South Asia; Jagori; Zubaan; PSBT, March 3–5 A: That school students came to watch the film. That is very unusual. The 11th edition of the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival showcased the work of women filmmakers Lin Li, UK of Asian origin, bringing together a rich and diverse Q: You began your career in filmmaking later in your collection of films from 18 countries. The festival life. Tell us something about the transition. included a selection of 60 films and sound works, A: I studied psychology at university and then taught for a seminar and exhibitions.