“Harfe Mo’atabar” is the first collection of Urdu poems by veteran poet, journalist and writer Mohammed Mujahid Syed. It comprises a selection of his poetry spanning over three decades.
Mujahid is a product of the Ganga-Jamuna culture and grew up in the fertile and traditionally rich plains. He has inherited the art and craft of poetry from his ancestors many of whom were stalwarts of their time. He learned about Hindu mythology and folklore from mendicants whom he followed in the alleyways of Uttar Pradesh as they sang the stories of Rani Saranga, Raja Bharatari and many others.
It all is reflected in his poems as do the anguish and pain of a tormented soul affected by the suffering and injustice all around him. Rather than succumb to the temptations of hyperbole and poetic license, Mujahid has stuck to facts and truth. This makes his poetry appeal to the readers who can identify with it.
“Harfe Mo’atabar” is like a breath of fresh air in the annals of modern Urdu poetry. It comprises all popular genres and Mujahid has excelled in them all. His ghazals have the subtleties of love and romance as also social issues and everyday life problems. He has coined similes and mixed metaphors, using them with great dexterity.
There are couplets of very high standard which reveal his mastery over the craft and his command over the language. To quote just a few of them:
“Hujume lafz dubota raha kitabon ko/Bacha hua hai faqat harfe mo’atabar tanha.”
“Kheme na yahan nasb karo qaafle walo/ Is dashte tilismaat se aage bhi hai kuchh aur.”
“Jab tez dhoop se kabhi jalne lage wajood/Gahre samandaron mein utar jaye aadmi.”
His poems “Bosnia”, “Tamaddunon Ki Jang” and “Dard Ka Dozakh” are particularly of very high standard and the following two lines from “Dard Ka Dozakh” can compare with the best of poetry in any language:
“Hum apne namae aamal par hain sharminda
Saleebe waqt pe latke hain munh chhupaye hue”
Mujahid is equally at home with the free verse and “Alaao”, “Aagahi” and “Sahra ki bhi yahi kahani” are especially appealing.
However, what Mujahid has excelled in is the anachronistic form of “doha”. This is a dying genre as it employs Hindi words and is therefore incomprehensible to a large chunk of Urdu readers. Unlike some others who have used the quad format to compose dohas, Mujahid has stuck to the original two-line style. He has innovated by using Urdu words to enhance their charm. Like “khairaat” in this doha:
“Laashon se basti pati chinta ki kya baat/Raaja apne mahal mein baant raha khairaat”. Also, the doha “Pi se milne ke liye hum ne badle bhes/Jogi ka bana pahen bhatke des bides” sounds a lot autobiographical.
However, what detracts most about this collection of poems is that it includes some of his early efforts which should have been left out. Also it has more than its fair share of typographical errors. A little extra care and both these drawbacks could have been avoided.
The book has an attractive front cover and is hard bound. It has been printed on offset and is easy on the eye.
All in all, “Harfe Mo’atabar” is a praiseworthy first effort and hopefully a harbinger of several others to follow.