NEW DELHI: A protester shouting, "Go back", to the Pakistani poets, union minister Kapil Sibal reading out a poem inspired by the Nirbhaya case from his tablet, renowned shayar Wasim Barelvi reciting some excellent couplets, and Justice Markandey Katju reiterating his demand to award a posthumous Bharat Ratna to Mirza Ghalib - it was an eventful Jashn-e-Bahar on Friday.
The 15th edition of the mushaira started late when a protester from a right-wing Hindu group notorious for making such disruptions, marched on to the stage and shouted, Pakistan murdabad, among other slogans. He was immediately whisked off by security personnel as the poets from Pakistan -- Fahmida Riaz, Harris Khalique and Kishwar Naheed -- maintained a dignified composure.
The Barelvi couplet recited on the occasion -- Aap naraaz ho roothe ki khafa ho jayen // baat itni bhi na bigde ki judaa ha jayen (Whether you are angry, miffed or upset/ let's not spoil the situation so much that we end up separating) -- was really apt and much appreciated by the audience at the DPS, Mathura Road.
A regular at the annual mushaira, Justice Katju, now chairman, Press Council of India, was the guest of honour. In his speech, he maintained that Urdu has been unjustly treated in India. "People associate a particular religion with this language. Few people know that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh writes his speech in Urdu."
He also said that the great 19th century poet Ghalib should be given Bharat Ratna posthumously. "If Sardar Vallabhai Patel and B R Ambedkar can be given awards after their deaths, why can't we award Ghalib?"
In his speech, Katju said that Urdu is the voice of protest. He urged Barelvi, also vice-chairman of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, to bring more fire in his writings. "Dande ka waqt aa gaya hai. Aap bahut soft hai. Faiz ki tarah nahi Josh ke tarah likhen (It's time to wield the cane. You are very soft. Write like Josh (Malihabadi ) and not like Faiz (Ahmed Faiz).
Chief guest Sibal, who's the union minister of communication and information technology, read out a poem titled, Haalat-e-haazra (state of the girl child). Khokh meri se aayaa tu / mujhpe tera waar hai kyu /mamta se paala tujhko /mamta ko thukraya kyun (You came from my womb / then why do you strike at women? / I brought you up with motherly love / then why do you abandon your mother?)
"The recent Nirbhaya case and the general plight of women in our country made me write the poem," said Sibal, who maintained that to promote Urdu one needs technological support. The minister said that a search engine on the lines of Google needs to be devised to help the language and that one should be able to send sms in Urdu. "Technical courses like microbiology should be taught in Urdu. If we don't include zubaan (language) with technology and people, then we are not connecting to the masses," he said.
The mushaira was attended by many other poets from India such as Javed Akhtar and Popular Meeruthi. Some of them recited their old poems. Japan was represented for the first time by its scholar Prof Hiroji Kataoka.
