An injustice to meaningful poetryDear Sir,This is in reference to the letter “Session ignores local Urdu poets” (Gulf Times, March 23). I can’t agree more with the writer. He has certainly hit the nail on the head. Mushaira (poetry session) is a public programme where poets gather to recite their poetry to an audience. Urdu has a strong historical account of mushairas. Urdu language and literature owe much to mushaira which nurtured the language. Today, however, the purpose of the language has shifted from promoting tradition and as a cultural institution to poor-quality entertainment and has become a tool for self-promotion of non-literary and semi-literary “poets”. The mushaira has always been about poetry. Nevertheless, these days not many good poets feature in a mushaira. Since it has become a commercial event, genuine poets are being ostracised because they are not well-connected and do not have anything to offer but poetry. Despite being seemingly popular, works of most of the poets of our time suffer from inherent weaknesses like a lack of intellectual content, the natural flow of verses and absence of inspiration, all of which produce trivial work. Nevertheless, their poetry fulfils the “technical” requirements but its trivial nature has many reverberations, including philosophical ones. The most aggravating thing about today’s poets is their lack of understanding of literature itself. Anyone who can put two lines together in meter is a self-proclaimed “poet”.Therefore, such “poetic work” cannot be taken seriously. In all honesty, I believe most of today’s mushairas are an injustice to meaningful poetry. While we appreciate the honourable motives of a few organisers who take mushairas seriously, that doesn’t change the fact that there aren’t many good poets to continue this tradition in its right spirit. The selection of poets in mushairas is also highly questionable. Largely, a mushaira is an opportunity for its organisers to promote themselves and advance their personal agendas. Selection of poets is based on their connections. It is also a platform for exchange of favours and it has become an inappropriate benchmark as far as Urdu poetry is concerned. The standard of mushairas can be best described by quoting noted Urdu poet Josh Malihabadi’s couplet, which translates as: “The couplet that gets appreciation in a mushaira fails rather disgracefully, in my eyes.”While it is true that the tradition of mushaira is fading and these sessions are being used by some people to their personal benefit, there are still a few literary organisations which do an outstanding work to promote Urdu language and literature. In Qatar, the examples are Shad Akolvi and Iftekhar Raghib’s Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar which has been serving the cause of Urdu in Qatar since 1959. Sulaiman Dehlvi’s Indo-Qatar Urdu Markaz, which pioneered Urdu mushairas in Qatar in the 1980s, and Mohamed Atiq’s Majlis Farogh-e-Urdu Adab which has been organising international musharias for decades must also be mentioned in this context.Another shining example is Jaleel Nizami’s India Urdu Society. Faisal Hanif’s Guzergah-e-Khayal Forum, Iqbal Academy Middle East and Urdu Toastmasters Club are also great initiatives. From monthly Ghalib symposiums, which are unique in the Urdu world, to Iqbal seminars and development of public speaking skills in Urdu are getting attention within and from the Urdu circles outside Qatar. Faisal Hanif. fhanif@hotmail.com Please send us your letters By e-mail: editor@gulf-times.com