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‘Musafat Raigaan Thi’ — A pleasant addition to Urdu ‘ghazal’
Ghulam Hussain Malik
September 18, 2009
'In the world of literature, there can be no proper evaluation of the works of a writer until their publication in a book form. Shabnam Shakeel, who says she had written her first verses around 1960, recently published third collection of her poetry: ‘Musafat Raigaan Thi’ (The Journey was Futile).
The latest book of Shabnam containing 58 ‘ghazals’ could be described as a pleasant addition to the world of Urdu ‘ghazal’, which has turned into an outdated form of poetry because, according to Intizar Hussain, a great rebellion broke out in the world of Urdu poetry after 1857 and the emerging group of poets dismissed the existing form of ‘ghazal’ along with its ‘taghazzul’. He says they called it an outdated form of poetry, which was unable to respond to the challenges of changed times.
The hard times and devastation of society, however, could not defeat the high spirit of Shabnam Shakeel, a careful woman who resolutely stands up for her dignity and right. Rather, after going through the difficult times, a smile unmindful of the vagaries of the time has overwhelmed her expressions. In her style, the unique colours are found along with the tradition. The traditional images are, however, very fewer in her poetry. For her verses, she has chosen the wording and symbols from the daily life of womenfolk. In her ‘ghazals’, she has borrowed various terms from the household life but she did not allow the coarseness of such expressions to be felt by a reader.
In ‘Musafat Raigaan Thi’, Shabnam has not repeated the views and experiences from her two earlier books. The poetess, who had embarked upon the poetic journey along with the life and problems of Pakistani woman, in the third collection of her ‘ghazals’ seems getting herself liberating from the bonds of gender. A mature consciousness about the existing circumstances looks gaining a central position and in her unique and soft style, she sees the human spectacles in today’s world sympathetically and with astonishment.
In the contemporary world, the conflict between the man and woman has gone in the background. Although there is a clash between egos, the focus is by and large on attitudes of an unjust and selfish society. Therefore, the latest poetry of Shabnam seems to be a journey to the global scene from a personal perspective.
The 112-page book published by Sang-e-Meel Publications has been dedicated to the those starting a new journey and priced at Rs175.