{"id":914,"date":"2012-06-03T21:25:18","date_gmt":"2012-06-03T15:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/?p=914"},"modified":"2012-06-06T09:18:47","modified_gmt":"2012-06-06T03:48:47","slug":"satire-and-resistence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/editors-take\/satire-and-resistence\/","title":{"rendered":"Satire and Resistence"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/fb:like>

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Satire and Resistance <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Presentation <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zahid G Muhammad on Zareef Ahmed Zareef\u2019s book Taran Garee\u00a0 on 28-5- 2012 in Kashmir University <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Mr. Chairman, Justice B. A.\u00a0 Kiramani and fellow panelist and friends in the hall.<\/p>\n

Very good afternoon to all.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I thank Zareef Ahmed Zareef and Riyaz Rufai Librarian of Allama Iqbal Library\u00a0 for providing me an opportunity to share my views on Zareef Sahib poetical collection Tarangaree.<\/em><\/p>\n


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I am not an authority on Kashmir literature.\u00a0 A galaxy of them is present in this hall.\u00a0 In presence of these veterans of Kashmiri language and literature, I feel Lilliputian.<\/p>\n

Having being asked to review a poetic collection by one of famed poets, Zareef Sahib, I am caught up in a threatening situation with Ezra pounds and Eliot\u2019s of Kashmir language sitting on the panel and in front rows of the hall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I strongly feel, perhaps I am not the right person to comment on his latest satirical work. <\/em>\u00a0However, for my personal admiration for the poet, his steadfastness, uprightness and bleeding heart for his fellow brethren I took the risk and accepted the offer of making a presentation on this valuable\u00a0\u00a0 contribution. This work \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0has added one more shade to our beautiful literary landscape. \u00a0My presentation would be more an expression of gratitude for his voicing concern over the agonized life of people rather than a critical appreciation \u00a0\u00a0or a review in strict sense.\u00a0 It is not easy to tell the truth- the bitter truth in situation that has been beautifully summed up by Rahi Sahib in this verse:<\/p>\n

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It truly needs share courage to wear one\u2019s heart on one\u2019s sleeves in situation as that of ours- where thoughts and expression are captives.<\/p>\n

Zareef Ahmed has now been adorning our literary landscape for past five decades. \u00a0He is an accomplished essayist and a poet. He has been versifying in all forms of poetry, Ghazals, Nazamazs, quadrants and satire.\u00a0 Satire is his forte- it has made him\u00a0 what I would love to call as people\u2019s poet- a poet who has endeared him to the people of the state. \u00a0What makes him as distinctive from some of his other contemporaries is that he avoids literary jargons and refuses to swim with the tide. He has a direct style as he rightly says about his writings:<\/p>\n

\u201c I have so far been preventing\u00a0 my poetry from ambiguities and unnecessary literary complexities that some men of letters have made fashionable. And have become order of the day. The purpose of my writing is to provide relief to my parched beautiful land and to provide comfort and solace to my tormented brethren. And to wake them up and make them realize that they are not inanimate but full of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

His prose as well as poetry touches your heart. Like an ace archer, he shoots from his bow words that straight way pierce hearts \u2013 and stirs the minds. Tarangree <\/em>is his first poetic collection. \u00a0In 2008, he released his Essay compilation \u00a0Khabar Tougma Wanun. It<\/em> was \u00a0\u00a0well received in the literary circles. It is good contribution to the scant Kashmiri prose.\u00a0 True, he has been writing in all literary forms but satire is his forte- whether it is his prose or poetry.\u00a0 \u2018Since antiquity satire has been recognized as an important art form. It has been popular with several Greek playwrights.<\/p>\n

I would love to call satire as literature with purpose and satirist \u2018serves as harbinger of errors in societies.\u2019 The role of satirist in the words of Jonathan Swift is \u201cto mend the World as far as they are able<\/em>,” \u2018correct vices and reinstate virtues. \u00a0Literature is brimful with works of great satirist that forced their societies to introspect and to look into fads, fancies, follies and foibles.\u00a0 \u201cTake Jonathan Swift\u2019s \u201cA Model Proposal,\u201d or Mark Twain\u2019s \u201cHuck Finn.\u201d\u00a0 These two works unrepentantly illuminate the ills of their respective societies.\u00a0 I cannot imagine a news report more powerful than those finely crafted works of satire.\u00a0 It is the honesty and humanism of satire that make it so valuable, in that it forces the reader\/viewer to reflect upon his own shortcomings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patriotic and satirical poetry has had role in nation\u2019s freedom struggles. Notwithstanding satire usually being witty, it has generated powerful literary movements against brutal rulers and colonizers. Through cleverly crafted criticism satirist have infused spirit of freedom in people and geared them up \u00a0by drawing caricatures of tormentors.<\/p>\n

In our situation, I see a great role played by troubadours. The institution of troubadour might have been there for centuries as late it was fifties it had emerged as a well-established institution of political satire.\u00a0 In a situation, when press was muzzled, people were\u00a0 gagged, intimidation and terror had become second nature of men in power\u00a0\u00a0 and fascism was manifest in its ugliest form troubadour through his satire strengthened peoples belief.\u00a0\u00a0 It is not only the minstrels\u2019\u00a0 and troubadour that through the impromptu satirical poetry have been castigating the alien rulers,\u00a0 their cohorts and collaborators but even great poets through their satire have criticized their rulers. Literary history our land is full of poets that have lived up to self esteem, G.L. Tiku \u00a0in his Persian poetry that Kashmiri poets deplored any compromise even for fulfilling physical needs. He illustrates his point by quoting Nadim Kashmir and ,Ghani Kashmiri.\u00a0 In the literary\u00a0 gallery\u00a0 of Kashmir poets, Hamiduallh Shahabadi, (1783-1848), who lived during Afghan and Sikh rule stands out as a great satirist, \u2018who through his deeply satirical poetry convey his rancor at the poor state of Kashmir. In the words of Chitralekha Zutshi, \u201cFar from retreating into oblivion in the twenty seven years of Sikh rule, Kashmiri voice articulated a sense of belonging for their land, a land that now required the loyalty of its inhabitants to rise from the depths of its suffering and tribulations.\u201d She recognized Hamidullah, who through his epic satirical works, Babujnama and Napursana Nama condemned the rulers and people for allowing the beautiful valley to slide into chaos and ugliness as an important voice of Kashmir. Like Hamidullah Mirza Muhammad Mehdi, who used pen name Mujrim\u00a0 describe in his Dewan, the administrative chaos for which he holds sycophants of Sikh government mainly\u00a0 responsible. In exposing them he indulges in public satire, lampoons, and castigates Maharaja Sher Singh and his courtiers. He even describes them as scourge of God.\u00a0 \u201cAlthough his expression was is not as bald as we come across in Bebujnama, writes R.K. Parmu, \u201cIt is quite piercing and stiff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many other poets have made society to introspect, dwarfed the tyrants in the eyes of people through their satirical works. I even see Ghulam Ahmed Mahjoors, \u201c Azadi\u201d as master piece of satire:<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Let us all offer thanksgiving,<\/p>\n

For Freedom has come to us;<\/p>\n

It is after ages that she has beamed<\/p>\n

Her radiance on us<\/p>\n

In Western climes Freedom comes<\/p>\n

With shower of light and grace,<\/p>\n

But dry sterile thunder is all<\/p>\n

She has for our own soil<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n

Nabir Sheikh knows what\u00a0 Freedom means<\/p>\n

For his wife was whisked away<\/p>\n

He went on complaining until<\/p>\n

She bore Freedom in a new home!<\/p>\n

I will not hesitate in comparing the work of Zareef Sahib to the works by these great masters of the yore.\u00a0 Zareef Sahib Satire is piercing and stiff. Like a cork borer through his satire, he wriggles out laughter from every one irrespective of their understanding of poetry and its nuances and makes the wise and stupid to introspect.<\/p>\n

He has distinctive style that is nothing but Zareef\u2019s style. \u00a0In this collection of poems he largely avoids what in general terms would be called as literary phraseology or words instead he uses mundane common phrases and gives them a magical spin that bruises conscience of people.\u00a0 See spin in words:<\/p>\n

He uses commoners language- language of the have not and spoils of the society.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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His artistry in chiseling of words converting them into sharpeners is unique to him. He very subtly exposes the duplicity of leadership in verses like:<\/p>\n

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Their Soaring into skies is wasteful,<\/p>\n

Our Bab[i]<\/a> advised us to be pedestrian<\/p>\n

Himself loves flying in a helicopter<\/p>\n

Trickery, this is trickery.<\/p>\n

Intrigued by persistently changing stances and postures by the tallest of tall Kashmiri leaders and compares him to magician who has mastered the art of changing postures and colors faster than chameleon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>He holds mirror to the society and enables\u00a0 \u00a0it to see its ugly face, with pox marks, dotted with oozing warts and makes it realize that no from outside has made it look like that.<\/p>\n

Every stanza\u00a0 in this slender collection of 115 pages, moves like surgeon\u2019s scalpel\u00a0 to remove ugly warts on our beautiful skin.<\/p>\n

This collection is a great addition to our satirical literature.<\/p>\n

With these words I thank you all.<\/p>\n

Thanks<\/p>\n

Z. G. Muhammad<\/p>\n

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collection of Zareef Sahib, the first one Khabar Tougma Wanan was published in our times.<\/p>\n

iti<\/p>\n

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This is second poetic collection of Zaree<\/p>\n

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We have had tradition strong of troubadours – and troubadour-<\/p>\n


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[i]<\/a> Bab or Father was a title given to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the first Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fb:like><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 
\n 
\nSatire and Resistance
\nPresentation
\nBy
\nZahid G Muhammad on Zareef Ahmed Zareef\u2019s book Taran Garee\u00a0 on 28-5- 2012 in Kashmir University
\n\u00a0Mr. Chairman, Justice B. A.\u00a0 Kiramani and fellow panelist and friends in the hall.
\nVery good afternoon to all.
\nI thank Zareef Ahmed Zareef and Riyaz Rufai Librarian of Allama Iqbal Library\u00a0 for providing me an opportunity to share my views on Zareef Sahib poetical collection Tarangaree.<\/p>\n

I am not an authority on Kashmir literature.\u00a0 A galaxy of them is present in this hall.\u00a0 In presence of these veterans of Kashmiri language and literature, I feel Lilliputian.
\nHaving being asked to review a poetic collection by one of famed poets, Zareef Sahib, I am caught up in a threatening situation with Ezra pounds and Eliot\u2019s of Kashmir language sitting on the panel and in front rows of the hall.
\nI strongly feel, perhaps I am not the right person to comment on his latest …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8,12,20,13],"class_list":["post-914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-take","tag-kashmir","tag-nowhatta","tag-peacewatch","tag-srinagar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=914"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":932,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions\/932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}