Ghazals flow from ex-bureaucrat’s pen

I have received a number of books since ‘Himachal Tribune’ started publishing reviews written by me on poetic publications by Himachali writers. My reading of fresh books has increased by minutes and hours. I have formed a policy that I will review books on the ‘first come, first reviewed’ basis. I am, however, jumping the queue to review book “Shalabh” written by Nahan resident Dr Vinod Prakash Gupta because he was my batch-mate in the administrative service. Secondly, but more weighty, is that though he started writing ghazals only three years ago, he has made a mark already and his natural talent and ability to fearlessly state the truth has placed him in the higher echelons of ghazal-writers of India. His first book on ghazals “Aao nai sahar kaa nayaa shams roke lein” (let us block the new sun of a new morn) containing 101 poems has been published by KVS Prakashan, Delhi, and costs Rs 280. Late Kedarnath Singh had released his first book “Charon Dishaayen”, an anthology of Hindi poems, but not much notice was taken of it and Vinod continued to occupy the margins of the literary field here.  

He took to ghazal writing, which is a very difficult task because only a person who has the knowledge of ‘beher’ (meter), ‘radeef’, ‘kafia’ etc., can do it. ‘Beher’ is the length of a couplet and all the couplets or ‘sheyrs’ in a ghazal should follow the same ‘beher’. ‘Radeef’ is the word that ends the first two ‘misras’ (lines) and the second ‘misra’ of every couplet in a ghazal. ‘Kafia’ is a common-sounding word that is used before ‘radeef’. I take a ghazal of Vinod to explain it: “Ishq ka imtihaan rakh lete/ Jism kya aap jaan rakh lete/ Chalte chalte meri guzarish hai/ thak gaya hoon, thakaan rakh lete”. In this ghazal, ‘imtihaan’, ‘jaan’, ‘thakaan’ are the ‘kafia’ or ‘aan’ is the ‘kafia’ giving ‘wazan’ to the ‘radeef’ of the ghazal. 

Ibrahim Ashq, an ace ghazal writer from Mumbai, has written the preface of the book. He says that there are four pillars on which stands a good ghazal. These are forte, esteem, connotation and execution. He writes that Vinod has adopted these and his ghazals cross these masts successfully.

Let us enjoy a few of the ‘sheyrs’ of Vinod. The ‘sheyrs’ are part of the book but Vinod has kept these out of the index, which indirectly means that the book contains 101 ghazals only. The writer has picked up the title of the book not from one of his ghazals but from a couplet, “Aao nai sahar kaa nayaa shams rok lein/ Tha dukh bhara jo raat kaa, antim pahar gayaa”. The poet has strikingly touched the lives of those old people who stay alone when their near and dear ones leave them for good: “Vriksh boodha phir se tanhaa reh gayaa/ De gayaa dhokhaa parindaa dosto”.

Vinod goes romantic and wishes that the flame of passion between the two lovers is never extinguished and prays that all the wishes of the beloved are fulfilled: “Labon par pyaar ka bheega hua naghma nahin sookhe/ Tumhari aankh mein jeevit koi sapna nahin sookhe”. 

He speaks frankly that the ‘so-called’ leaders will destroy the country just for the gilded chair: “Hangaamein ho rahein hain siyaasat ke vaaste/ Wo desh phoonk denge hukumat ke vaaste”.  

Vinod believes in freeing women of society from the oppressive social structure and supports radical feminism: “Pitrasatta mein baraabar haque miley/ Ab nahin dete hain kori dhamkiyaan/ Ab sahaaron ki nahin humko garaz/ Phaink denge hum sabhi baisaakhiyaan”.

I will give stars to his ghazal: “Ped hoon to phal bhi doonga yaquinan” (If I am a tree, for sure I will bear fruit; if I am a river, for sure I will flow; if I am a bird, for sure I will fly; I have lived my life on my own conditions, for sure I will live in my death; if I am a blaze, for sure I will burn) and Vinod winds up this ghazal as: “Tu agar aag hai to mein bhi shalabh (moth) hoon/ Teri lau mein hi jaloonga main yaquinan”.

An appealing content is not be all for a book, it has to have an elegance — its presentation should be eye-catching. Vinod is on the back seat in this aspect. First, instead of 9 inch by 9.5-inch size, the book should have been published in a digest size, which would be the trim size for it. Most of the ghazals have covered only half or three-fourth of paper and the remaining page is blank and thus goes waste. Secondly, there are prefaces by Ibrahim Ishq, Dr Kunwar Bechain, Gyan Prakash Vivek, Anirudh Sinha and Vijay Kumar Swarnkaar. It clutters. Vinod should have selected the best out of these and given that only in the book.

The author, however, deserves hurrah for superb ghazals written in simple, understandable and well accepted words. 

Tailpiece

“Shikaayaton ki bhi izzat hai/ Har kisi se nahin ki jaati”.