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Let’s Know Jammu
Caricaturing needs a 'keen nose for news and understanding of
issues' : Manoj
Madhav Sharma
Not only did Manoj Chopra start the tradition of serious cartooning
in newspapers, but he also created a committed readership for
cartoons related to public affairs in Jammu and Kashmir where the
newspapers were coming up with a monotonous affair.
Presently working with 'Punjab Kesri' a well acknowledged Hindi
paper in North India, Manoj Chopra is one of the leading cartoonist
of present times and is an inspiration for the beginners not only in
state but also in neighbouring states for his perception of cartoons
and caricature especially in politics and related to the public
issues.
The laughter and satire hidden in his cartoons not only make his
fellow cartoonists wonder but the critics also at times has a word
of applauds to him.
Starting his career from English daily 'State Times' in 1997, Manoj
Chopra became the talk of the town through his cartoons related to
daily affairs are published on Page 1 and Page 3 in the said local
daily.
For Manoj playing with lines and giving them shape co relating the
same to the issues of public or the political scenario is not easy.
According to him one needs to possess a lot of understanding and a
keen nose to understand the issues and only then the things appear
in your lines in better manner.
Choosing 'Cartooning' as a profession was my own idea, said Manoj,
who however accre dits
his parents Sh D L Chopra and late Smt. Rani Devi Chopra for
churning his latent potential and encouraging time to time.
"Whenever (especially tough times when I was fighting within me) I
needed them they were there for me to resolve my issues applauding
my work,' he evoked a bit of nostalgic about his mother who joined
the lotus feet of Almighty two years ago.
Now a national repute caricaturist Manoj Chopra a law graduate from
Jammu University recalled how he got plug to cartooning and tried to
made his passion as a profession. 'During my college and university
days I participated in various inter college and inter university
'poster cum sketching competitions' and this made me a bit of
popular among students, he recalled and added, "and whenever they
got into trouble they would ask me to sketch it on paper which was
later displayed on Notice Board for administration's attraction.'
Sequently, I got more involved in cartooning and it became my
passion, he said and recalled it was the most memorable day when I
got my first cartoon published in local English daily and the
newspaper vendor dropped it along with our regular paper Times of
India.
"I noticed the expressions of my family members with eagerness who
turned the pages of local daily and their assertiveness and interest
was my reward, he said.
"Many times readers started comparing my cartoons with great
cartoonists R K Laxman and others and that was a great reward to me,
and I was amazed by the response I started getting from readers, he
added buoyantly and said, "I feel indebted to great Mr Laxman.'
Manoj Chopra has won many awards for uniqueness and creativity in
his cartoons which touch various political as well as social
subjects of recent years. He even had delivered lectures on
journalistic cartooning for various universities for students of
journalism also many times.
To a question is there any advice you would offer to aspiring
cartoon and caricature artists, Chopra returned with a simple reply,
"I believe you should draw daily. If you love drawing (as I do),
this isn't hard.
Besides various awards Chopra has Junior Fellowship (2000-2002),
from Department of Culture, Govt of india Lalit Kala Scholarship New
Delhi (2004-2005) for illustrations; India State Award (certificate
of merit) in the Annual Art Exhibition organized by J & K Academy of
Art ,Culture and Languages,
Third Prize in UMO International Cartoon Contest, INDIA, 2006;
Excellence Award 4th LM International Cartoon Contest, China;
Special Honour Prize at 5th Tabriz International Cartoon Contest
2006,Iran
Honorable Mentions Of Castellar, Kozuchow 2007 Poland and First Web
Prize in Humo Daeva 2005,Romania and Second Prize at Ist Hall of
Humor Compinas Brazil,2009.
Worthier to mention that Chopra's works also had been selected in
World Press Cartoon 2006, 2007 ,2008, 2009 Sintra (Portugal)
catapulting him to international limelight. For him the saying is
hence absolutely apt..... “where there’s a Will there’s a WAY”.
Origin of urdu... language and
poetry
Geetanjali Murti
INTRODUCTION
Urdu is a Turkish word which means 'foreign' or 'horde'. This just
shows that the language itself represents its origin being an
amalgamation of foreigners with the natives of South Asia. It was
formulated with the interaction of foreign army, merchant and
immigrants to india. The forte of the language is and has always
been its literature.
Urdu involves numerous elements of Arabic as well Persian with
traces of Sanskrit.
It is rightly agreed that this language adds charm and elegance to
prose and poetry.
It is a language with a number of aspects and facets and it's
beauty is divine….
ORIGIN OF URDU
There are different opinions about the origin and development of
Urdu. In the beginning, Sanskrit was a dominant language. But slowly
the language receded into the background….
Between 500 AD to 1000 AD, ' Prakrit' language was very popular,
which later got divided into five parts:-
Pashachi, Shorsini, Maharashthri, Magadhi and Ardhmagadhi.
Later on, in western India, ' Braj Bhasha' came into prominence,
which had Persian and Arabic words mixed into it.
In western India, ' Khadi Boli was also spoken . Amir Khusroo,
Sheikh Baba jaan and Abdul Fazl have also reffered to the effect of
Khadi Boli on urdu language.
It is said that origin of Urdu, was not in Punjab, but in Delhi.
ORIGIN OF URDU POETRY
When muslims came to Punjab, local as well as foreign languages like
Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit mixed up and formed a new language
called URDU….
Hence, real origin of Urdu came with muslims in AD 1000, when both
political and cultural scenario in the country got affected
There is no doubt that urdu language has developed and progressed in
Delhi and particularly, Urdu poetry flourished here. It would be
pertinent to mention here that Urdu poetry had its local centres of
progress not only in Delhi, but also in Lucknow, Azimabad and Rampur.
MAIN CENTRES
In the beginning the poets used Persian words in their couplets. But
once they reached Delhi, they realized that a simpler language will
have to be used. The reason was that some of the words had dual,
meaning which made it difficult to attract nobelity and common man.
In their pursuit to simplify the language, Mir Zaki Mir, Mirza,
Mazhar and Yakeen' have contributed a lot, initially , and it is
said that Urdu poetry's most prominent era, started with the advent
of Mir and Mirza.
Due to devastation of Delhi, all the poets got dispersed, which
resulted in the distribution of Urdu Poetry to different parts of
the country……
DELHI
Delhi is considered to be the place of origin of urdu poetry. Early
poets of Delhi , faced two problems. One use of Persian words, and
secondly, their dual meaning. For example the word 'arzee' means '
unsustainable' as well as 'heek'. Hence ,
what the poet intended to convey, was difficult to understand. Due
to Delhi's devastation, when all poets got dispersed…' Mir', 'Dard',
'Sufi' remained there.
After a while, when Delhi got back its popularity, Urdu poetry
flourished once again. During this period, ' Shah Nazir', ' Zokh'
and ' Zafar' were the prominent court poets. 'Momin's' poetry on the
other hand , was full of romance, but away from the grandeaur of the
Royal Courts. 'Mirza Galib',one of the greatest urdu poets, followed
them…..
LUCKNOW
Lucknow had wealth and comfort in plenty. Due to the problem in
Delhi, most of the poets migrated to Lucknow, which was the centre
of cultural activity.
Lucknow being prosperous and peaceful , urdu poets flourished here.
They had a tendency to appreciate and there is a beauty and presence
which was very prominent in their poetry.
Hence, the poets stressed more on the niceties of the language,
which was made more floral and feminine in it's presentation…
AZIMABAD
Azimabad was a great centre of Urdu poetry, towards the east of
Lucknow, where we have Patna now. The quality & trends of Urdu
poetry in Azimabad were more akin to Delhi style, despite its
proximately to Lucknow.
This similarity was due to the same environment prevalent.
It has been a centre for a number of urdu Poets. Prominent one
amongst them, was ' Shad Azim Abadi'. The poets of Azimabad were
known for their simplicity, though, they did use Persian language.
Their romantic poetry, gave a new standing to Urdu poetry, thus,
making their contribution significant….
RAMPUR
The downfall of the last mughal king 'Bhadur Shah Zafar', a great
poet himself, and the ruler of Awadh, ' Wajid Ali Shah' led to the
migration of poets, to smaller insignificant states like Rampur.
'Mirza Galib' a great poet also took, shelter in Rampur. The ruler
of Rampur, ' Nawab Yusuf Ali Khan Nazim' was himself a great poet,
and hence, was benevolent in embracing all these great poets.
Due to this migration, there was confluence of the two styles of
urdu poetry in Rampur. 'Daag' and ' Jaslum' represented Delhi, where
as, 'Amir', ' Jalal' and ' Behan' represented the Lucknow style of
Shayari'. 'Nawab Kalab Ali Khan', ascended the throne after his
father's death. He, again was a poet himself and urdu poetry further
flourished….
DECCAN
There was no influence on Southern India of the North, before
British rule. ' Ala -ud-din khilji' was the first ruler to annex
south is the thirteen century.
"Muhammad- Bin- Tughluq' made Daulatabad (Devangiri) his capital and
even the common migrated there from Delhi. With the result , Urdu
became an impotant language.
In the fifteenth century, five smaller states came up. The Adil
Shahi rulers of Bijapur were great lovers of art and culture. During
their time, famous Urdu poets like' Khwaja Banda Narwaz Chaisoo Draz'
and ' Khwaja nasir-ud-din chirag-Delhi' gained fame.
It is important to mention Deccan's contribution to Urdu poetry. It
gave a great poet' Shah Miran jee Shamas Al Shah' (1497-1562) and
his son ' Brahan -ud-din Janam' (1544-1599). Their poetry contained
prose, ghazals and dohas, collectively… to be continued...
NORTH
In this part of India, no doubt, Urdu poetry did progress, but it
was not taken seriously. Here , it was more of a pass-time , than a
serious literary work. . In this field, Persian remained dominant,
as it's use was considered royal.
The foundation of Urdu poetry in northern India, was laid by 'Amir
Khusroo', followed by 'Kabir' , 'Mirza' and ' Tulsidas'.
In 1700 AD the poets who migrated to 'Delhi', realized the
importance of day-to-day language and incorporated common in their
poetry, thus making it simpler.
The other poets of importance were ' Khan Arzoo', ' Abroo', 'Naji',
' Hatim' and 'Fiaz'….
AMIR KHUSROO
' Amir Khusroo' happened to be the first poet of urdu language. He
had a different style of writing. In his poetry, there is a
significant use of 'Braj Bhasha' as well as ' Khadi Boli'.
FOR EXAMPLE:
"GORI SONDE SEEZ PAR
MUKH PAR DARE KEES
CHAL KHUSROO GHAR APNE
NEHAN BHAI CHO DESS"…
The above couplet signifies the use of 'Braj Bhasha' and ' Khadi
Boli' in Khusroo's urdu poetry…
MIRZA GHALIB
Galib is a milestone in Urdu poetry. His name was ' Asad ul Khan'.
He was born in Agra. He had a very tough childhood. At the age of
nine, he was an advisor to 'Bahadur Shah Zafar' on literary
creation. During the revolt of 1857, the English stopped his pention,
which was revived later.
In the beginning Galib used to write very tough urdu, which he later
modified. Galib hated to venture into trodden path. Hence, he always
gave his own style of poetry, which is remembered till date. He used
Persian words very often, because his flight of imagination was very
high. Before Galib, urdu poetry was only confined to romance. But
Galib diversified topics of urdu poetry and enlarged its scopes. He
was jovial by nature, as it depicted in his couplets, so is pride
and thought fullness…
ALLAMA IQBAL
Iqbal was born on 9th of November, 1877. His Forefathers were "Sapru"
Brahmins from Kashmir. After conversion, they migrated to Sialkot
(now in Pakistan). Since, there was a religious, environment at
home, Iqbal loved to recite the "Quran". He was very well educated
and did his masters, in philosophy.
He was a great philosopher and poet of Urdu language. His fame came
from his Persian and urdu poetry which was written in classical
style for public recitation.
Through the medium of his poetry, he tried to pull muslims from
illiteracy and backwardness. He laid great stress on individuality
and till date is known as the "philosopher poet" ….. his poetry
blended well with music, as he choose his word very carefully,
people remember him as a "prophet"…
Present Day Scene
Urdu is a language full of charm & elegance. Even today, ones with a
slight poetic and aesthetic sense prefer to express in Urdu only.
However, the unfavorable fact is that today as the Pakistani society
is losing its cultural charm, it is also unmindful towards its
native language. It went into the background as Pakistan and India
moved towards development and adopted the English language.
However, over the years, the language has established itself, never
to be over-looked and is still read in the form of those novels that
make the exemplary literature in theatre, schools and aesthetic
poetry……
Conclusion
Urdu poetry straddled and struggled through many phases. Initially,
it was a mixture of "Braj Bhasha" and "Khadiboli". But, later on, it
was over shadowed by Persian and Arabic. With the passage of time,
poets realized the importance of using a simple language to reach
the masses.
It's scope was more centered on romance and beauty of a woman and
their coquettish nature which later got enlarged, and related itself
to the daily life of people. Poets brought more refinement to it
from time to time. "MIRZA GALIB" and "IQBAL" were the masters of
their art. But even now, more and more poets like "JIGAR MURADABADI",
"JOSH MILI", "ABADI", "FIRAQ GORAKHPURI" are few names amongst the
plethora of poets who continued the tradition of Urdu poetry and
inspired by them, more will follow… Because:-
"YEH ZINDAGI KE MELE HARGIZ KAM HA HONGE,
PAR AFSOS, HUM NA HONGE"…..
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