Home | February '99 Index

Date: 24-Feb-99

Babar Ali Anees started the practice of introducing 
his longer poems with the recitation of a rubayi. 
This became a very popular practice and was 
emulated by many. After Dabir and Anees, the poets 
who made notable contributions to the growth 
and popularity of the rubayi are Hali, Akbar 
Allahabadi and Shad Azeemabadi. Shad 
Azeemabadi stuck to the devotional themes while 
Hali and Akbar Allahabadi used it as a vehicle of 
reform. Hali stuck to religious reform while Akbar 
Allahabadi used his considerable weaponry of wit 
and humour to achieve his social reformistic goals.

Today's rubayis are by Akbar Allahabadi. A 
characteristic of Akbar Allahabadi's writings was the 
inclusion of English words to accentuate his satire.


chho.D 'literature' ko apanii, 'history' ko bhuul jaa
sheKh-o-masjid se ta'alluq tark kar, 'school' jaa
chaar din kii zi.ndagii hai, koft se kyaa faayadaa
khaa 'double-roti', 'clerky' kar, Khushii se phuul jaa


ham urduu ko arbii kyo.n na kare.n, hi.ndii ko vo bhaashaa kyo.n na kare.n
jaga.De ke liye aKhbaaro.n me.n, mazamuu.N taraashaa kyo.n na kare.n
aapas me.n adaavat kuchh bhii nahii.n, lekin ik akhaaraa qaayam hai
jab is se falak kaa dil bahale, ham log tamaashaa kyo.n na kare.n

A rough translation:

Why shouldn't we try and link Urdu to Arabic
Why shouldn't they try and Sanskritize Hindi
Why shouldn't we write in papers and try
our best to incite more communal strife
Though there is no cause for a fight
yet why should we not be ready for another battle
If God finds this to be an amusing show 
then we cannot help but oblige

(Please note that the above lines are written as a 
satire, and does not mean that the poet was trying 
to incite communal strife. Sometimes sarcasm gets 
overlooked, specially where such sensitive matters 
are concerned. :-)

sheKh apanii rag ko kyaa kare.n reshe ko kyaa kare.n
mazhab ke jhaga.De chho.De.n to peshe ko kyaa kare.n
Farhaad se kahaa munaasib hai tujh ko sabr
kahane lagaa bataaye.n teshe ko kyaa kare.n