Urdu poetry is thoroughly secular
By Justice Markandey Katju
Many people think Urdu poetry is communal. On the contrary it is thoroughly secular.
Thus, Ghalib, the greatest Urdu poet, writes :
“ Imaan mujhe roke hai, jo kheeche hai mujhe kufr
Kaaba mere peeche hai, kaleesa mere aage “
i.e.
“ Faith is holding me back, atheism is pulling me forward
Kaaba is behind me, the church is in front “.
As explained in some earlier articles of mine ( which can be seen online) , Urdu poetry is not to be understood literally. The Urdu poets often write not directly but indirectly, conveying their meaning allegorically by allusions, hints, suggestions and indications.
Kaaba is the place in Mecca, which is the holiest place for Muslims. But in this sher ( couplet ) Kaaba must not be understood literally. By Kaaba Ghalib means feudalism or backwardness.
The word kaleesa literally means church ( of Christians ). But here it means modernism.
So when Ghalib says he has turned his back towards Kaaba (
i.e. he rejected it ), he means he has rejected feudalism and backwardness.
The word kaleesa in the sher means modernism, and therefore Ghalib means that he is a supporter of modern civilisation.
Many similar examples can be given from the poetry of many Urdu poets.
Author Justice Markandey Katju is former Chairman , Press Council of India and former Judge , Supreme Court of India. Author can be reached at justicekatju@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house.