Urdu Ramayana: A Composite Culture Through The Eyes Of Urdu Poets

सदहा वर्ष वलाहते ईसा से पेशतर

ये अहले बज़्म तेरी ज़ियारत से बैहरावर

सदियाँ हुई के तूने जहाँ से किया सफर

मौजूद आज तक तेरे अशआर हैं मगर 

(From Ramayan in Urdu by Asghar Husaain Khan ‘Nazeer Ludhianvi’)

(Long before Christ was born. Blessed were the people of this world by your presence, Oh Lord. It’s ages now since you travelled this world, but live you on, in our shayari and poetry till day.)

And then a Persian poet says :-

ताज़ा ख़्वाही दाशतन, गर दाग हाय सीना रा

गाहे -गाहे बाज़ ख्वां ई किस्सा-ए-पारीना रा

(अगर सीने की कसक को ज़िंदा रखना है तो कभी इन पुरानी किस्से, कविताओं को पढ़ लिया करो) 

(If you want to keep your heart aflame, do read at times the story and poetry of the past).

And I present to you Ramayan through the eyes of Urdu poets

(पेश-ए-खिदमत है - उर्दू शायरों की दास्तान-ए-रामायण)

I grew up with my grandfather. He was a poet, a Shayar, an Urdu scholar and musician. I was barely 12 years old then I wanted to go out and play cricket. My grandfather was shocked "खेलोगे, कूदोगे, हो जाओगे आवारा" – You should sit with me and sing the Ramayan, and we sang till sunset. One चौपाई (stanza) in Raga Jaijaiwanti, and the other in Raga Nand and this was a daily affair. Then my grandfather would recite shers from Urdu Ramayan  and make us sing चकबस्त की रामायण (Chakbast Ki Ramayan) in Raga Kedar.

Written by Brij Narayan Chakbast (1882-1926) in the Soz and Marsya tradition, this beautiful Urdu Masnavi (poetry) is a scene from Ramayan when Ram goes to meet Kaushalya prior to leaving for ‘Banvas’.

रूख़सत हुआ वो बाप से लेकर ख़ुदा का नाम
राहे-वफ़ा की मंज़िले-अव्वल हुई तमाम
मंज़ू़र था जो माँ की ज़ियारत का इंतिज़ाम
दामन से अश्क पोछ कर दिल से किया कलाम

Taking the name of God, Ram took leave from his father and thus stood by his promise. Wiping his tears he spoke to his mother and told her that he is leaving , to which Kaushlya remarked -

लेती किसी फ़क़ीर के घर में अगर जनम
होता न मेरी जान को सामान ये बाहम
डसता न साँप बन के मुझे शौकत-ओ-हशम
तुम मेरे लाल, थे मुझे किस सल्तनत से कम
मैं ख़ुश हूँ, फूँक दे कोई इस तख़्त-ओ-ताज को
तुम ही नहीं, तो आग लगाऊँगी राज को

(Had I been born in the house of a fakir, I wouldn’t have to face this ordeal my son. You are more than a Sultanate to me. Happy will I be if one burns this throne and crown down. And if you are not around I would myself burn this Kingdom down).

जैसा किसी और शायर ने कहा है –

'तख़्त-ओ-ताज और न कुछ माल-ओ-ज़र चाहिए,

मुझको तो सिर्फ उसकी खबर चाहिए

(No throne or crown or wealth do I need, what I need is but just you)

Imanaged to find the diary of my grandfather. There were some scattered verses of Khushtar Ramayan. Khushtar Ramayan is one of the earliest Ramayan in Urdu written by Munshi Jagganath Khushtar (1809–1864). A strange feeling of moledro crept in, as I kept my grandfather’s diary down. I had a licotic feeling that I have to write about the beautiful Urdu Ramayan and share it with my friends.

Khushtar started reading Ramayan only at the age of 40 and thereafter he set the Ramayan in Urdu verses without changing the basic story of Ramayan. He started his Ramayan with Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim; then a Hamd and Naat in praise of Allah and then seeks permission from Allah to write his poetic interpretation of Ramayan.

खुदाया खामा को नामवरी दे

कलम में जल्वए बालोपरी दे

(ऐ खुदा इस कलम को शोहरत दो, ताकि ये उड़ान कर सके)

(O Lord, please give power to this pen so that nothing may stop me from writing this Ramayan)

Khushtar style of writing - his poetry, were strongly influenced by the writing of Firdawsi, the great Persian poet (born 1025) who wrote ‘Shahnameh’ , the greatest Persian epic & world’s longest epic poem. But unlike Firdawsi who turned to his beloved and wine to complete his book, for Khushtar it was the divine moment, a serendipity, when Saraswati appears in his dream and tells him.

बचश्मे गौर देख ऐ तीरे बातिन

बहारे आलमे इम्काँ है दो दिन

(ये दुनिया दो दिन का है, दिल की आँखों से इसे गौर से लिखना)

(write this Ramayan, not with your pen, but from your heart)

करे उर्दू में गर उसको तज़्मी

निहायत दिलनशीं हो और खुश आई

मज़ामीने म'आनी उसके हो सहल

दिलों जां से करे मक़बूल हर दिल

(And write this in beautiful Urdu which should be simple and understood by all and liked by one and all).

And then Khushtar wrote the Masnavi in Urdu & Farsi.

Khushtar describes the scene when Sita is in captivity of Ravan and Ravan tells Sita that he wants to marry her and gives her 1 month time to think about it.

हुई सीता यह सुन कर ग़म-नाक

हुई ग़म से दुर्र-अफ़्शां बर सरे ख़ाक

हुआ आँखों का अश्के खूं से वह हाल

कभी गौहर निकलते थे कभी लाल

(सीता यह सुन कर दुखी हो गईं। दुख से जमीन पर मोतियों की तरह आँसू  बिखर गए। खून के आँसू से आँखों का यह हाल हुआ। कि कभी मोती निकलते थे, कभी लाल कीमती पत्थर)

In his Ramayan wherever Khushtar has described an event or Ayodhaya of Lord Ram’s time, he brings in the flavor of his Awadh that existed during his time.

Khustar describes Lord Rama’s clinquant ‘Barat’ (बरात), procession

अनारों के किसी जा क़हक़हे थे

किसी जा चरखियों के चहचहे थे

धुंए में चरखियों की यूं लपक थी

सियाह बादल में बिजली की चमक थी

(किसी जगह अनार की फुलझरी खिलखिला कर हंस रहे थे, तो किसी जगह से चरखी पटाखे के चहचहाने की आवाज आ रही थी और इन चरखियों के कारण सियह बादल में खूबसूरत सी चमक थी ।)

and describing the heavenly lilting music during Ram’s marriage ---- Khustar says –

हर एक सू मुतरिबाने शोख़-ओ-त़न्नाज

सरापा ब-सर ता क़दम नाज

कोई गाता था टप्पा और ठुमरी

नजीरे बुलबलां मानिंदे क़ुमरी

सुरूद-ओ-चंग थे बाहम जो दम-साज

मुवाफिक थे मुखालिफ सुन के आवाज

(हर ओर चंचल और जिंदा दिल गाने वाले थे, सिर से पांव तक नाजुक स्वभाव । कोई गाता था टप्पा तो कोई ठुमरी, बुलबुल की तरह जो कुमरी (एक प्रसिद्ध पक्षी) के मानिंद थे । सुरूद और चंग की एक साथ जो आवाज निकलती, उसे सुन विरोधी भी समर्थक हो जाते थेय सब संगीत से नशे में थे)

The Epic Ramayan has fascinated the poets / authors across the globe for the sheer beauty of its story and its literary composition. Hence, it is not surprising ,at all, that Ramayan has been translated in probably, all the major and minor languages, within the subcontinent and beyond. Understandably, the foremost Urdu and Persian poets and Shayars have all been inspired to give vent to their own flight of imagination and fantasy and poetic felicity, taking the readers almost into the realm of ‘willing suspension of disbelief’.  

Maryada Purushottam Ram has been described in the most eloquent verses, by Urdu and Persian poets.

Dwarka Prasad ‘Ufuq’ Lucknavi in his Ramayan Yak Qafia describes the scene when Ram is desperately searching for his abducted wife Sita, imploring with each living and innate objects whether they had seen his Sita, seen his wife: 

हाल पूछा जानकी जी का वहूशोतैर से

शाख से, गुल से, समर से, नख्ल से पूछा निशां

चौकड़ी भूला था हर एक, नशा सबका था हरन

क्या बयां करते हिरन, सीता हरन की दास्तां

In desperation Ram asks about Sita’s well being and whereabouts to every being which walked or flew. He asked the branches, he asked the flowers, he asked the fruits and asked the trees, but in vain all were quite, depressed and lifeless. What could the deer tell where Sita was.

Similarly look at the beauty of this Persian poetry by Asghar Hussain Khan ' Nazeer Ludhianvi' who in the last chapter called दीपमाला of his Ramayan describes the scene where Ram returns to Ayodhya and the Diwali is celebrated.

चौदह बरस उठा के क़यामत की सख्तियां

ग़ुरबत नसीब देस की जानिब हुए रवाँ

शामो पगाह चलते हुए शादो कामराँ

दाखिल हुआ वतन में वह छोटा सा कारवाँ

फूले नहीं समाते अयोध्या के ख़ासो आम

आरास्ता किये हैं गुज़रगाहे सहनो बाम 

हर एक तरफ से शहर में लोगों का इज़देहाम

है एक दुसरे से मुहब्बत से हम - कलाम

हर एक बशर है डूबा हुआ इम्बिसात में

घी के दिए जलाए हैं फ़रते निशात में

Ram’s human frailty, emotion and angst is all brought out in the sublime poetry by the Farsi poet Masihi.

गरिबान - ज़मीं शुद नागहां चाक

दरामद हमचूजा दर कलिले-ख़ाक

(  ज़मीं का सीना अचानक फट गया और सीता मिट्टी में रूह की तरह समा गयी ।)

Seeing this Ram was very disturbed and kept looking for his Sita.

चो शुद नामिद राम अज़ वस्ल-ए-जाना

फुताद अज़ पाय हामुचन जिस्म-ए-बेजान

When Ram couldn’t find his beloved, he falls on the ground like a lifeless body.

बसद ज़ारी बजा आशिक फरोमंद

बफ़र्क़-ए-खेश आव अज़ दीदह मी रांद

Crying like a true lover and expressing grief, Ram’s whole body was wet with tears.

The Urdu Ramayan other than a couple of them are not translations of either Valmiki or Tulsidas Ramayan, rather they are poetic interpretation and poetic description of events of Ramayan and the charismatic personality of Ram supremely and elegantly written in beautiful flowering and eloquent Urdu and Farsi.

The choices of ‘Lafz’ (words) adds to the majestic elegance of these Urdu Ramayan and is a perfect example of concinnity, creating a beautiful piece of art.

What is surprising is, there are twice as many Ramayans in Urdu  as there are of Quran and Ramayan was translated into Urdu much before Quran was translated. There are over 100 Urdu / Farsi Ramayan.

Somewhere around 1584 Akbar ordered Mullah Abdul Badayuni to translate the Ramayan in Farsi and this was the first ever Farsi translation of Ramayan. It took Badayuni 4 years to complete it. This had a set of about 14 Ramayan Miniatures in Pahari style. This book was in custody of Akbar’s mother Hamida Bano Begum Alias Mariam Makani who was a Bibliophile. The pages of this Ramayan were embellished in Gold water. A version of the above Ramayan is that of Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khanam which has been microfilmed and is kept at Freer Art Gallery, Washington.

This ‘Ramayan Masihi’ which was later published by Munshi Nawal Kishore press, Lucknow, has 400 pages and 8000  Shers. The first 20-25 pages of this book, as per the tradition those days is full of Hamd and Naat in praises of Allah and then starts the Ramayan.

After Akbar, during the reign of Emperor Shahjahan, there were two important translations of the Ramayan. One by Sheikh Sadullah Massih (मसनवी-ए-राम-ए-सीता) and other by Giri Das. Commenting on Masnavi-e-Ram-e-Sita by Sheikh Sadullah Massih, S. Gandhi writes “although the basic structure of this Masnavi is that of Valmiki’s epic, what is worth noting is, that he calls his version of Ramayan Masihi – ‘Masnavi-e-Ram-e-Sita’ and not ‘Masnavi-e-Ramayan’. Masihi molds the story in form of a Persian romance between 2 lovers Ram and Sita. And the romance is tinged with a mystical-allegorical dimension, 

thus, Ram’s tribulation while in search of Sita, often mirrors those of a tormented soul seeking unity with divine. Masihi’s Ramayan evokes a poetic realm of Hindustan within the literary conventions of the Persian Masnavi.

Then during Aurangzeb's regime, Chandrabhushan Bedil translated the Ramayan in Persian and Auranzeb’s brother Dara Shikoh himself translated the Ramayan in Farsi.

These, more than 100 Urdu versions of Ramayan, mostly goes by the name of the Shayar / Poet like  Ulfat’s Ramayan, Rahmat’s Ramayan, Ramayan of Jewala Prasad Barg, Hari Narayan Sharma, Sahir, Banwari Lal Shola, Mahatma Shiv Brat Lal. Most of these were published by Nawal Kishore press and Tamanna Press, Lucknow. Apart from above translations, then there are what is known as तबाज़ाद or  'स्वतंत्र काव्य रचना' which are poetic interpretation of the events of Ramayan  by the Urdu poets. Important ones are by Munshi Jagganth Khushtar (Khushtar Ramayan), Munshi Shankar Dayal ‘Farhat’, Banke Bihari Lal ‘Bahar’, Suraj Narain ‘Mehar’ ; Ramayan Yak Qafiya by Dwarka Prasad Ufuq’Lucknavi’, Maulvi Badshah Hussain Rana ‘Lucknavi’; Amar Kahani – Manjum Ramayan by Jageshwar Nath 'Betab Barelvi' , Ramayan by Asghar Hussain Khan ' Nazeer Ludhianvi.'

Maulvi Badshah Hassan Ranas Ramayan which is just in 9 pages is read out in Bikaner, Rajsthan even till today during the Dussehra ---------

ग़म-जदा सीता गिरफ़्तारे मुस़ीबत हो गई

लो असीरी भी शरीके ग़ुर्बत हो गई

रामचंद्र की जुदाई गो क़यामत हो गई

क़ैदे लंका उस की अजमत की शहादत हो गई

अलग़रज चौदह बरस के बाद सारा क़ाप़िला

काम सारे कर चुका और राजधानी को चला

अपने अपने प़र्ज को हर एक ने पूरा किया

हो गया बनवास की सारी आप़तों का ख़ातमा

रास्त बाजी जां ख़ुशी की फिर कहानी बन गई

फिर एक नए सिरे से अयोध्या राजधानी बन गई

(दुखी सीता मुसीबत में गिरफ़्तार हो गई। अब तो कैद भी ग़रीबी में शरीक हो गई। श्री रामचंद्र की जुदाई क़यामत हो गई। लंका की कैद उन के प्रतिष्ठा की गवाही हो गई। सारांश यह कि चौदह बरस के बाद सारा काफिला सारे काम पूरा करके राजधानी की ओर चल पड़ा। हर एक ने अपने अपने दायित्वों को पूरा किया। वनवास के सारे कष्टों का अंत हो गया। सत्यता प्राण की ख़ुशी के लिए फिर से कहानी बन गई। फिर नये सिरे से अयोध्या राजधानी बन गई।)

Earlier Rana in his Ramayan writes :

रजो हसरत की घटा सीता के दिल पर छा गयी

गोया जूही की कली ओस से मुरझा गयी

Dwarka Prasad ‘Ufuq’ Lucknavi’s  - ‘Ramayan Yak Qafiya’ was published in 1885. This book of Ufuq’s poetry based on Ramayan, has 1200 couplets (sher). What is amazing is that the same Qafiya is maintained all throughout the Masnavi and all the couplets has the same meter (beher).

Presenting few sher’s from Ufuq’s Chef d’oeuvre.

Describing Ram’s charismatic personality Ufuq says -

है सरे पेशानिए पुरनूर चंदन का तिलक

या सदाशिव की जबीने साफ़ पर है चन्द्रमा

(The shining forehead of Ram, with the brilliance of the ‘Chandan Tilak’ is like the moon shining by the side of Lord Shiva).

ख़ाके पा वह जिसने अपने फ़ैज़ से तारी शिला

जो मरीज़ाने जहां को है सुफूफ़े हिफ़्ज़ो जां

(The dust of Ram’s feet has the power to cure all the ills and aliments of the sick of the world).

दिल को ख़्वाहिश है कि रघुबर का सरापा हो बयां

खींचता है राम की तस्वीर यूं किल्के रवां

नूर की तस्वीर सर से पांव तक है राम चंद्र

सांवली सूरत पे सब को मर्दुमक का है गुमां

(My pen flows in ecstasy while describing Ram’s radiance and his luminous glow which emanates from him ,from head to foot. Ram’s entire body is glittering and resplendent with peerless brilliance and beauty. His beautiful dusky face, reminds one of the beauty of his pupil).

Elsewhere Sagar Nizami writes in his Nazm ‘Ram’

ज़िन्दगी का रूह था

रूहानियत का शाम था

वो मुजस्सम रूप में इंसान का इरफ़ान था

He was the spirit of life and candle of spirituality. In the form of human he was knowledge incarnate).

And then Ufuq so beautifully describes the scene where Dashrath is trying to calm down and console Kaikaee who is crying in an attempt to manipulate Dashrath to send Ram to ‘Banvas’.

“What do you want my dear Kaikaee” – asks Dashrath

प्यार से उल्फ़त से पूछा क्यों परेशां हाल हो

फि़क्र क्या है, दर्द क्या है, क्या है ईजाए निहां

सच कहो क्या है तमन्ना किसकी ख़्वाहिश है तुम्हें

क्या हवस, क्या आरजू क्या चाह है ए जाने जां

किसको दूं , औरंगशाही किसको बख्शूं ताजो-तख्त

किसी दामाने जवानी में उड़ा दूं धाज्जियां

Asks Dashrath why are you so troubled my love, what is bothering you. Tell me what you want my dear. Who should I make the king and who should I deprive of everything and make worthless.

Ufuq in most beautiful and illecebrous  manner describes the scene when Sita goes to the temple to pray to Devi, that she has Ram as a husband and finds Ram in the garden.

कर के दिल काबू में, सीता वां गई मंदिर में फिर                                   

दिल में शक्ले राम, वस्फे भगवती विर्दे जबां

खुद शिवाले में थीं, लेकिन दिल था महवे सोजे इश्क

देखती थीं दम बदम फिर फिर के सूए बोस्तां

हार फूलों का जो मूरत पर चढ़ाया पूज कर

गिर पड़ा रूए जमीं पर छुट के माला नागहां

मुस्कुराई भगवती इस बेखुदी को देख कर

जानकी ने सहम कर की आरज़ू ए दिल बयां

In the temple while praying to Devi though Devi’s name is on Sita’s lips, but in her heart and mind it was Ram and only Ram. So much was Sita in love and lost in thought of Ram, that when she tried putting the garland on Devi’s idol, the garland fell on the ground. Devi smiled at the senselessness (बेखुदी) of Sita and Sita asks Devi that she has Ram as a husband.

And Betab Barelvi in his Manjum Ramayan describes the event around Ram-Sita's  marriage in the most ‘Shayrana’ manner. This is a scene after Sita has garlanded Ram and her friends are teasing her and telling her that she has totally lost her senses,  thinking nothing but of Ram.  

बोली सहेलियां कि सियानी बहक गईं

आँखों में धूल झोंक के नादां बनी रहीं

चितवन में कटार तो लब पर नहीं नहीं

आँखें कहीं हैं दिल है कहीं पांव हैं कहीं

(सीता की सहेलियां बोलीं कि सियानी बहक गई है। आँखें में धूल झोंक के आंजन बनी रही। आँखों से मोहब्बत टपक रही है लेकिन होंठों पर नहीं नहीं की रट है। दीवांगी का यह आलम है कि आँखें कहीं दिल कहीं और पांव कहीं है।)

And when Lakshman was fatally injured and Ram was by his side, Dwarka Prasad Ufuq Lucknavi writes :-

राम कहते थे उठो लछमन, न दो तकलीफे हिज्र

वक्ते मुश्किल इस कदर बेएतनाई, अलअमां

साथ आये थे न जिसमें मुझ को हो रंजे सफर

छोड़े जाते हो मुझे तन्हा मुसीबत में कहां

क्या मेरी सूरत से नफरत है जो आंखें बन्द हैं

बोलना क्यों मुझ से छोड़ा, बन्द क्यों की है जबां

(Why are you so quite my brother, we came together and why do you leave me alone in these difficult times.)

This Urdu Ramayan tells us about the halcyon days when language had no religion – Language was not associated with any religion. It tell us about the mingling of culture and the गंगा जमुना तहज़ीब and since language had no religion these odes/hamd/vandana were considered secular.  

Considered amongst the finest of the Urdu Ramayan is Amar Kahani – Manjum Ramayan by Jageshwar Nath Betab Barelvi. This Ramayan of 53 pages was published sometime after 1949. Betab Barelvi starts the Ramayan with a tribute to Amar his son who died untimely , very young.     It reminds me of what Wordsworth said “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling; from emotions recollected in tranquility.   

कसूरवार हूँ बेशक तुम्हे बचा न सका

लिखा हुआ था मुक़्कदर में जो वो मिटा न सका

तुम्हारे नाम का छोटा सा यह शिवाला है

अरुसे फ़िक्र ने साँचे में जिसको ढाला है

(I am guilty that I couldn’t save you my son. Fought to change the destiny which I couldn’t . I dedicate this Shivala, this ‘Ramayan’ to you.)

The Ramayan starts with the scene where Shravan Kumar is accidently hit by arrow of Dasrath and Sharvan is badly wounded and breathing his last. Betab Barelvi writes :-

दिल पर लगा जो तीर तो पथरा गई नजर

श्रवण तड़प के लौट गया फ़र्शे ख़ाक पर

लेकिन मआले कार से दशरथ थे बेख़बर

फेंका जिधर था तीर चले आप भी उधर

खोली संभल के कुश्ता-ए-बेदाद ने जबां

दांतों से दाब-दाब ली स़ैयाद ने जबां

(दिल पर जो तीर लगा तो आँखें पत्थरा गईं । श्रवण तड़प कर जमीन पर लौट गया । लेकिन अंजाम से दशरथ बेख़बर थे । जिधर तीर फेंका था, उधर वह भी चल पड़े। मुसीबत के मारे ने संभल कर अपनी जबान खोली । शिकारी ने दांतों से अपनी जबान दाब ली ..याने.. हैरत में पड़ गया)

Betab Barelvi’s masnavi is a perfect example of the composite culture (Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb) of those days. In his Manjum Ramayan, he has used both Hindi and Urdu words in his poetry in perfect concinnity, intermingled beautifully, something like what Amir Khusaru wrote in his famous Ghazal "जे हाल मिस्कीं मकुन तगाफुल" where the 1st line is in Persian and the 2nd in Hindustani.

Betab Barelvi writes in Farsi interwoven with Hindi - describing the scene where Shravan Kumar having been badly wounded by Dashrath’s arrow and about to die, requests Dashrath to take water immediately for his blind parents who were all alone in the wilderness.

माता पिता ! कुबूल हो श्रवण की राम-राम

पानी पिलाऊँ क्या कि हुआ काम ही तमाम

छागल से पहले भर दिया उम्रे रवां ने जाम

क़ातिल के हाथ भेज रहा हूँ यही पयाम

मारे हुए हैं प्यास से पानी पिलाइए

अंधों की डूबती हुई कशती बचाइए

घबरा न जाएं दश्त में तंहा हैं जाइए

तकते हैं राह देर से छागल उठाइए

कहिएगा फ़र्ते ग़म में यह बिंती न टाल दें

चरणों की अपने धूल मिरे सर पे डाल दें

(माता पिता ! श्रवण की राम राम (मृत्यु) को स्वीकार कीजिए । आप को पानी क्या पिलाऊँ कि अपना ही जीवन समाप्त हो गया । छागल भरने से पहले ही मेरी उम्र का जाम भर गया । क़ातिल के हाथ यही संदेश भेज रहा हूँ । प्यास के मारे हुए हैं, उन को पानी पिलाइए । जंगल में घबरा न जाएं, तंहा हैं । बहुत देर से प्रतीक्षा कर रहे हैं । कहिएगा अधिक शोक में यह विनती न टाल दें । अपने चाणों की धूल मेरे सिर पर डाल दें)

Reading Urdu Ramayan replete with beautiful couplets (shers) comes in as such a refreshing Petrichor. The sheer beauty and eloquence of the exquisite Urdu poetry is matchless.

The sillage left behind after reading these Masnavi / this poetry is so intoxicating, so ambrosial, and the Urdu Ramayan redolent of the Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb that existed then, that we decided to transliterate these wonderful Urdu / Persian Ramayan before it is consigned to oblivion, forgotten and lost to the world , buried under the piles of books or gather dust in the library.

I came across this 120-year-old Mahabharat written in old Urdu and Farsi by Munshi Tota Ram Shayan. Along with my friend Dr. Md. Zakir Hussain of Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna, we are in process of transliterating the entire book which is more than half done.

Simultaneously we are transliterating Amar Kahani : Manjum Ramayan of  Jageshwar Nath 'Betab Barelvi' and this too would be completed shortly. We just finished transliterating Ramayan written in Persian by Ashgar Hussain Khan ‘Nazeer Ludhianvi’, published in 1942. Some of the beautiful shers / masnavi of this book has been quoted earlier in this article.

I dedicate this beautiful gem of Urdu poetry to all of you.  

सुखन के कुछ तो गोहर मैं भी नज़्र करता चलूँ ।

अज़ाब नहीं की करे याद माह-ओ-साल मुझे ।।

Let me dedicate this gem of Urdu poetry / shayari to you, may this be the reason for the world to remember me.

(Dr. Ajit Pradhan is the Chief Cardiac Surgeon & Managing Director at Jeevak Heart Hospital, Patna and Secretary of Navras School of Performing Arts)