A Mumbai-based poet will pay homage to Faiz Ahmad Faiz, whose writing has inspired memes and protests alike, on his 113th birth anniversary this month
Mumbai based poet Jameel Gulrays says Faiz, while the most popular, is also the least understood due to his use of chaste Urdu
Just a week earlier, this writer saw a tweet go viral which said, “Lambi hai gham ki phase magar phase hi toh hai: Phase Ahmad Phase.” The wordplay on the poet’s name—Faiz Ahmad Faiz—might not go down well with many a purist, but one can’t ignore the fact that 21st century GenZs are making puns on one of the most famous Urdu poets from the 18th century. The of the revolutionary writer’s popularity speaks for itself and this is just one of the many reasons why, on February 13, Katha Kathan founder Jameel Gulrays will be hosting a mehfil in Faiz’s honour. Jashn-e-Faiz is being held in at Prithvi House in Juhu to mark the poet’s 113rd birth anniversary.
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The Pakistani poet is now a national hero in India, more than 40 years after his passing in 1984, quoted by everyone from politicians like Omar Abdullah to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. “Faiz never cared about religion. There are some who call him a poet of Muslims, but this wasn’t true. Faiz wrote about temples as much as he did about mosques. His set of poems about abandoned temples in Pakistan will be a part of our mehfil,” Gulrays tells mid-day over a phone call.
Faiz AhmAd Faiz
To love Faiz is to understand Faiz. One of his most revolutionary poems, which is now a war cry for the youth, is “Hum Dekhenge”, which literally translates to “we shall see”. It became the slogan for the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Faiz was the voice of the people over 35 years after his passing.
Gulrays explains why it is so important to understand Faiz. “One of his most remembered ghazals is Gulon Mein Rang Bhare, which people still think is a romantic verse. But he wrote it during his time in jail, around the time of the Partition. It came from a place of darkness, rebellion, longing and separation from his place of birth (Punjab). Faiz’s choice of complicated Urdu is a problem for many young people.
The meaning of each verse is difficult to understand and hence, we shall break down this ghazal and many others.” The whole theme of Jashn-e-Faiz is the fact that he was more than a poet—a figure who challenges systems, authorities and propaganda, and stressed on the need for rebellion.
Ask Gulrays his personal favourite out of a sea of beautiful writings by the legend, and he is torn between, Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang (My love, do not ask from me the love we shared before) and “Mulaqaat (meeting).
“It is in three parts, and Faiz wrote it while he was in jail and longing for his wife. Each part explains how deeply he missed his wife and the struggles of his rebellion.”
WHAT: Jashn-e-Faiz
WHERE: Prithvi House, Juhu
WHEN: Feb 13, 7 PM
TO BOOK: bookmyshow.com
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