Rakhshanda Jalil

A brave and friendly exposition of the syncretic Muslim-Hindu culture of India (especially the Ganga-Jumna region of North India) in the decades before Independence and the Partition. The title may raise expectations of a socio-political treatise on what it means to be a Muslim in the Hindu-majority, secular, India, but only the barest suggestion of this is provided in the personal introduction; most of the rest is in the nature of a literary exposition of Urdu literature, from both Muslim show more and Hindu poets and authors. The author has give copious quotations from all the significant works, and moreover provided both the original Urdu (in Roman, i.e. English, transcription), as well as elegant English translations. One thing becomes evident as the average reader courses through this material: the usual Higher-Secondary Hindi syllabus in India gives no hope of understanding the Urdu, especially when obscure Persian and Arabic terms are used. The most that is manageable is perhaps the local Hindi dialects that are used by, for example, Kabir, the apostle of syncretism and tolerance, whose dohas (couplets) and verses are probably deeply ingrained in every Indian who has gone through the 'three-language formula' in school (English, Hindi, and regional language). One wonders whether the author, and others who have grown up in the modern school system (Hindi with little Urdu vocabulary and no Arabic script), have had to make special efforts to learn and internalise this difficult idiom, or whether they, like the rest of us, have to struggle with a dictionary and depend on translations. One of the more engaging (if challenging) threads in the book, is the author's knowledge of Muslim cuisine, where a whole separate lexicon of culinary terms is laid out for our sampling. show less

“Basti & Darbar” is a collection of stories centered on Delhi. I like the expression she used in the book’s introduction, describing Delhi as a city of stories. This expression is fantastic because every city has stories, many buried in the past, some recent.
In this book, Rakshanda Jalil collated and edited stories about people living in Delhi. These stories span a century, and many capture the spirit of the times. The stories range from ordinary people living under the British Raj to show more those living during the Partition, and many capture life in modern Delhi.
Every story concerns only ordinary citizens, not the comings and goings of politicians and influential businesspeople. Even if you are not from Delhi, you may identify with the stories and relate them to the city you live in. Of course, if you live in, have lived in, or are familiar with Delhi and its culture, these stories will appeal to you.
I liked most of the stories and identified with the struggles, prejudices, and fate of the people I met in the book’s pages.
A challenge with a book like this lies in translation because it is not enough to transcribe the words into English. A skilled translator can capture the narrative’s ethos. I felt that some of the translations were stilted, which was a pity because the beauty of the original language was sometimes lost in translation, reducing the joy I might otherwise have experienced while reading the narratives.
Despite this shortcoming, “Basti & Darbar” is an excellent book and worth reading. show less

For fans of literary work it is a great blessing to come upon a biography in English on Shahryar a great poet in Urdu ,one of the most important voices in contemporary Indian poetry(1936-2012). Now how s that blurb introduces him.would you be able to ignore when the subtitle is A LIFE IN POETRY? Probably not. So couldn'n t I.

When I have received the book from the Publishers Harper collins. co.in. I find the reading an amazing experience. Whether for knowledge or wisdom you can blindly pick show more this book up and be amazed.

The Plan

Both the soft and hardcover with the image of Shahryar put in a majestic manner and the subtitle are appealing.The book has got 2 sections In section 1 there are 4 chapters. The third chapter speaks about Ghazals and the fourth one about Nazms. The second section comprises a selection of poems, Bibliography, Index, and acknowledgments

The authoress introduces the book as follows.:

THIS BOOK IS AS MUCH A STUDY OF A POET’S LIFE AD WORK AS IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO WRITE THE LITERARY HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY URDU POETRY.

Shahryar ‘s official date of birth is 16 the June 1936.Born in a family of Lalkhani Rajput Muslims.After his primary education, he joined city school in Aligarh. Where he has got Urdu as a medium of education.He passed his BA in 1958 and from the final year, he started writing poetry.He completed his MA in Urdu in 1961.He got his Ph.D. in Urdu.

He wrote his own kind of poetry and make a name for himself .The book goes on to give the versions of critics about his poetry and his love for the language Urdu and life.There are so many references to praise his acumen in writing poems to the delight of all.Due to the influence of the small leftist group lead by Munibur Rehman, he was considered by campus leftists as a fellow traveler.

Like this many references are made about his social life and the impact on his poetry.

Rakhshanda Jalil has covered all the facets of his life which include The Progressive Writer's Movement and modernism. How he has excelled creating ghazals, nazms and film lyrics is well depicted by her. She has noted explanations in the foot notes for the ready referencer of the readers. The authoress has translated the writings of the poet. Both Urdu and English versions they are given for the benefit of the Urdu speaking readers also.

The Pro

The language of the book is easy and fluid and like I stated earlier, it is full of wit and wisdom. The book has value and engaging through the book.The writing style is also breezy and delicate and brings out the best of the authoress .I personally cherished the book and couldn’t help but feel

The author’s observations in this book are so comprehensive and well supported that any serious study of him must take into account her conclusions.

Cover photo by Siddiq Ahmed Siddiqi, Tittle calligraphy by Nikheel Aphale , Cover design by Studio Em&En are nice.

My favorite

The following ghazals, and nazms attract my attention.


I am seeing my face in your eyes

Is it a whim, or a dream.


You are so close to me

I am so far from you.

No one is big or small: the mirage belongs to everyone

Everyone is thirsty alike, everyone is equal.

Between you and me

There’s nothing but lust

Meet me somewhere one day

Away from your body.

About art

The primary function of any art form is to surprise; it is the most magical effect that art can produce.

Quality of a poet

A poet must reach the greatest number of people.

Best criticism from his well wishers

His poems had bare, simple, sincere words coming from the heart that touched the heart.

Sir Syed’s advice was: Bring your work even closer to nature. The extent to which a work comes closer to nature is the extent to which it gives pleasure.

Good poetry can indeed make the reader feel 'I could have said this 'or This is exactly how I feel.


My verdict

The authoress brings a scholar's care to many aspects of this biography. Her primary source research is thorough, and she has uncovered some interesting material regarding his strengths and achievements.

This book should remain robustly alive as long as readers are fascinated by the magic of Gazals and nazms and film lyrics.. Those unacquainted with the book should read it.

Overall, this book is a pleasant read and I will recommend it to people who are looking for a well crafted non-fiction biography about a great poet. show less

'Preeto and the other Stories' edited by Rakhshanda Jalil shares a beautiful collection of Urdu translated stories regarding visual perspectives carried by male for female. The book begins with an introduction texted by the author sharing her opinion and how history have 'gazed' women in different ways. Then the book deals beautifully through every story; personally, some were hard hitting and understood whereas some were deep and ironical–found bit difficult to comprehend and finally, show more some were creating more than one kind of perspective; language is quite simple and understanding. 3.5/5 will be the rate of @kala.e.kitaabi. Overall it is a good read. show less