‘Praznath’ is not only a poem but a lesson to mankind
Tousif Raza
Thousands of poems have been written in Kashmiri language, either Sufi or academic-some of them are romantic, some are social and some are political in origin. The contemporary Kashmiri poem either versed or free verse has become a good brightening part of our literature.
Since Rehman Rahi, Amin Kamil and Deena Nath Nadim in modern Kashmiri poem many other poets have been the prominent names when it comes to Kashmiri poem. Diction as well as style of our poem is coming to some variations to beautify our literature. I’m today talking about a free verse multi-purpose multi dimensional poem ‘Preznath’ compiled by Dr Ghulam Nabi Haleem, a well known poet writer and translator.
‘Praznath’ poem is translated in English as “Identity”. Translation of the poem could not be perfect but the way to convey the message of the poem is perfect translation given below is brief and lucid it could convey the message of poet’s beats to the east I feel.
“Identity”
What and how I was…same as river
Strong but straight…whatever I was,
I was complete with one aim one direction
I was alive with a hope running ahead unaimed running ahead with my guards forever as like stanchions very strong very active
I was well known to all now I was rational by direction
I was running steady with uniform speed
Lord was mercy full to me by all means all the highs all the crusts and troughs were my fond
I was running with full firm faith….Now I am not what I was… no I’m no I didn’t remained what I was
I lost strength, firmness
I lost unity
I lost my oneness
I’m divided in few drops
I’ve no purity that I had
That purity, that dedication I lost
I lost destination and the bright destiny I had divinely just I’m thinking what I was what I’m
Technical analysis of the poem
The poem ‘Preznath’ compiled by Dr Ghulam Nabi Haleem is generally a lucid in thought, brief in compilation and beautiful by words. It is technically written in an Arabic meter called “Bahar e Hazaj” it is free verse poem it has very simple language as compared to other Kashmiri poems.
It has stanza wise consistency of thoughts. The measure theme does not deviate from its original concept in the poem. Continuity charm and musical and artistic and continuous rhyming and rhythm exist in the poem.
The poem is experimental but no mechanical in nature because it has some spiritual and divine tendency to express ideas which its creation absolutely different in every dimension. Philosophical approach in the poem is very little metaphors and smilies in the poem are used in direct way rather than symbolic way which makes the poem a message to understand the Godly concept instead of flying in air without the wings.
Basic concept of the poem
This poem is wholly about the mankind, poet is trying to illustrate the present, past and future of mankind in a remarkable way moreover he is trying to make a lucid and brief understanding about the identification of mankind.
The poem’s first stanza starts with a question who and what I am, the poet in an unknown but experimental way talking to himself is a strange way and is trying to enhance the important features of mankind that makes him supreme as well as different creation of the universe as it is mentioned in Quran “And I created mankind Unparalleled and supreme”. In first few lines the poet is defining mankind by different means of knowledge and references that we can understand.
A man while taking a deep breath and in a conversant to himself when he has lost all he had and saying “There was a time when I was ahead of all, there was a time when I was created to drive the universe, I was the spirit of the whole creations I had sense broader than any other creation I had an amazing approach to God and I was the only creation which was able to do all that I wished”.
Further in first few lines the poet has said about the mankind in a religious way by saying that Oh! mankind you were created as caliphate of Allah one the earth. You were one among all the creations who was blessed with power, wit, emotions and many other things to make you different even better than every creation. The poem has religious as well as social aspects existing in it.
Being a worshiper obeyed a Muslim was ahead of all other people who had spirituality, knowledge and connection with divine truth to differentiate between vise and virtue, bad and good and even dark and bright.
Mankind as leader to all is a global concept of concern expressed in the poem very simply while as Muslim as a leader, a controversial concept is expressed symbolically in the poem. Shining as a path showing could be also a lesson of this poem expressed, this is what actually the poem teaches and this what our identity was-should be or could again either as social or religious.
From the other side this poem ‘Praznath’ is of the view that all the gifted high level special spiritual gifts by destiny are not with us now, materialization of this generation greed, ego, selfish and nature have dropped as down from highness that we have.
The time has stolen every different divine gift from us one by one, the shine of heart has turned into dark, softness changed in hardness and easily available destination are now invisible for us. Everywhere hardships, stress, sense of loss and punishment is around us.
Pain and poison is now our destiny because we have the spiritual connectivity with our creator our Lord. The poem is a lesson for our journey to future keeping in view our past as mankind not as individual. The poet is loudly of the word that is the need of the hour to to bring back the voice of unity, love and inspiration. As it says “I have lost what I had unity, unaimed and unidirectional idea of guidance”.
It seems that poet has combined the multiple socio philosophical and socioreligious concepts in one poem. Lastly, the poet is very upset with the materialization and materialistic world which is actually the basic reason for loss of identity of the mankind.
Conceptual drawbacks in the poem…
Even though being a master compilation the poem is a discovery in itself but still consists of some weaknesses that makes the poem same as other poems. The subject started in the poem is about mankind and his valuable existence and ends with some fearful, tearful and surprise full confusion.
The poem should either end with some valuable solution for the problem or a way to regain the existence or should start with the way the concluding words are. Initially the reader of the poem is of the discovery what has happened to man what his value from the errors he dropped himself down intentionally or unknowingly, but then the levels of eagerness emerged from the reader is converted into confusion or suspension instead of courage or way out.
The poem neither has technically any fault nor has been mechanical errors but is a discovery of incompleteness in nature. The incompetent contemporary poetry written in Kashmir is of this type everywhere many young as well as senior poets are doing such kinds of experiments in poems nowadays.
(The author Hails from Tangmarg and can be reached at tousifeqbal555@gmail.com)
