By Bradley Shope
Symbolic of the cultural co-existence of Queens and its dynamic art, music, poetry, craft and literature presence, Jackson Heights has become a center for the public performance and discussion of Urdu poetry.
Urdu, a major language spoken in much of Pakistan and other areas of South Asia, has for centuries had rich traditions of poetry, both in the oral tradition of rural areas, and the written tradition of courts and intellectual centers. Due to the growing numbers of Urdu speakers in Queens, and the work here of a group of highly proficient and enthusiastic poets, there has developed a local tradition of poetic writing and celebration that is quite distinct from its practice in South Asia.
Though oftentimes associated with Muslim poets, Urdu poetry’s character and form are generally considered secular, and its celebration reflects an intense pride in an art centuries old. In Queens, it is also a forum for celebrating one’s cultural background and a focal point for Urdu-speaking people of common interests to gather and to discuss issues and concerns important to their lives.
Consider Ashraf Mian, a poet originally from Lahore, Pakistan, who came to America in 1986 to pursue educational and job opportunities. His initial intent was to continue his studies in law, but he eventually turned to business, and became successful and financially secure.
During this period, he devoted more time to his writing, which took on a nostalgic character. He often wrote about being homesick and his longing for Pakistan, as well as his cultural and linguistic frustrations as an immigrant, especially as experienced by Muslims.
More significantly, he also felt compelled to write as a social critic, questioning political and economic policies of the Pakistani government.
In spite of the difficulties he encountered when first arriving, he maintains that it was an exciting time for him, during which he learned to negotiate varied resources and ideas that he had not been exposed to in Lahore.
In the last decade, Mian has actively promoted and discussed Urdu poetry in New York City. In the mid-1980s he participated in Greenwich Village poetry circles and learned of contrasting poetic styles, including those written in English. Questioning the personal significance of the style of poetry he was exposed to during this time, he has since felt more compelled to promote and encourage the composition of South Asian forms.
This desire became increasingly more possible as the population of South Asians swelled, especially in Queens beginning in the early 1990s. In 1996, he started fortnightly Halka meetings in Jackson Heights in a restaurant owned by an Iraqi Jewish restaurateur.
Halka, a Parsi word that has made its way into the Urdu language, loosely means circle. The name is quite old, stretching back centuries, and is now associated with a small informal congregation of people. Its meaning in modern times, however, has tended to signify a school of thought or practice, rather than only a gathering space.
In the 1930s, a circle was established in Lahore that became associated with a “progressive” movement with Modernist tendencies. In Lucknow, India, there was a similar halka organized called the Progressive Writers Association. During this period, there was a significant influence from European and other Western countries on the sensibilities of the poetry, as many of the wealthy or elite in Lahore were in dialogue with the British who ruled much of South Asia until 1947.
Though the Lahore circle ended in the 1950s, the Halka has always existed, even now, and its character has ebbed and flowed depending on the socio-political (and perhaps psychological) circumstances of the time. Many maintain that its demise as a progressive form in Lahore occurred because the writers became more analogous to politicians who were actively involved in spreading a political ideology, rather than literary ideas.
Since then, the poetry has been described by many as more traditional, not progressive, and concerning sentiments stretching from everyday life. In Queens, the poetry often addresses the difficulties met by immigrants. It is completely unconnected from political or institutional entities. Though direct issues of immigrant concerns are not always addressed, the poetry often speaks of nostalgia, or even of a distanced apprehension toward the poet’s original homeland. The poet often highlights the chasm between the two countries — in Mian’s case the gulf between the United States and Pakistan.
Ghazal
(Translated by Anita Anantharam)
My country, I have looked out for your well being
But your separation, has destroyed my nerves
This distance does not encompass the centuries
The brilliant day is only two steps away from the black night
The earth is thirsty for one drop of water
How black the clouds are that are spread in the sky
We had the knowledge — but complacence destroyed it —
Of who made the schism in this divided city
They call to the protector for help
These inhabitants of my city are naïve as well
The notions of nostalgia and difference are explicit in Mian’s “Ghazal” poem. The ghazal, as it is strictly defined, is a poetic form that has been performed in India since the 12th century. It is frequently considered a musical genre because it is often sung in a semiclassical style. In North India it gained great popularity in the 19th century due to its association with the courtesan tradition. This was especially true in Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the tradition continues to exist in small communities. Beginning in the 20th century, the film industry adapted the ghazal, and gave it a mass-mediated quality, which many claimed lowered its lyrical content. In spite of its popularization as a sung form in this context, it still remains alive as a poetic form often absent economic, institutional or political powers.
The poem draws from the practice of composing ghazals as a poetic form, and follows a common formal structure: multiple couplets with a precise rhyming structure (which do not come through in translation). This poem reflects the personal anguish felt by Mian caused by the questionable political situation in Pakistan. He expresses his affection towards Pakistan in the first two couplets, but at the same time points out his concern with the “separation” between the political system and the people.
The third couplet highlights the general state of affairs of the country. The fourth more specifically details the complacency of the people in responding to governmental corruption in Lahore, and how officials find weak points in the social structure and exploit those for their own benefit. The last couplet outlines the dishonesty of the “protectors” (the police and city guards) in supporting the corrupt government system, and the public’s tendency to remain unengaged and unaware of these concerns.
Here is not only social criticism, but also corruption’s effect on the poet’s sense of national and personal identity.
The Halka meetings have often become a space for the expression of these sentiments and concerns. This general thematic material and social criticism is not always seen in the contemporary poetry in Queens, but a sense of one’s unique character and situation among the multiple co-existing communities is a frequent topic. I have found there is quite often a nostalgic element in the compositions. This nostalgia is a direct response to the poets living far from their original homeland, and has spurred the creation of a lively and unique community of poets in the borough.
