But for Meer Babbar Ali Anees and a few of his contemporaries, Urdu literature would have largely remained void of the great genre — marsiya. Before them, there had been no rich tradition of epic poems or elegies in Urdu save a few written by early poets from Deccan. The little that we had was borrowed from Persian poetry whose cultural superiority had been accepted and widely recognised by different schools of thought.

It is amazing that even after several hundred years, the tragedy of Karbala continues to inspire people in their fight against cruelty and oppression.

It is against this backdrop that Atiya Naqvi has compiled Gulzar-i-Anees that contains 18 marsiyas by Anees. But the author has taken pains to look at the tragedy from a different angle. She has added a historical perspective to make the study and the analysis a genuinely inspiring piece of literary value.

Atiya Naqvi in her introductory remarks says it was her ardent desire to compile a book that should contain all the essential elements of the tragedy from the very beginning.

She has covered Imam Husain's childhood, the affection and love of his grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the journey from Madina, arrival in Karbala, the news about Hazrat Muslim's assassination, Hazrat Hur's meeting the Imam, Hazrat Aun-o-Muhammad's cherished desire to sacrifice their lives, etc. All these events have been blended together into these marsiyas with all the requirements of poetic embellishments.

As for epic writing, for long Homer's Iliad, Milton's Paradise Lost and Firdausi's Shahnama have been the only respectable terms of reference in the realm of epics in Urdu poetry. Of course, in the context of the history of the subcontinent, Bharat Viyas's Mahabharata and Walmiki's Ramayana are widely acclaimed as exceptionally bright specimens of poetry that deserve proper study with deep understanding.

A few years back one of my great contemporaries, Masoom Raza Raahi, translated Mahabharata into Urdu, thus bridging a gap in the literary spectrum.

For all practical purposes, however, Urdu literature has remained deprived of a genuine genre that could be regarded as a precious treasure for the lovers of epic poetry with its historical establishments.

The famous critic, Ehtesham Husain, had once remarked that for an enduring piece of great literature two conditions are necessary the event centering round it should be poignant enough to strike at the root of a creative work and, second, the poet practising this art should be a genuinely skilled artist with a keen insight into human psychology and that he should have the heart to understand and appreciate the agony and distress of tortured souls.

Meer Anees possessed these faculties as is fully reflected in his marsiyas which have remained unparalleled till this day. They dispel the wrongly formulated view that only a failed ghazal poet turns to marsiya. Anees was neither a failed poet nor did he take refuge in the art of marsiya writing to cover up his failure as a poet.

In the beginning, he traditionally followed the pattern set by the poets of his time and wrote ghazals in the tradition of his elders. As he belonged to a family that excelled in literary pursuits, he found it easy to make room for his enriched poetry.

There is plenty of literature on Anees in the books and journals published in the subcontinent. Though in the early period many genres and forms were accepted and practised in Urdu, only a few survived. For instance,
qasida, masnavi, qata, rubayee, mussadas were once popular, but many of them died because of their lack of enduring capability.

But the marsiya has retained its glory. With the passage of time it has changed in many ways, bringing the poignant theme nearer to new realities. For example, Josh Malihabadi's marsiyas retain the form, but he makes use of this genre to create awareness among the people. For him, Imam Husain is a symbol of defiance against the forces of evil and Yezid's name has become a term of abuse.

Without indulging in the controversy over the nature of the compiled marsiyas, Atiya Naqvi has justly pointed out how each marsiya stands for a complete narration with all the essentials of an epic.

In fact, the tragedy of Karbala is so eminently poignant and encompasses the essentials of human reflexes that the readers are overwhelmed. She has inherited the taste of marsiyas from her father Syed Mohammed Askari who was known and admired for his love of Anees.

The book contains 18 marsiyas meticulously selected by the author and arranged in a manner that covers the spectrum of Imam Husain's journey to Karbala and the tragic events that followed the great martyrdom and the imprisonment of his family members. The tragedy itself is so poignant that its narration itself is enough to move people.

Gulzar-i-Anees is a book that must be studied by all lovers of epic poetry and particularly those who have special love and admiration for Anees.

Gulzar-i-Anees
by Atiya Naqvi
Ushba Publishing International, Pakistan
ISBN 9789699154195
200pp. Rs550