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Lucknow: His Urdu poetry book is
just 130 pages long, but Uttar Pradesh resident Waqarul Hasnain took
more than a decade to write it. That's because his work makes use of
only 14 letters and doesn't contain a single 'nukta' - dots commonly
used to form words in the script.
Hasnain, a retired
primary school teacher and resident of Rampur district, some 270 km
from Lucknow, has come up with the unique book titled "Murassaye
Hilm".
"It's my most
prized possession. I remember I used to sit for several hours at one
place thinking of words that didn't need the nukta. Moreover, the
stipulation to use only 14 of the 36 basic Urdu letters made my job
more challenging," Hasnain, 65, told IANS on telephone.
"Truly speaking,
when I started to write this book at the age of 54, I was not sure
whether I would be able to complete it. But today when I have
finished it, I feel a sense of pride," he said.
Hasnain's book is
primarily divided into two parts. While one consists of ghazals -
poetic expression of the pain of loss or separation and the beauty
of love - the other segment contains couplets.
Hasnain's
remarkable work has not only been appreciated by the literati in
Rampur but has also been acknowledged by the Uttar Pradesh Urdu
Akademi, a Lucknow-based organisation established in 1972 for the
promotion of Urdu language and literature.
"They (members of
the Urdu Akademi) were taken by surprise when I told them about the
'benukta' (without dots) book that contains only 14 letters.
Recently, the Akademi members had sent an appreciation letter to me
in which they mentioned they want to felicitate me," said Hasnain.
What made Hasnain
write the book is a different story.
"During my college
days, I used to participate in mushairas (Urdu poetry conclaves). It
was one such mushaira in Rampur attended by many great poets that
inspired me.
"When it was my
turn at the mushaira, some senior poets asked me what I was doing in
such an august great gathering...They even asked me not to take
part. That pinched me a lot and I decided to come up with something
unique in the Urdu language.
"I regret I did
not start writing the book just after I finished the college. Though
I started quite late, today I am happy as, with the blessings of the
almighty, I have completed the book," he said.
Many believe
Hasnain's work should be promoted and publicised as it could
contribute to the enrichment and spread of Urdu.
"Today Urdu is
losing its importance. In such a time, the novelty of Hasnain's book
can attract people towards the language," said A. Ashfaq Abidi, a
professor in Lucknow University's Urdu department.
Asit Srivastava can be contacted at
asit.s@ians.in
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