Is Shayari (Poetry) Died or Revived in India
Shayari in India has a long
history dating back to centuries, the literatures shows that the initial wave
of poetry in India is dated back to era of Kabir & Ameer Khusro. In this
initial phase of development of poetry in India the language used was Hindavi
or Persian (Farsi).
Primarily Hindavi Language was a
mix of modern day Hindi, Sanskrit and local dialect being spoke at that point
of time in Delhi and around North India. It was the era of Delhi Sultanate when
a language is being evolved which was a mix of Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian and
Turkish Influence. In this era a prominent name that played important part and
paved the foundation for development of poetry in in India is Ameer Khusro
(1253-1325). It was the beautiful phase of Indian History when various cultures
Hinduism, Islam, Sufism, Bhakti Movement produced outstanding literature of poetry.
Ameer Khusro initially wrote his poetry in Persian Language,
later as the time progress he started mixing Persian with Hindi, Sanskrit and
local dialect which laid the foundation for development of a language which we
now know as “Urdu”.
Urdu as a language was developed
and evolved In the Mughal era, right from Emperor Akbar to last king of Mughal
dynasty Bahadur Shah Zafar. This was the Golden age of shayari in India , the
poets used to get royal patronage from the kingdom and also most of the royal
family members themselves were poets or use to enjoy the poetry in there
darbars . This era produces finest poets
like Zauq, Meer Taqi Meer, Ghalib and others.
As the Mughal Empire fell and Delhi
being destroyed by attacks of Nadir Shah and Abdali and Mughal Empire lost its
sheen, the Poets of that time moved to either Lucknow or Hyderabad Deccan which
made these places as new development centers for shayari in India. This was
brief phase till arrival of British India.
As British arrived in India and
most of the kingdoms either fell or surrendered to British, the poets lost the
royal patronage. The Poetry in this era was more focused on revivalist
movements, patriotism and concept development of new independent country with self-rule.
The notable poets in this era are Haali, Iqbal, Nazeer Ahmed, Shibli Nemani,
Munshi Prem Chand, Dinakar and others.
Post-Independence and division of
India and with the exposure to modern education and movements running around the
world in this era most of the poets were influenced by socialism and communism
and this influence is predominantly visible in their poetry. The focus of the
poetry in this time was more on social issues like poverty , equality etc, even
though other issues like romance, relationships was also address by many poets.
We can place this phase till late 80’s. Lots of Mushairas and Kavi Sammelan
used to be organized in this time across various cities in India, which used to
see huge crowds who use to love and shower their praise on poets.
But it is also to be noted that
during this time, most of the poets were financially struggling and depended on
the incomes generated from Mushaira’s , Kavi Sammelan or other grants received.
Also one of noted feature was influence of socialism and communism which
resulted in distancing and often criticizing religious practices and acceptable
social norms by contemporary poets.
The Indian middle class or poor classes in India had always
upheld and regarded religion and social practices in high esteem and still
follow there customs and religious practices.
The reason’s cited in above paragraph led to creating a distance between
poets and society. Also the financial difficulties faced by poets were perceived
as failure of individual no matter how intellectual the person might be. The families
no longer wanted their kids to study literature, instead of this focus was
shifted on education which will make their kids land up a good job and financially
settle them.
With the liberalization of economy
and opening of doors to world and arrival of TV and other entertainment available
for masses, people were no longer interested in attending mushairas or kavi
sammelans. Also the career oriented mind-set of parents and kids who were more inclined
towards professional education and landing a corporate job resulted in decline
of poetry in India.
Is Shayari Died?
Answer is a “No”, the shayari in India has come back with a
bang in day to day life. This is pretty evident from the crowds attending
Mushairas and Kavi Sammelans and other mediums.
So what led to this
revival of Shayari:
·
For long people were hooked up to Televisions
and Films for entertainment, over a period of time this medium has become repetitive
and producing similar amount of content over and over again, which led audience
to look for fresh and new content of entertainment.
·
Another Major factor which played crucial role
is arrivals of mobile phones in India, with telecom companies offering
attractive deals on SMS services. With the penetration of mobile handsets and
armed with SMS packages from Telco’s a new wave of communication “SMS”started
where people started sharing funny jokes, quotes and this is where the interest
on good poetry started garnering momentum. People were in constant search for
content likes jokes, quotes and shayaris which they can share on SMS with their
friends and other contacts. This led to development of interest of shayaris of
general public.
·
Availability
of Internet: Initially in India Internet was not available on mobile
phones, even if it was it used to cost heavy and there were no smart phones
like today. People used to queue in cyber cafes to use internet, as usage of
internet increased online platforms, web portals started getting developed for
providing content for people who were searching it online. Internet became new
teacher or content provider for users.
·
Arrival
Smart Phones: From the shift from old Nokia Phones to more sophisticated
smart phones , which were user friendly and offer ease in sharing the
information and content also played major role in developing interest in shayari.
·
Social
Media: with the new generation hooked up to social media first Facebook
then to other social medial platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram etc. There is
always a demand for fresh content for funny jokes, motivational quotes and
Shayaris which people like to share with their contacts. Particular Facebook
& WhatsApp has played a major impact, wherein short videos and long messages
can be posted on user Facebook page or with WhatsApp contacts. With the circulation
of videos of mushairas and kavi sammelans on social media platforms, an
unprecedented interest in shayari and poets started developing in the present
day youth and working individuals.
·
Adopting modern communication mediums like YouTube,
Facebook, and WhatsApp by contemporary poets also led to this revival of
shayari and poetry in India.
Shayari or poetry reflects the time and environment a human
society is living, this is going to stay as long as human race or civilization
goes.