Writer, translator and literary historian Rakhshanda Jalil
Writer, translator and literary critic Rakhshanda Jalil’s critical works on progressive Urdu and other writers are also recognized as well as translations from Urdu. In his latest book, Love in a Time of Hate: In the Mirror of Urdu (Simon & Schuster), a collection of essays on Urdu poetry and Indian governance, he explains the role and importance of Urdu poets in a rapidly changing world. Edited quote:
When Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claims to set up a ‘shop of love in the market of hate’, what can the Urdu writings of different ages tell us? Why do we need Urdu mirror? Can Urdu be a lamp?
This book is not about ‘party politics’. But, yes, it is looking for a voice that speaks of love instead of hate, inclusion instead of exclusion, commonality instead of difference. I do not claim that this is new. I call attention to the wealth that has been hidden in plain sight to watch Urdu for centuries; through translation and narration that unites these various ‘pearls’ in a common thread, I just make them accessible to English readers.
Also, poets rarely, if ever, fall victim to bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness; a propagandist or publicist can be but not a poet. And Urdu poets, in particular, have always been known for their liberalism and eclecticism. Even when it comes to religion, he always talks qaumi yakjahati and muttahida tehzeeb – communal harmony and co-miling of culture.
Does the mirror reflect, say, aesthetic, or critique?
Yes, it is all this and more; ever contrarian, the Urdu poet presents more than one way of looking at the same thing – be it the Taj Mahal or the monsoon. For example, the Taj is a symbol of eternal love and a declaration of exhibition love, an insult to the love of ordinary people who cannot satisfy the emperor’s happiness.
You have quoted Ursula K. Le Guin to call poets ‘realists of a larger reality’. Can you expand on this? Why should we listen to poets to understand our existence as humans and Indians?
A poet is not a prophet. They see, feel, experience what you do but have a special ability to express those feelings. As Ghalib pithily said, “…goya yeh bhi mere dil mein hai” (…this is also in my heart). Urdu poets have written something for every occasion, every sentiment, every impulse that flickers through the human heart. There may be many disagreements, but there certainly is on almost any subject. Nothing is beyond the pale, nothing is sacred or beyond doubt.
I think there comes a time in the history of the nation when they need poets the most; not the politicians, or policy makers and publicists but the poets who are the true visionaries. Because, poets are able to remind people of the essential values that support them. For us in India, that time is now, lest the strident voices of illiberals drown out the voices that always point to a bigger and better reality, and the senseless wave of blood destroy the India we know and love. .
Artists performing ‘Ramlila’ in Urdu at the Urdu Heritage Festival in New Delhi, February 2024. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
Urdu is often seen as a Muslim language, but you mentioned a pan-Indian language claimed by others.
Urdu is not the language of one country or region, unlike, say, Marathi for Maharashtra or Tamil for Tamil Nadu; it is willing to be embraced and owned by anyone who wishes to do so, north and south of the Vindhyas and across the vastness of India. Over the centuries, it has shown a strong refusal to be tied to caste or community or region. But the problem is, blind people can’t see and deaf people can’t hear, so there are stereotypes.
Your book is divided into four alliterative sections: politics, people, passions, places. What is the logic behind this structure, why are they important as a matter of love and hate?
I don’t want to write 80 essays divided into four. The topic ‘revealed’ itself to me, often prompted by real events, tremors in the current seismograph in the political and social environment of India, sometimes jogged by the passing of beloved pan-Indian figures such as Dilip Kumar. or Lata Mangeshkar. Some were triggered by my travels, some by newspaper headlines and some were written in response to small daily changes. Running through them is a common current: love for this, my land, my India. The head of the alliterative section is a happy serendipity.
You have a long career now as a literary historian, critic, translator, columnist and more. How do you create this volume in your trajectory?
I see it as a natural, organic coming together of all the above and, yes, anguish as an Indian. As I said in the introduction, I was scared, scared, often depressed, and I found release through writing.
What’s next from Rakhshanda Jalil?
Biography of poet-politician Maulana Hasrat Mohani.
What are your hopes for India and the world of letters in Urdu and English?
Writing this book was an attempt to hold back the fear and depression I mentioned earlier. Because, while looking back, and looking into the mirror of Urdu, the essay also shows the way forward. May we as a nation fight fear with inclusion, and hate with love.
The interviewee is a poet, translator, and professor at OP Jindal Global University.
