NON MUSLIM PERSIAN POETS OF MADRAS
The Role of Non-Muslim Persian Poets
of Madras in Preserving and Promoting Persian and Urdu Literature
While
browsing through old Urdu books published from Madras, I came across a
75-year-old Urdu magazine titled Funkar.
This monthly magazine, published in August 1951, had an editorial board
composed of renowned Urdu scholars such as Kavish Badri, Nooris Khiyami, and
Danish Aazmi. As I began reading the magazine, I discovered an interesting
article titled Madras mein Farsi Nazam ke Hindu
Sho’ra. The article was compiled (in English or Persian) by Allama
Dr. Abdul Haq, former Principal of Presidency College, Madras. It was
translated and published into Urdu by Afzal-ul-Ulama, Professor Syed Abdul
Wahab Sahib Bukhari, also known as S.A.W. Bukhari former principal (1958-1967) of New
College, Chennai.
After
reading this insightful article, I gained a deeper understanding of how the
18th and 19th century societies thrived in cultural harmony. The Persian
language, once widely spoken by the masses, has nearly disappeared from both
official and public spheres today. Meanwhile, Urdu, which is often overlooked
now, once held a prominent place in the daily lives of both Muslim and Hindu
communities. To make this Urdu article more accessible and beneficial, I
decided to translate it into English with some additional information, as
several of my well-wishers had suggested.
The
translation of the above said article is as follows
“In the early 18th and 19th centuries, the
Persian language and literature enjoyed significant fame in Madras, and we have
ample authenticated information about many poets and scholars who resided in
this city. Numerous books on literary topics, contemporary history, and Persian
poetry were compiled, though only a few of these were published. Among these poets
and scholars, several Hindu writers gained fame in the early half of the 18th
and 19th century in Persian literature.
Raja Govind Ram, a
poet in the court of Nawab Muhammad Ali Walajah, was one such figure. Many of
his Persian letters and other literary masterpieces are still preserved. These
writings clearly reflect that Raja Sahib was well-versed in Persian prose and
his literary contributions were widely celebrated during his time. Raja Govind
Ram’s family was historically renowned for its patronage of Persian literature.
The grandson of this
illustrious family, Raja Kashi Prashad, was also a Persian poet who adopted the
pen name "Fidwi". Kashi Prashad was proficient in Persian, Sanskrit,
and Hindi. Probably had his early education
in Banaras, after which he studied Persian under the famous scholar Syed Shah
Abdul Qadir Meharban, who hailed from the prestigious Fakhri family of
Mylapore. Kashi Prashad was an extraordinary poet, and after the demise of his
grandfather, Nawab Muhammed Ali Walajah, bestowed upon him the title of
"Rai" and entrusted him with the important portfolio of personal
secretary. Fidwi died in 1832 at Madras.Nawab Ghulam Ghouse Khan Bahadur, the
last Nawab of Arcot, known by the pen name Aazam, was also the founder of
Madarsa-e-Aazam in Madras. He included Fidwi’s Persian poems in his collection
of Persian poets from Madras. This book was printed more than a century ago at
Nawab Sahib’s personal press.
In Tazkira e Gulzar e Aazam, there is a
mention of another Hindu Persian scholar whose name is Raja Makhan Lal. Born in Venkatgiri in 1750 to Rai Doulath
Ram. He received his early education in Hyderabad and excelled in Persian
literature, astronomy, mathematics and other related arts. He was a master of
calligraphy, and it is said that Nawab Amir-ul-Amra, the son of Nawab Walajah,
honoured him with the rank of Mir Munshi.
His deep interest in
sciences and arts eventually led him to focus on the study of Arabic
literature. At that time, he was fortunate to be mentored by reputed scholars
such as Maulana Abdul Ali Bahrul Uloom (Bahrul Uloom means Ocean of Knowledge)
and Maulvi Sharaf-ul-Mulk. His scholarly competence and mastery in Persian
poetry were widely acknowledged. He was conferred the title of Raja Bahadur
He was honoured with
the title "Raja Bahadur." He is counted among the select few
individuals for whom the honour of attending the royal court in palanquin was
granted. His pen name was ‘Khirad’. In chronogram writing, he made such an
impression with his talent that when the big mosque of Triplicane was being
built, and chronograms were being written, the apt verse Zikrullahi Akbar( Rememberance of Allah
is great) was considered to be the best coined by Raja Makhan Lal Khirad. As it
gives us the year of construction of the mosque as 1209 hijri which translates
to 1794 C. E. The Nawab was extremely
pleased with this, and he had the verse engraved on a black stone and then
inscribed in marble, placing it in the exact spot of the prayer niche (Mihrab)
where the Imam would stand to lead prayers. To this day, those verses are
engraved above the Mihrab of the mosque. They announce, in their own way, the
poetic abilities of Raja Makhan Lal. Members of his family and others were also
distinguished Persian scholars.
Recently, while
studying some Persian manuscripts, I came across a rare book called "Tuti Nama," which is a translation
of a Sanskrit book. This translation was done from the original Sanskrit by the
renowned author Nakhshabi. The book was also translated into Persian by the
great scholar and statesman Abu al-Fazl during the Akbar era, but it seems that
finding a copy of this translation is now almost impossible. Raja Hukumat Ram's
son, known as Rai Sahib, preserved this exceptional manuscript. At the end of
the book, there is an inscription which is of particular interest. It reads:
"With the help of
Swami Parthasarathy the ‘Tuti Nama’
was written by Abul-Fazl ibn Sheikh Mubarak. It was personally arranged by Rai
Sahib for his son Lal Chand, also known as Raghunath Rai."
This reveals the
immense appreciation for Persian manuscripts that Hindu scholars had. Among
these notable scholars, the honourable C. V. Mr. Ragunatha Shastri, the first
graduate in Persian language at Presidency College, is also remembered for his
contributions. He was one of the founders of Madras Mahajana Sabha and Indian
National Congress. Twice he served as the Diwan of Indore from 1875-1880 and
1886-1888. He was a prominent Persian scholar, and through his hard work and
effort, many Arabic books were translated into Persian. For this purpose, he
specifically appointed scholars and writers. Under his guidance and
supervision, several Urdu books were also compiled, and this entire collection
is preserved in manuscript form in the Government Oriental Manuscript Library
of Madras.
Those who appreciate
Persian literature or are interested in the history of the city of Madras can
benefit greatly from these scholarly treasures.”
End
of Translation
--------------------------------------
Further Reading in Local History
Arcot,
once the illustrious capital of the Nawabs of the Carnatic, lies a mere 6
kilometers from my hometown, Melvisharam, positioned at the very entrance to
Arcot. As a learner of regional and local history, I endeavoured to uncover
similar historical insights from this area, and the results of my research are
documented below.
The
first is Lala Jaswant Rai Munshi, a distinguished scholar of Persian and
Dakkani Urdu. He was a chronicler and served as a court poet for Nawab
Sadathullah Khan (1710-1732), holding the esteemed position of Peshkar in the Nawab’s court. He
authored a Persian work called Sayeednama, a collection of poems
documenting the contributions of Nawab Sadathullah Khan. (It
was translated in English by S.A.W. Bukhari and later published by the
University of Madras in 1965.)
In an article titled
‘Chronogram-The Art of Writing Time’ published in The
Hindu on August 25, 2016, renowned historian Mr. S. Kombai Anwar
writes, “When Saadathullah Khan, the new Nawab of Arcot created a beautiful
garden in his capital city Arcot, and was looking for a suitable name, Jaswant
Rai presented him with the name ‘Humayun
Bagh,’ meaning ‘Auspicious Garden.’ The Nawab was very impressed and mighty
pleased as he also understood that his chronicler had offered him much more
than a name.
Keeping the
climatic conditions of Arcot in mind the Nawab ordered for trees from Telengana
to be planted in the garden. Once the work was done, he was equally keen to
have a worthy name for his royal garden. That was when Jaswant Rai pleased him
not just with a name but a skilfully composed ‘Chronogram’ which, when
carefully read, also revealed the year of its (Garden) creation in the Islamic
calendar of Hijri as 1113 (corresponds to 1701 CE).
In 1702, following the death of the Nawab's companion, Begum Sahiba, he commissioned the creation of a new garden in 1703, matching the size of Humayun Bagh. Jaswant Rai named this garden the ‘Nau Jahan Bagh,’ and when interpreted as a chronogram, it revealed the year of its completion as 1115 A.H., corresponding to 1703 CE.
Here in Melvisharam, I found some information about two personalities with little relevance to the ongoing content. Though they were not poets but well versed in Urdu.
The
first one was Thiru. K. Venkatachala Iyer, a teacher and also the Headmaster
(1927-1934) of Islamiah Boys High School, Melvisharam. Though his mother tongue
was Tamil, his service at the school had helped him to acquire mastery over the
Urdu language. When the first Urdu Mushaira (Concert of Poets) of Melvisharam
was conducted on 14th March 1942 at Islamiah High school Mr. Venkatachala Iyer, delivered a
speech on the difference between prose and poetry. Similarly, when the Silver
Jubilee of the Islamiah High School’s Literary Association was celebrated on 22nd
February, 1958, he delivered the Jubilee address along with other guests.
The second person is none
other than my Headmaster, Mr. Lakshmanan Iyer, who also happens to be my
childhood neighbour, born and brought up in Jameelabad First Street at
Melvisharam. As his father Nagaraj Iyer was among first batch of teachers of
Islamiah High school in 1927. Mr. Lakshmanan had his schooling in the same school.
I am informed that during his school days, he participated in seeratun nabi
(SAW) event of the school and he was practicing a speech outside his house
related to seerathun Nabi. While some of
his relatives came to visit his house. On listening to his Urdu speech they
thought that it was a Muslim house. So they went back, confirmed the address,
again they came to his home and met his parents.
Later, he served as a
teacher at the school and also led the school as its headmaster (1987-1997). He
had a good knowledge of Urdu language. He was also a classmate of famous
business tycoon of Melvisharam Janab Malack Muhammed Hashim Sahib and also
Janab Sakvai Zafar Ahmed Sahib former General Secretary of Melvisharam Muslim
Educational Society. Though Urdu is our mother tongue, we struggle a lot to
speak it perfectly. But Mr. Lakshmanan speaks Urdu in a nice manner. A good
neighbour and a well-respected man.
Conclusion
These
are just a few of the names I found during my research, and further exploration
may reveal even more for those interested in this topic. It is often assumed that Urdu and
Persian belong to specific communities however, both languages were once the
vernaculars of the common people in our country. Urdu, also known as Hindustani,
is particularly significant as a language born in India, shaped by its diverse
cultures and communities.
I suggest a link to Rekhta.org for a book
titled ‘Hinduoon Mein Urdu’ by Syed
Rafeeq Marharvi.
(https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/detail/hinduon-mein-urdu-part-001-ebooks-1)
In this book, the author had recorded the
contributions of hundreds of Urdu and Persian poets from the non-Muslim
community. It’s a valuable read and offers a better understanding of past
societies. If we lose the Persian and Urdu languages, we will also lose a vital
part of our nation’s history and its rich cultural heritage. These languages
have played a significant role in shaping the intellectual, literary, and
artistic traditions of our past, preserving the stories, values, and
experiences of previous generations. They are not merely languages but keys to
understanding our historical narratives, classical literature, and the very
essence of our cultural identity. Without them, we risk disconnecting from a
substantial part of our shared heritage.
S.
Mohammed Sadathullah
15.01.2025
Melvisharam
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