Ghalib’s Poetry In Dushambe Minaret
By Sazzad Hussain
26 July, 2015
Countercurrents.org
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to Central Asia is going to be remembered as a landmark one as it was the first highest level visit from India after the five former Soviet Republics attained independence in the wake of the breakup of the USSR in 1991. Though the presidents of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and other neighbouring states did make official visits to India in the first, it was not reciprocated by any governments in New Delhi till this year. From that perspective Modi’s visit completed a much overdue diplomatic initiative. Besides, this five nation trip by the Prime Minister bears much significance as it re-established the shared heritage that India has had to Central Asia for the last one thousand years. The Central Asia region with the five Muslim majority nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are known to the world for their diversity, pluralism and rich cultural heritage of hospitality and tolerance. It is their tradition and heritage that has influenced the distinctly unique Indian Islam reflected in its vibrant colourful form in South Asia. As the world now boils on the bloodbath unleashed by groups like IS, Al-Qaeda and their numerous affiliates that use the symbol of Islam, the Central Asian nations are the perfect example of Islam which cares for all—by encompassing everyone inside its grand form. Indian Islam, which is the extension of this Central Asian grandiose form of the faith, can renew its historical connection with that great lineage to respond to the menace of Islamist terror.
The great cultural bond that India has with Central Asia was celebrated long ago by our legendary music maestro Dr. Bhupen Hazarika when he sung Ghalibar Sher Dushamber Minarat Suna Palo (Heard Ghalib’s poetry on the minaret of Dushambe) in his celebrated song Moi Eti Zazabo. In the Bengali and Hindi version of the same song, he uses Tashkent and Bukhara respectively in place of Dushambe. Dushambe (now called Dushanbe) is the capital of Tajikistan where Premier Modi also visited during this trip. Just after arriving in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Prime Minister spoke about Indian Islam and Muslims that never support or endorse terrorism. In fact it was the Central Asian element that had shaped Indian Islam to be liberal, humane and inclusive.
Islam, after originating in the Arabian Peninsula (now Saudi Arab) in the seventh century entered Persia, an entirely different place culturally and geographically. Unlike the sandy, dry and nomadic Arabia, Persia was greener with seasonal agriculture and rich cultural heritages. It was this rich cultural heritage and developed lifestyle of Persia that enriched Islam which later entered India via Central Asia with Turkic and Mongolic elements in the late eleventh century. By that time Central Asia was dominated by powerful political dynasties of Sultan Mamood and Tamerlane (Taimur) under whose patronage great thinkers and scientists, philosophers, poets like Al-Biruni, Firdausi, Nizami, Hafeez and Omar Khayyam and Sufi saints like Rumi took humanity to a heightened position. That form of Islam, enriched by these splendid human elevations entered the Indus-Gangetic valleys with political powers. Continuing that entry, it was Babur, the ruler of Farghana (now in Tajikistan), who was born in Andijan (Uzbekistan), established the Mughal empire at Delhi in 1526 after conquering Kabul. These thousand years of bonding between the Indus-Gangetic valley and Central Asian cities like Bukhara, Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Tashkent, Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Isfahan (Iran) created cultural amalgamation which contributed towards the evolution of Indian Islam. So we have architectural similarities between Delhi’s Jama Masjid and Bibi Khanim mosque of Samarkand (built by Taimur in 1399) and the Jame mosque of Isfahan. Similarly from Laila-Maznu of Nizami to the tales of Nasiruddin Hodja, from Shahnama of Firdausi to Bulle Shah’s Heer-Ranjha, from the Ghazals of Hafeez to Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyaat the elements of Central Asia have been infused with Indian culture and literature. Delhi’s Mirza Ghalib was the modern inheritor of this rich cultural heritage of Central Asia. That is why our beloved Dr. Bhupen Hazarika heard his poetry in the minarets of Dushambe.
Apart from these century old civilizational bonding, all the five ‘stans’ of Central Asia is geo-strategically important for India. They are all landlocked between China, Russia, Afghanistan and Iran and have large energy reserves. Though Islamist militancy has sporadically affected some of them like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, these countries are a strong buffer for any terror related activities that emanate from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the restive Middle-East. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan had earlier cooperated with India along with the Northern Alliance to push Taliban out from Afghanistan in 2001. India, which has a strong military involvement with Kyrgyzstan, also wants to use the Ayni airport as an IAF base, which will give it a strategic advantage over China and Pakistan. The purchase of uranium from mineral rich Uzbekistan is another achievement of Modi’s tour. The agreement for the supply of natural gas from Turkmenistan to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan (TAPI) is a landmark deal during the visit to that country.
Prime Minister Modi was well aware of the rich cultural connection between India and Central Asia and to renew it on a strong note he presented the Uzbek President Ismail Karimov with a specially commissioned reproduction of ‘Khamsa-e-Khusrau’ by the great 13th century Indian Sufi poet Amir Khusrau whose father hailed from Uzbekistan. Modi was also impressed by a large user and promoter of Hindi language in Uzbekistan where Bollywood movies are very popular. Modi also presented President Noor Sultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan with a set of books relating to religions born in India which included a eighteenth century Persian translation of Valmiki's Ramayana in nastaliq script. With this India has sent a strong message to those elements that want to create a distance in the society by fomenting religious hatred both internally and externally in this world of globalized cooperation. This historic momentum should be maintained in favour of creating an ideal atmosphere for internal social upward mobility in India.
(The writer teaches English at Lakhimpur Commerce College)
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