There are compositions in a single style but most have a blending of different styles.” Soz took into it   all the musical styles prevalent then in Awadh.  ( The Making of the Awadh Culture – by Madhu Trivedi  )

Kajjan Begum reciting marsiya

Shafqat Amanat Ali recites Mujrai khalq mein

Nauha – Ghabrayegi Zainab and this iconic nauha was written by Chunnu Lal or Chandulal whose takhallus was Dilgeer. In fact my uncle informs me that the marsiya recited on 8th Moharrum in our village Jalali is also by Dilgeer

salaam e aakhir  Marsiya Recittation 

There are two styles of reciting marsiyas : one is 

1. Tah-Tul-Lafz : The manner of reciting a poem; like rhythmic prose i.e. without singing; word for word.

Syed Tanvirul Hasan reciting a marsiya by Mir Waheed

 

and  2. Tarannum : marsiya is recited, to a tune

Kis Shair Ki Amad hai | USTAAD RAZA ALI KHAN

Hussain Hai – Marsiya – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan written by Hafeez Julundhary 

Marsiya Writers

The art of marsiya writing started in Persia and Arabia but it reached its zenith under the  Nawabs of Awadh. The nawabs were connosieurs of art and literature, but their Shia faith gave great impetus to building of Imambaras (is a congregation hall, used mainly  for purposes of remembrance of the events of Karbala) and the art of marsiya writing 

The famous MARSIYA writers in Urdu are Mir Baber Ali Anis and Mirza Salamat Ali  Dabir. 

In the list of great marsiya gos Mir Zamir, who by common consensus is regarded as the Bani of Jadid marsiya and Mir Anis himself recited marsiya in the fateha majlis of Mir Zamir.

Mir Anis’ father, Mir Khaliq was also a great marsiya go. Mir Anees often remarked ber sare member

“hai mujh ko baba jan ki zaban nahin aai.”

Dulah saheb Rashid was the last exponent of Mir Anees’school of marsiya goi and marsiya khwani.

(contributed by Mamu Mehdi Raza sahib)

Other famous marsiya writers are 

Syed Muhammad Mirza Uns, Syed Sajjad Hussein, Shadeed Lucknavi, Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi and Gauher Lucknavi.

Josh Malihabadi on Mir Anis:

Teri har mouj-e-nafas rooh-ul-amee’n ki jaa’n hai
 tu meri urdu zubaa’n ka bolta Qura’n hai
 Translated
. Every breath of yours is the life of Gabrielle
 You are the speakin Quran of the urdu language.

Intezar Hussain in his ” Hindu contribution to the marsiya” writes 

” While engaged in his research on Hindu marsiya writers he ( Kalidas Gupta Raza , an authority on Ghalib ahad a lesser known interest in marsiya) had unearthed a number of such writers, which were hitherto unknown to us. An article, which was intended to be the first chapter of his book, Hindu marsiya go is included in his collection, published under the title,Sahv-o-Suragh, in which he has traced Hindu involvement in azadari from the times of Quli Qutab Shah. This ruler, he says, would take care to say goodbye to wine as soon as the moon of the month of Muharram was sighted. Clad in black, he would come out from his palace and proceed to the aza-khana followed by a large number of people, most of whom were Hindus.

The first Hindu marsiya writer, as researched by Gupta Raza, was as Ram Rao, whose pen name was ‘Saiva’. He belonged to Gulberg but migrated to Bijapore in the time of Ali Adib Shah. In about 1681, he translated Rozatush Shuhada in Deccani verse. This translation was in addition to the original marsiyas written by him.

Sri Makkhan Das, and Balaji Tasambak with ‘Tara’, as his pen name are some other marsiyawriters, who flourished in Deccan in the years that followed. Add to them the name of Swami Prashad who wrote marsiyas in Urdu under the pen name of ‘Asghar’, though he also wrote poetry in Persian and Hindi.

As the centre of Urdu shifted from the South to the North and the azadari culture began to flourish in Lucknow. Here, too, we find the Hindu gentry actively participating in the rituals of Muharram and Hindu poets ardently engaged in writing marsiyas. Better known among the earlier poets was Munshi Channoo Lal Lakhnavi, who wrote ghazals under the pen name of ‘Tarab’ and marsiyas under the pseudonym, ‘Dilgir’. In his later period, he wrote marsiyas alone and distinguished himself in the field.

Raja Balwan Singh, who wrote under the pen name, ‘Raja’, was the son of Maharaja Chait Singh, the ruler of Benares. But the British did not allow him to rule for long. Ousted from Benares, he succeeded in winning a jagir from the Maharaja of Gawalior. His son Raja mostly lived in Agra and became a disciple of Nazeer Akbarabadi. He distinguished himself as amarsiya writer, though he also wrote in other verse forms.

Lala Ram Prashad wrote marsiyas under the pen name, ‘Bashar’. Gupta Raza tells us that he was a devotee of the Ahl-i-Bait. In his last days, he migrated to Karbala. It was there that he breathed his last and was buried there.

Perhaps in Lucknow, Hindus were more deeply involved in the rituals of Muharram. So their participation was not confined to writing marsiyas alone. Lala Har Prashad was not a marsiyawriter. But he had a passion for reciting them. Every year, he participated with devotion in taziaprocessions and recited his favourite marsiyas depicting the martyrdom of Hazrat Abbas.

Lala Har Prashad belonged, as Mirza Jafar Husain has told us, to the family of Raja Mahra. But Tika Ram was a potter. Out of his devotion for Imam Husain (AS) he had made a tazia of clay, which in its own way was a piece of art. This tazia was exhibited every year on the night of Muharram 10 and was always a centre of attraction for the mourners.

Mirza Jafar Husain has written about a unique ritual observed by the Hindu mourners. On the night of Muharram 10, someone from among them chose to masquerade as a messenger. He was expected to perform his duty on the day of Ashoor. So the next day, with bells hanging around his body and with a morchhal in his hand, he would go running from one place to the other, going to each group of mourners and announcing in a mournful voice, “Husain Kushta Shud” (Husain has been martyred).- 

http://pakistanblogzine.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/hindu-contribution-to-the-marsiya-by-intizar-husain/

In fact Pandit Brij Narain Chakbast in his poem Ramayana also wrote the scene where Shri Rama takes leave of his mother, in the style of Mir Anis, where he describes Ali Akbar bidding farewell to his mother.

Chakbast ki Ramayana : “Rukhsat hua jo baap se lekar Khuda ka naam Raah-e-Khuda mei’n manzil-e-awwal hui tamaam Majboor tha jo maa ki ziyaarat ka intezaam Daaman se ashk pochh ke dil se kiya kalaam Izhaar-e-bekasi se sitam hoga aur bhi Dekha humei’n udaas to ghum hoga aur bhi”

A few Famous Marsiyas

1. Mirza Dabeer

Kis sher ki amad hai k rann kaanp raha hai,


rann ek taraf charkhe kohan kaanp raha hai,


Rustum ka badan zere kafan kaanp raha hai,


har qasre salateene zaman kaanp raha hai,


shamsheer bakaf dekh ke Haider k pisar ko,


Jibreel larazte hain samete huwe pare ko

2. Mir Anis

Jab qata ki masafat e shab aaftaab ne


Jalwa kiya sahar ke rukhe behijaab ne

Dekha suwe falaq Shahe gardoon rakaab ne


Mudh kar sada rafeeqo ko di us janaab ne

Aakhir hai raat hamd o sanaye Khuda karo


Utho fareezaye sahri ko ada karo

3. Josh Malihabadi

L.M. Bowra in his book, From Virgil to Milton, says:“An Epic is by common consent a narrative of some length and deals with events which have a certain grandeur and importance and come from a life of action, especially of violent action such as war. It gives a special pleasure because it’s events and persons enhance our belief in the worth of human achievement and in the dignity and nobility of man.” For those unacquainted withe events of Karbala can see this documentary anchored by Zia Mohyeddin 

 

First of all many people wonder why Shias self flagellate every Moharrum.
The reason is that in 61 hijri after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and the menfolk of his family including his 6 month old son there was oppression against them. They were denied kafans and burial. Their heads were cut off and impaled on spears to be taken to the royal court in  Damascus
The family of Imam Hussain( except for one sick male surviving member – Imam Zainul Abidin, only women and children)  was immediately imprisoned and made to march as prisoners to Damascus to the court of Yezid.
They were not allowed to weep their dead.
Today Shias compensate for that

Imambara : This is different from a mosque as prayers are not held here. Its used for gaTherings where the sacrifice of Imam Hussain is commemorated and talked about

Majlis : A congregation at an Imambara, which follows a fairly precise procedure, is called a #majlis

A #majlis follows a set pattern first
1. Sozkhani or the singing of marsiyas or elegies of unparalleled beauty set in classical raaga
The musical origin of #sozkhani was the Hindustani classical tradition of vocal music and its concept of ragas.
However, the singing was not accompanied by any instruments.
The elegies sung were poetic compositions devoted to the martyrdom of Hussain by some the finest poets that have lived in India &in Persia

2. Hadis :  this is divided in 2 parts
1) fazail – general discussion on points of religion
2)sacrifice of Imam Hussain and his family

3. Nauha : This is followed by nauha or elegies set to music ( no instruments)  which describe the martyrdom of Imam Hussain accompanied by matam

Matam : beating of chest in beat with the nauha. This is to express solidarity with the Sorrow of Imam Hussain’s family.

Alam : this is a symbol of Hazrat Abbas the commander in chief of Imam Hussain’s army. Its the army standard and he was the standard bearer.
He is also calked Abbas Alamdar

Zarih : every Imambara has this. Its a replica of the mausoleum of Imam Hussain Karbala. These are made of wood, brass, silver and gold and are permanently kept there

Taziya : These are again replicas of the mausoleum but are made of paper and bamboo and are buried on 10th Moharrum – ashoor

It is  long Indian robe with an asymmetrical opening in the chest area reaching down to the knees, which was very popular in N.India in the 19th century and  is also worn with slight variations by men in western India .
The  different types of angarakhas are frock style, waist-length kamari angarakha and the long angarakha which reaches below the knees. Matrerials used would depend on weather and occasion: muslin with chikankaari for summers, brocade and velvet for festive occasions .

Perhaps the most famous weare of the angarkha was Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and this portrait of him with a bit of bare chest is one of his most famous pictures.

Unlike this portrait, men didn’t show bare chest and the flap covering the chest was tightly tied by flaps to both sides of the angarkha.

It typically has a front open with two flaps and one of the flaps (right)  will have a covering for the chest attached to it which is then tied with strings to other side.

This is the frock styled angarkha which was made of very fine muslin and the cut can be seen in this book which is in the Metropolitan Museum site

In the angarkha given below you can see how it is tied and supposed to be worn.

A typical angarkha which I have seen people wear in my childhood, especially during Moharrum keeping in line with the standard set by MIr Anees the master of the craft of marsiya ( elegy writen on the Battle of Karbala). Marsiyakhwaans ( those who recited marsiyas would wear angarkha and do palli topi with chauda (wide rimmed) pyjama . I have seen my uncle Syed Tanvirul Hasan wear the angarkha while reciting marsiya and I have one of his cotton angarkhas as a memento.

Famous Dastangos Danish Hussain and MAhmood Farooqi have revived the lost art form of story telling or dastangoi.

They not only tell traditional tales but dress as the dastangos of the Mughal and later period in Delhi and Awadh used to : White muslin angarkha , chaudi mori ka pyjama ( wide pyjamas) and a do palli topi. Do palli topi is unique to the subcontinent.

This angarkha made of brocade was for festive occasions and worn in the non summer months. Summers it was always cotton/muslin in keeping with the weather.

An intricately embroidered angarkha for royalty now kept in a museum.

In West India the angarkhs was adapted to become an angarkhi just below the waist and worn with dhoti instead of pyjama

Of course nowadays angarkhas have been adapted for women and we rarely see men wearing it

To differentiate the photograph given below is of a sherwani which is a completely different cut and design