Tedhi Qabr
Come ashoor or 10th Muharram and Sham-e Gariban majlises are held across the world.
While the hadith in the majlis, though centring around the events of the 10th of Ashur in Karbala, will differ according to the Maulana reciting it, one thing remains standard: every majlis will end with the iconic and evocative nauha ghabrayegi Zainab.
This nauha has the power to make tears fall from even the most hardened soul.
This year i was determined to go and pay my respects and recite a fatiha at the grave of Channu Lal who wrote this nauha. He wrote under the takhallus of Dilgir.
Thanks to Taha Ahmad and Sabika Abbas i went there.
It’s called ‘tedhi qabr’ or crooked grave because it is not in alignment with the road running next to it.
As many would know a qabr/grave of a Muslim has to be perpendicular to the direction of the Qibla, this here the direction is tilted & not perpendicular to the road.
Channu Lal (1780 – 1848 CE)and his brother Raja Jhau Lal were courtiers of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula. Brought up on the ethos of nawabi tehzeeb, Channu Lal was an accomplished marsiya nigar and poet.
Mirza Khani Nawazish was his first ustad and Nasikh was his second ustad.
The nondescript grave is in middle of the chidiya market of Nakkhas and there are shops on one side of it.
I spoke to a few shopkeepers and requested them to keep it in a good condition.
Due to a lisp he himself could not recite hos nauhas, but today the world is hos voice.
Request a surah e fatiha for Dilgir
