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    My favorite artworks from European Museums

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    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

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    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

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    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

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    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

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    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

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    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

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    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      My favorite artworks from European Museums

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      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

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      The Art of Marsiya Writing and Reciting

      inOur Cultural Heritage
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      What is Marsiya
      The word ‘Marsiya’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘Risa’, meaning a great tragedy or lamentation for a departed soul. It is an elegy, a poemof mourning which has now come to be specifically associated with the tragedy of Karbala and to describe the battle fought on the plains of Karbala in Iraq by Hazarat Imam Husain and his supporters against the army of Yazid.
      Even a short poem written to mourn the death of a friend can be called MARSIYA. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem ‘In Memoriam’ can rightly be called MARSIYA. The sub-parts of MARSIYA are called NOHA and SOZ which means lamentation and burning of (heart) respectively.i ts form the soaz, salam and marsia, with a rhyming quatrain, and a couplet on a different rhyme.
       When a great event like the Tragedy of Karbala takes hold of the religious consciousness of a whole people, it begins to grow like a seed in a congenial soil. In its imaginative development the story of Karbala runs parallel to the story of King Arthur, Charlemagne, and King Vikramaditya in India. It is with the embroideries, rich and varied, which the popular imagination has woven around the slender historical material, that themarsiyadeals. Just as Homer gives an imaginative version of a single episode in the Trojan war in theIliad, or just as MiltonsParadise Lostis a personal and imaginative version of the Fall of Man, exactly in the same way themarsiyawriters have amplified and elaborated a single incident which has come to have a tremendous moral significance for a large section of the Islamic world. (Sadiq, M.;A History of Urdu Literature, Oxford University Press, 1964, pages 150-51)
      On 10th of October 680 A.D. / 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in the sixty first year since the Prophet’shijra, or migration, from Mecca to Medina. Hussain was martyred in battle alongside all the male members of his family, except one son who was too ill to fight. Considering it a betrayal the basic tenets of Islam , and of all that his grandfather, the Prophet, pbuh , stood for , Imam Hussain had refused to accept Yazid’s suzerainty.
      Yazid was the second caliph of the Umayyad dynasty and is widely acknowledged by both the Shia and Sunnis to have been a debauched, amoral tyrant. This act of supreme sacrifice, acceptance of certain matyrdom of self and family , with knowledge of untold and intense suffering awaiting the surviving women and children of his family Yet steadfast refusal to compromise the principles of his grandfather, became the incomparable metaphor for truth and integrity.
      Composition of Marsiya ( poetic form)
      Marsiya generally consists of six-line units, with a rhyming quatrain, and a couplet on a different rhyme.
      It is characterized by six-line verses in an AA, AA and BB rhyme scheme. They are traditionally either recited by Marsiya-Khwans or sung by a Marsiya-Soz .
      “A classical Urdu Marsiya, usually includes most of the following sections: a prelude (Chehrah) of poems of praise, descriptions of the morning or night before the battle, or a general introduction to the hardships faced by Hussein; a description of the poem’s hero -- whether Hussein or one of his companions -- and his virtues; the leave-taking or departure for the battlefield (Rukhsat); the entry onto the field (Aamad); a declaration of the hero’s martial prowess (Rajaz); the battle (Jang); the martyrdom (Shahadat); and finally, the lament (Bain). To this one could add the topical focus (Maajrah) and the prayer (Dua).”
      http://www.bharatonline.com/uttar-pradesh/culture/music/mersia.htm
      Musical Composition of Soz and Marsiya
      “The soz and marsiya compositions have two segments : sthayi (the firstling or verse) and antara (the verse that follows). Sthayi employs higher notes. In longer compositions,there is a laghu ( smaller) antara , also called dehur, and sometimes tan- antara called teep.
      This term is derived from the Saskrit word tipi, which means rendition of notes in a high register.
      The soz compositions are set in those ragas that evoke pathos and are sung from morning to midnight. Although in soz-khwani the khyaal style prevailed the other musical genres were amalgamated. It retained the high pitched vigorous tonal pronunciation of the dhrupad that in Delhi days dominated the marsiya khwani, the zawaid or the glosses of tan-paltas (intricate rhythmic turns)from the khyaal : zamzama ( small melodic phrases marked by repition of notes backwards as well as forward)and tahrir ( swift zigzag melodic turns employed in Persian music)from the tappa. the techniques of bol-banao ( improvisation of rhythmic passages)and ras-bhav ( evoking a sentiment ) are taken from thumri.

      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 MirzaSalamat 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 onHindu marsiyawriters 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, Hindumarsiyago is included in his collection, published under the title,Sahv-o-Suragh,in which he has traced Hindu involvement inazadarifrom 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 theaza-khanafollowed by a large number of people, most of whom were Hindus.
      The first Hindumarsiyawriter, 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 translatedRozatush Shuhadain Deccani verse. This translation was in addition to the originalmarsiyaswritten by him.
      Sri Makkhan Das, and Balaji Tasambak with ‘Tara’, as his pen name are some othermarsiyawriters, who flourished in Deccan in the years that followed. Add to them the name of Swami Prashad who wrotemarsiyasin 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 theazadariculture 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 writingmarsiyas. Better known among the earlier poets was Munshi Channoo Lal Lakhnavi, who wrote ghazals under the pen name of ‘Tarab’ andmarsiyasunder the pseudonym, ‘Dilgir’. In his later period, he wrotemarsiyasalone 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 amarsiyawriter, though he also wrote in other verse forms.
      Lala Ram Prashad wrotemarsiyasunder the pen name, ‘Bashar’. Gupta Raza tells us that he was a devotee of theAhl-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 writingmarsiyasalone. Lala Har Prashad was not amarsiyawriter. But he had a passion for reciting them. Every year, he participated with devotion intaziaprocessions and recited his favouritemarsiyasdepicting 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 ataziaof clay, which in its own way was a piece of art. Thistaziawas 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 amorchhalin 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

       

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      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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