Mehjoor: The Wordsworth of Kashmir
Mehjoor, the poet of Kashmir in reference to his poem Greesi Koor (The Peasant’s Daughter), is called as Wordworth of Kashmir. He is a twentieth century poet of Kashmir who like the nineteenth century Romantic poets of English literature created a world of his own which was not absurd or merely fanciful, but was a world in which he felt closer to the earth and the common man.
He is also a political and social poet and has a commitment towards his society. His heart and imagination are obsessed with the emotions and the realities of his era in Kashmir. He in his poetry exhibits such elements which surface in the literary contributions of the greatest poets of English as well as Urdu literature
Mehjoor is a very trendy and modish poet whom people venerated in his lifetime, for his immortal verses teach lessons of nature, love, peace, unity, faith in God, upholding of human values, uselessness of strife, jealousy, hatred. He also touches the psyche of the people by awakening their conscience and advocates the concern of the poor, downtrodden, and suppressed workers. He invariably teaches his nation to learn to live with honor and dignity and fight for their lost identity.
He tries to rejuvenate and strengthen the sentiments of the people to fight against injustice, cruelty and anarchy. He due to his unique style of writing has earned an immortal place in the Kashmiri literature.
His poems reveal that he is a poet with lofty ideals and aspirations and brings home to one’s mind that his poetry derives power from the intensity and sincerity of his experiences, and establishes the fact that what comes from the spirit becomes the feeling and takes the form of solid and appealing artistic creations.
He feels deeply while his emotions are calm and serene and it is not a tumultuous passion but a spontaneous one. He is simple and writes with great variety and it is this distinct artistic quality that he has been able to write lyrics, songs, odes, elegies, prose, biography, novel, translations, and criticism.
The literary contributions of Mahjoor clearly prove that as a writer he is so powerful and imaginative that he has been able to inspire his readers not only aesthetically, spiritually, morally and socially but also intellectually. He earned the title of Shair-e-Kashmir for his inspiring writings.
Reading Mahjoor make it clear that he has extreme interest in the bounty of nature as he depicts the scenic gardens, moors, forests, waterfalls, rivers, lush green fields and mountains as a source and means of conveying his heartfelt emotions and messages to awaken his countrymen to raise their voice against all kinds of injustices and ills. He expresses his emotions as follows,
Bulbulan Dup Gulas, Husun Chui Pur
Keyha Wanai, Zew Chai Ne, Sui Chui Kasur”
Through his verses in Kashmiri, Mahjoor inspires and infuses spirit of courage in the hearts of the people. His poems give impetus to the struggle and serve as a clarion call to the masses to express their sentiments. He express his patriotic fervor in the poem “Walo Ho Bage-e-Wano” (Arise, O Gardener) and stresses upon his fellow countrymen to decorate their nation and land with flowers symbolizing their apt traditions based on honesty, truthfulness and dignity.
In the beautiful poem, “Gulshan Watan Chu Souni” Mahjoor expresses his love for his nation and underlines the idea that there is nothing dear to him than his nation; he wishes it to prosper and become a dignified nation.
Mehjoor in his verses also appeals the nation to maintain communal harmony and not get divided on the basis of religion and community. He asks his nation to shun the path of strife and jealousy, hatred, animosity and remain united against the enemy and share love and affection with each other.
Mahjoor is an imaginative and natural poet. His poetry elevated him to very high standing in his times. He had a bold heart and with bravery he raised the voice for his suffering people.
P.N. Pushup, great academician and educationist writes that Mehjoor was influenced by the uprisings and other movements around the globe, particularly in the sub continent, like the one by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who wanted the down trodden Muslim community to take a plunge in education sector and adopt the English language. Mehjoor’s efforts had become known to the likes of Iqbal and Tagore.
The translated Ghazals of Mehjoor into English impressed and captivated the eye of Tagore and he asked Davendra Satharthi to visit Kashmir, who collected Mehjoor’s poetry and presented to Tagore in the Shanti Neketan. Balraj Sahni, the famous film maker, also wrote about Tagore’s impression about Mehjoor in Vishwa Bharti magazine in 1939.
Mehjoor was born on 11th August, 1887 and passed away on 9th of April, 1952.
