Festivals Of Intellect And Love

Just one more day to go before the 11th edition of the majestic Metaphor Lucknow Literature Festival (MLLF) opens its doors to a virtual banquet of books and authors. The literary sessions will revolve around marginalised communities, travel, history, performing and fine arts, cinema, poetry and children’s literature.

Throughout the winter months, multiple cultural activities are held that attract visitors from far and wide. Beginning on January 13, the two day MLLF festival will include talks with authors galore including celebrities like filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, author-actor Piyush Mishra, and actor Faisal Malik.

The city is already echoing with numerous beats. There are music and theatre activities throughout the month of January. Armaan Malik had played at a concert after which the singing sensation told the media that he was thrilled to kickstart his roadshow from Lucknow.

“Lucknow is special for me. I will surely come back with more songs as the people here have a great ear for music and the arts,” Malik said.

By curating the MLLF, founder Kanak Rekha Chauhan is only following a long tradition practiced in Lucknow to spread love amongst citizens through literary activities.

Before Lucknow was converted into an imperial capital by rulers in the 18th Century, the city was little more than a wholesale grain market. It was only at the tail end of the 18th Century that Lucknow’s reputation as a city more beautiful than Constantinople caught the imagination of the world.

Visitors had poured into the city throughout the 19th Century from the East and from the West to find employment, and make a home here. The welcoming attitude of the people of Lucknow had enriched the city as visitors were allowed to display their respective talents.

Abundant agricultural activities in the countryside had complemented urbane cultural events hosted in cities. The result was that Lucknow had blossomed into an economic hub and a center of high culture.

Students from different parts of the world had studied at reputed learning institutions like the Firangi Mahal. A considerable number of the population was engaged as teachers, painters and poets.

Towards the later part of the 19th Century the printing press run by publisher Munshi Newal Kishore had encouraged more people to pick up the pen. Urdu language had evolved at this time from being a melange of local dialects into a classical language with a literature of its own.

It is said of that time that a poet and singer was found at every nook and cranny of Lucknow. Fortunately the culture of learning was not confined to the court but was a way of life also with citizens on the street.

Due to the friendly and liberal ambience of the city many innovations took place in Lucknow. Kathak was a vibrant folk dance that was brought from the Vrindavan forests near Mathura to Lucknow where it was practiced in a classical form.

Parsi Theatre was a very popular form of entertainment in the city, along with open air appearances by professional storytellers who kept the city wide awake with night long performances.

Absence Of Fear

The absence of relative fear in public life had encouraged creativity amongst citizens. Experiments in existing recipes of different communities had led to a long list of delectable dishes prepared by different communities living in the city.

Eventually Lucknow became the home of a large number of poets who had celebrated living together with neighbours even as each one was respected for practicing a different religion.

No personal ritual was allowed to come in the way of friendship between citizens. Poets had a field day also satirising the powerful people of the day, and the wrongs which they saw in society.

Ghulam Hamdani Mushafi died in Lucknow in 1824. He said that he was told how worthwhile is love but wondered in which place is it so, where is it so. The poet wailed that every day he was abused by the beloved, destroyed in her presence in different ways. Was this love?

“‘log kahte hain mohabbat mein asar hota hai kaun se shahr mein hota hai kidhar hota hai uus ke kooche mein hai nit surat-e-bedad nai qatl har khasta ba-andaz-e-digar hota hai…’”

In a ghazal or a song of love Khawaja Haidar Ali ‘Atish’ who died in1847 had pleaded that it was alright to tear down the temple and to demolish the mosque but never to break the heart which is the home of the beloved. “‘buth ḳhaana todiye masjid ko dhaiye dil ko na todiye ye ḳhuda ka maqam hai…,’” he wrote.

The mischievous Insha Allah Khan had died in 1817. He had questioned what sleep was for the intoxicated? There was no pillow but a brick of the tavern had cushioned the head. Every traveller would leave a piece of his heart at the tavern.

The have-nots looked for comfort of a pillow from poets whose only pillow was their vision. The visionary does not find comfort on a pillow of velvet however the beautiful fairy is deserving of a pillow made from the wings of angels.

“‘Neend maston ko kahan aur kidhar ka takiya ḳhisht-e-ḳhum-ḳhana hai yaan apne to sar ka takiya laḳht-e-dil aa ke musafir se thaharte hain yahan chashm hai humse gadaon ki guzar ka takiya… jis taraf aankh utha dekhiye ho jaaye asar hum to rakhte hain faqat apni nazar ka takiya… chain hargiz nahiin maḳhmal ke uus takiye paruus pari ke liye ho huur ke par ka takiya…’”

Sanatkada’s Festival Of Love

Ashiqana, or love in its many splendored forms is the theme of this year’s prestigious Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival (MSLF). For a decade and a half the MSLF has been curated with love but this year the city will try to decode the very elusive essence of this emotion.

Is love a riddle, a passion, a way of life or a waste of time? Love has inspired great works of art. It has moved mountains, demolished kingdoms but it seems to be beyond definition.

This year the festival has invited a creative group of people to express love in its universal and personal form through their respective art. For what is Lucknow if not a way of life built on love and the longing of most citizens to live together not in conflict but in appreciation of each other.

For even in the midst of strong winds the powerful lamp of love tirelessly spread its triumphant light around the world, “‘na haaraa hai ishq aur na duniya thaki hai diya jal raha hai hawa chal rahi hai…’”

The MSLF is held annually, in memory of the late Indira Mahindra who brought people from different walks of life together in celebration of the different cultural practices of the country. Indira Mahindra’s life continues to inspire the core value of the festival which remains to live, and let live. The MSLF opens this year on February 2 and will continue to enthral till February 6.