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Bhopali: the poet who breathed life into Urdu during the dictatorship

By Zar Nageen

KARACHI: Poets and literary figures, from across the Atlantic and within the country, condoled the death of acclaimed Urdu language poet Mohsin Bhopali. They credited him with breathing life into Urdu poetry at a stage when the 80s dictatorship had almost suffocated it.

Rehan Azmi, a famous poet in his own right in South Asia, expressed his deepest sympathies over the death. Azmi, who now lives in America, said: “Mohsin’s name is listed with those great people who kept history at the centre of their work. His art had such an impact that people used his lines in their everyday conversations.”

Azmi added that Bhopali was a critic, not critical. “He used to encourage youngsters. His students used to follow the same format he used. Literature has definitely lost a great treasure with his death.”

Azmi lamented that poets and authors are seldom bestowed awards and trophies when they are alive. “It’s ironic that the government only finds the time to remember people such as Bhopali after their death. They even end up naming roads and awards after them. Why can’t they recognize their services when they are here?” he said.

An extremely frail Raghib Muradabadi uttered a few but unforgettable words in his friend’s memory. “I knew Mohsin from the time when he had migrated to Pakistan. This was almost 50 years ago. He attended every poetry event and was one of the most prolific writers I knew. He had been ill for a long time but that never stopped him from working on more and more literary works,” he said.

Poet Fatima Hassan said Bhopali remained glued to his work till the very last day. “He is the only man I know whose Urdu works have entered common idiomatic language,” she said.

Saifur Rehman Grami of the Arts Council said Bhopali was an inspiration to the youth. “He played a huge role in promoting Urdu literature. Mushairas will not be the same without him,” he said.

Upcoming poet Sohail Ahmed said Bhopali was one of those special artists, who created a world of art for the common person. “Bhopali, unlike others, never made poetry his immediate source of income. During the 1980s when literature had taken a backseat, he stepped up and helped struggling poets. He found them magazines and tabloids and He was always in favour of changes in poetry-its style and diction,” he said.

Poet Rashid Noor said he had the honour of being one of Bhopali’s disciples. “Bhopali’s favourite style of poetry was the Haiku style. He was an expert in this technique and even made a big name through this art.”

Poet Zakia Ghazal described Bhopali as the nucleus of Pakistani literature. “He wrote on every issue, and always made it a point to participate in all the functions. I attended his funeral and saw the miserable state his wife was in. Bhopali never asked for help from anybody for his family. But now with him gone, I wonder what will happen to her?” she pointed out.

Poet Sarshad Siddiqui said he knew Bhopali from the beginning. “We started writing together and had even migrated together. He wrote a lot on migration and made it philosophical. Literature has lost a great friend with his death,” he said.

Satirical poet Manzar Ayubi said he also started his career along with Bhopali. “I met Bhopali in 1950 during a poetry recital. We became great friends from then onwards. He was a progressive poet and loved to vary his art form. The 50s, 60s and 70s were eras when critical gatherings used to take place where new age poets used to present their works and we used to critically analyse them. He was an extremely intelligent man and an expert on Haiku,” he said. “Bhopali started his career during a ghazal and took the literary world by storm with his work. ‘Shikas-e-shab’ was his first gathering when he made a name for himself. It was after this that people knew that a great poet was among them. His services cannot be matched nor forgotten for a long, long time.”

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