Friday 15 May 2015

Jarigans- Bengali Marsiyas




Dr. Mazhar Naqvi

Elegies on the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain have been written in numerous languages with Bengali no exception. These elegies however are known as Jarigan in Bengali literature. The word being a combination of Persian Zari and Bengali Gan( song).  In commemoration of the sufferings and subsequent martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain at Karbala, Jarigans are sung for the first ten days of Muharram. The origin of Jarigan can be traced back to the early 17th century when poets began composing elegies on the tragic stories of Karbala. One of the earliest recorded Jarigan is attributed to  Muhammad Khan's poem on Karbala titled Maktul Hussain (The Martyrdom of Hussain).It was written in 1645.Imami faith had reached Bengal via Persia. The Hooghly Imambara bears testimony to this fact. This Imambara was built near the Hooghly port where a large number of Persian merchants used to arrive. The Muslim rulers of Bengal were admirers of Imam Hussain and other martyrs of Karbala. Shah Shuja, the Mughal Governor of Bengal and son of Shah Jehan, also had a leaning towards Imami tendencies During his reign, Muharram was observed with regal grandeur. The independent Nawabs of Bengal turned Muharram as one of the biggest festivals of Bengal. In the initial stage, marsiya (elegy or dirge) used to be recited at mourning assemblies but Jarigan was later added under the local influence. The marsiya is a short lamenting poem while Jarigan describes tragic fate of Imam Hussain and members of his family at great detail and rendered more elaborately by a lead singer.( Bayati). The story of Imam Hussain and his brave band of followers evoked tremendous emotional appeal to all segments of people and made Jarigan much popular in Nawabi and colonial Bengal.
 A typical Jarigan is divided into three sections: a bandana (prologue), the body of the narration based on tragic episodes of Karbala and recited in payar-couplets interspersed with spoken prose passages, and finally a concluding couplet that marks the end of recital. Popular Jarigans include Kasem-Sakhinar Jari, Hasan Hussain, Ma Fatemar Jari.
The lead singer is supported by two to four dohars or assistants. The bayati chants part of the Jarigan narrative, moving around and swaying his body to the rhythm. The lead singers also use at times  musical instrument such as Dotyara,(two-stringed instrument), sarinda(one stringed instrument), violin, or Dugdugi (a mini drum-like instrument).History reveals that Muharram had become a transcommunal festival by 18th century in Bengal and it was observed by Imamis, Sunnis and Hindus alike. The use of musical instruments was mostly by Hindu followers of Imam and they even sang Jarigan accompanied by instruments like Dholak and Harmonium. They did so as their religion did not impose any restriction on the use of musical instruments.  

 In modern times, due to emergence of fanatic forces in Bengal, Jarigans are now being used for various other purposes. While in West Bengal, Muharram is being observed with traditional solemnity, the situation is quite different in Bangladesh. While the scale of Muharram observance has shrunk in Bangladesh, the use of Jarigans has also changed considerably. Jarigans are sung to persuade people to adopt family planning. The artists who used to perform Jarigans during Muharram are no longer doing so. It is unfortunate that Jarigans- once popularly used in Bengal as marsiya is on the brink of extinction and no efforts are underway to restore its lost glory.( references available on request). 

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