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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