Hussaini Hindu Poet-Mathur Lakhnavi

Cover Page of Urdu Book Published on Mathur Lakhnavi  

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Mathur Lakhnavi ranks among the most popular Hindu Hussaini poets. He has escaped oblivion due to constant recital of his Nauhas and Salams by Anjumans in Muharram processions in Lucknow. Further, a group of enlightened Imamis have also kept him alive by constantly posting his popular ‘Ashaar’ (couplets) in praise of Ahle-Bait-e-Athar(Prophet and his pious progeny).The survival of his poetry related to tragedy of Karbala is not less than a miracle. Apart from Naats, Nauhas, Salams and Manqabats, Mathur had also composed Ghazals, Rubaiyats, Nazms and Qatats as well. He never made an attempt to get his elegiac poetry published. He preferred to go by the established tradition of Shora-e-Ahle-Bait (Poets who compose only for Prophet and his progeny).Such Shora-e-Karam(Respectable Poets) usually handover their Kalam(Composition) to Anjumans who write them on the pages of their ‘Bayaz’(note-Book) and recite them in Muharram processions, after majalis or in Shabbedaris. He himself wrote his Kalam in his own note-books. When he fell ill in 1992, Mathur desired to get his non-elegiac work published. A few days before his death on April 12, 2015, he gave his manuscripts to a publisher. His works ironically never saw the day of light nor the publisher returned his precious Kalam to his family. On the other hand, his elegiac poetry was published in 2008 in the form of a book titled “Mathur Lakhnavi-Hayat Aur Shairi’. Moreover, the effort to preserve his precious elegiac poetry was not taken by any Imami of Lucknow where Mathur had spent his whole life and where his work was appreciated for decades..            

A Kashmiri businessman-turned -scholar, Irfan Turabi earned the credit for publishing the first book on Mathur Lakhnavi. He spent years in tracking his elegiac poetry and collected his elegiac poetry with the support of late poet’s son Satish Kumar Mathur. Born in 1914, his real name was Vishwanath Prasad Mathur. Instead of choosing any other pen name, he preferred to retain Mathur as his ‘Takhallus’ so everyone comes to know about his devotion to Prophet and his family as a Hindu. His poetic journey began in 1931.He soon earned acclamation as his compositions attained tremendous popularity among the members of Imami community under the guidance of great Hussaini poet of his time Janab Fazal Naqvi. The following examples of his elegiac poetry bears testimony that Mathur had a natural love  for the family of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad and his Ahle-bait and he composed Nauhas on troubles of Imam Hussain due to his  heart felt instincts:

“Aankh mein unki jagah, dil mein makaa Shabbir ka 
Yeh zamee Shabbir ki, yeh aasmaa Shabbir ka
Jab se aaney ko kaha tha, Karbala se Hind mein
Ho gaya uss rozz se, Hindostaan Shabbir ka”

Translation:

“He occupies my eyes and my heart is house of Shabbir (Hussain)
World belongs to Shabbir & heavens too belongs to Shabbir
Since he desired to come to Hindustan from Karbala
From that day onwards, Hindustan is that of only Shabbir”

How beautifully, he has challenged anti-Ahle-Bait forces and proud to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussain is demonstrated by :  

“Kam jiski ziya'ay hoN woh tanveer nahin hoon 
Biddat se jo mitjaye woh tasveer nahin hoon 
Gham hai meri fitrat mein to gham karta hoon Mathur 
Hindu hoon magar dushman-e-Shabbir nahin hoon”

Translation:

“Nothing can diminish the light of candle I hold

Nor any innovation can destroy my Thinking 

My instinct propels me to mourn, so I mourn

I am Hindu but not enemy of Shabbir-The King” 

(References available on request and translation has been done by Blogger to the best of his abilities. As no picture of Mathur sahib could be find on the net or elsewhere. Hence, cover page of the book on him has been posted