Shreya Ghoshal and Lata Mangeshkar's Marsiyakhwani

Shreya Engrossed in Rendering Marsiya in Black Attire

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Shreya Ghoshal, the most popular Indian playback singer, has completed a task by reciting a marsiya written on Hazrat Zainab. Decades ago, Lata Mangeshkar, the melody queen of India, had lent her voice to a marsiya written by Mir Anees  about the departure of Hazrat Imam Hussain towards battle field at Karbala. The recipient of India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, Lata Sahiba had recited marsiya in a voice choked with pain and emotion. Inspired by the sublime sacrifice of Imam Hussain, she literally sang her heart out to let the listeners know and listeners realize how the grandson of the holy Prophet was helpless after sacrificing everything for the sake of Islam. Even today, a devotee breaks down the moment he listens Lata Sahiba’s voice rendering the following lines of great Mir Anees -

“Hussain jab ke chale baad-i-dopahar ran ko

Na tha koi jo thamay rakaab-i-tausan ko

 Sakeena jhaad rahin thi abaa ke daaman ko

Hussain chupke khade the jhukaye gardan ko

 Na aasraa tha koiShah-e-Karbalaai ko

Faqat behen ne kiya tha sawaar bhai ko”



After Lata Sahiba, no other female playback singer lent her voice to any other marsiya. It was a sort of vacuum from the point of view of Karbala revolution. An admirer of Imam Hussain knows if Imam Hussain was martyr of Karbala , his sister Hazrat Zainab was messenger of  revolution. It was Hazrat Zainab who did not allow Ummayad regime to suppress the tragedy of Karbala. Despite pitted against heavy odds, Hazrat Zainab not only saved the ailing son of her brother, consoled the survivors but also delivered sermons in Kufa and Damascus fearlessly to expose the lies being spread by Yazid and his supporters about Imam Hussain and progeny of the Holy Prophet. It was she who mourned the death of martyrs by holding a Majlis in Damascus after release from prison. The tradition started by her has assumed global proportions and Azadari rituals are observed across the world.

She loved her brother unconditionally. She would have died after killing of her brother. She  survived the tragedy  just to propagate message of her brother and expose falsehood in the name of Islam. She was brave daughter of Allah’s Lion Hazrat Ali and also spoke like him. Imam Hussain and Hazrat Zainab were unforgettable twins of Karbala. It was always felt that like Lata’s marsiya about Imam Hussain, similar tribute should be paid to Hazrat Zainab. This task was completed by Shreya Ghoshal   recently when she recited a marsiya depicting scene of ‘Shaam-e-Ghareeban’ (Evening mourned for the atrocities committed by Yazidi commanders after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his companions).Like her illustrious predecessor, Shreya too focused on the emotions while lending her voice. Her voice leaves the listener spellbound and propels him to shed tears on the plight of Hazrat Zainab and removal of carpet from under the ailing body of Imam Sajjad. She has aptly portrayed the scene of Shaam-e-Ghareeban and her voice catches attention when she begins :

“masnad luti jo shahe falak ke bargaah ki
haatho se dil ko tham ke zainab ne aah ki
ul tha kaha chhipe nahi jaahe panah ki
fariyad hain, duhayi hai sher e alah ki
aaka tumhari ahal e haram lute jaate hai
yaa sher e haq bachav ke hum lute jaate hai”

By her effort, she has completed what was unfinished for years. Shreya is a worthy successor of Lata Sahiba. Born on March 12, 1984, Shreya has achieved a lot in a span of short time. Since marsiya for Imam Hussain was rendered by Lata Sahiba, the destiny took its own time to select Shreya for elegiac tribute to Hazrat Zainab. Those acquainted with Azadari knows very well that it is Bibi Fatima, mother of Imam Hussain and Hazrat Zainab, who decides who would recall martyrdom of her son and pay tribute to martyrs and survivors of Karbala. Hussain is martyr of humanity and he is above caste, creed and religion. He is held in esteem by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. For centuries, non-Muslims have remembered and mourned his martyrdom through Poetry, Prose , Soz, Salams and Nauhas. Shreya deserves praise for keeping the tradition alive. Bibi Fatima has blessed her as well, for she herself has stated that the marsiya has given her amazing popularity all over the world.9references available on request. Photo courtesy Google Images)