Who doesn't dread the word ‘curfew'? It forces one to remain cooped up within the confines of the house for days together. But a free spirited man like Mirza Mustafa Ali Baig finds plenty in it to laugh at. The clampdown may have curbed his movements but not his spirit.
Sample the way this ‘mizahiya shayer' cocks a snook at the weird situation.
Mil rahi hai subko ek jaisi saza
Jail se jo bach gaya curfew mein hai
Spreading laughter
It befits a man to laugh at life than to lament over it. And there is nothing more sillier than laughing at silly matters. That's what Mr. Baig, Hyderabad's well-known Anglo-Urdu poet, has been doing. No oddity in life or idiosyncratic situation escapes his caustic humour. The poet in him visualises the travails of people caught in curfew.
Darde dil ki har dawa curfew mein hai
Aajkal Darulshifa curfew mein hai
Ek helicopter dilade aye Khuda
Unke ghar ka raasta curfew mein hai
Though he is afflicted with diabetes and a slip disc, Mr. Baig, however, is busy as ever taking pot-shots at the day to day happenings. On the current water scarcity facing the cty he writes:
Main ne poocha kya pilaogi
Unki aankhon main agaya paani
It is easy to connect to Mr. Baig's poetry as it is always alive to the current developments. In a funny and effective way he lays bare the truth. See how vividly he sums up in just two lines the rampant corruption in the country.
Loot loonga sari country five years main dekhna
Jab hukumat main meri bhi entry ho jayegi
Not just this. The increasing incidents of abduction of women also form part of his poetry. Reacting to a recent incident Mr. Baig says:
Ek hasina ko lonely pakar
Manchalon ne pakad liya isko
Phir suddenly woh chod kar bhage
Jab kaha usne AIDS hai mujhko
Making waves
For the last half century, Mr. Baig has been regaling Urdu lovers the world over. He has presented skits and humour poetry to packed audiences in the US, Canada and Gulf countries. Now he is making waves on YouTube. But he is saddened by the falling standards of humour poetry.
What makes him tick is the originality of humour coupled with his facial expressions and unique recital. The mix of English and Urdu words only adds to the appeal.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two persons. You can find out once by attending his mushaira.
