Baalaan kale karte karte, mooh bhi kaala ho gaya
bachche dekh ko darte jaaraen, nai bole to sunte nai
charbi chaat ko duble dikhne, ek hafte se diet po hain
Chalte-phirte dhakliyaan khaaraen, nai bole to sunte nai
‘Dakhni' shayari has found a new home today -- the cyberworld. Gen-next might not be attending ‘mushairas' but it is active online, posting comments on comic takes by Hyderabadi poets and joining the e-fan clubs. Facebook, Yahoo Groups, blogs and now YouTube are abuzz with information on the poets from the twin cities such as Suleiman Khateeb, Ali Saheb Miyan, ‘Bedhadak' Hyderabadi, Ghouse Mohiuddin Ahmed ‘Khamakha', Mustafa Baig and Mujtaba Hussain, writing parodies in the ‘Dakhni' tang.
Pleasant surprise
A popular video that has been doing rounds on YouTube is “Nai Bole to Sunte Nai” that finds Ghouse ‘Khamakha' presenting his rib-tickling poem at a ‘kavi sammelan'. This online applause comes as a pleasant surprise for the 82-year-old poet who been associated with the likes of Naushad, Dilip Kumar and Ravindra Jain. ‘Khamakha' has presented his works in front of packed audiences in Australia, Canada, the US and even China.
“I am not aware of my YouTube video though it's a good thing for ‘Dakhni' poetry. Inspirations for my works range from political discussions and observations of trends happening around,” says ‘Khamakha'. His works inspired a MANUU student to do an M. Phil on his poetry, while a poet from Nizamabad has chosen ‘Khamakha' as the topic for his Ph.D thesis! “I have been an avid viewer of ‘Dakhni' poetry on YouTube. You find volumes of good poetry online,” says Ahmer, an MBA graduate.
Regional films
One of the reasons for the continuing impact of the language once patronised by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah on the new age audience is probably the English-meets-Dakhni style in current works. Also, sombre satirical takes have mellowed down to spoofs on daily life.
Of late regional films have incorporated ‘Dakhni' poetry in their productions. “You can find the ‘Dakhni' song ‘One by two peetay hain chai' in the film ‘Hungama in Dubai' which was well accepted,” says writer-actor Faheem-ul-Haq. “The genre of ‘Dakhni' poetry is not just about humour. It has great literary value. Today there are a few poets left who are known for ‘Dakhni shayari',” he adds. In times when there is meagre support for this unique style of poetry, social media definitely comes as a boon to popularise these valuable works.
