Cultural blackout of India by Taliban was very painful: Afghan poet

New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Afghan poet M Afsar Rahbeen, who touched a cord in the audience with his poignant verses in Urdu at the Jashn-e-Bahar Mushaira here, says he learnt the language by watching Indian films, TV and listening to All India Radio.

''India is irresistible for our people. Now that the Taliban are out, Indian music, films and TV serials and Indian magazines are back, much to our delight,'' Rahbeen told UNI.

The poet, who works with the Afghanistan Ministry of Information, says the cultural black out of India during the Taliban days was very painful for the people of his country as the two countries enjoy centuries old relations.

He said the destruction of Bamyan Buddha by the extremists was against the very ethos of the Afghanistan. It was an act which never got any approval by the people at large.

It was Rahbeen's love for this country which made him learn Urdu, ''whose deep affinity with the Persian or its Afghan version 'Dari' made the task a bit easy.'' 'By composing ghazals in Urdu, I feel I can reach out to the people of this country in a more fulfilling way,''he said.

In fact, the poignancy of his verses rendered at the Mushaira, which is one of the most celebrated cultural event of the capital, also left the people with a deeper realisation of the misery and devastation the Afghan people have suffered during the past 25 years of civil wars: ''Ai Zindagi Bata De Jeena Kahan Chipaya, Jeena Agar yahi Hai to Hamko Kya Dekhaya (O Destiny! tell me where have you hidden the thing called life, If what I am going through is life, then you have played the most cruel joke with me).

Talking about today's poetry of his own country, Rahbeen says most of it is 'ehtejaji shairi'(poetry of protest), naturally because of the social, political, economic and cultural crisis that the country has gone through.

''Poets like Wasif Bakhtari(living in the exile in USA), Latif Nazri, Saboor Siayasang and Khaleda Frogh have given expression to the situation in their poetry,'' says Rahbeen, adding ''ironically the last 25 years which have caused a lot mental agony to the people have seen a spurt in literary production.'' Rahbeen said taking part in the Mushaira, organised by the Jash-e-Bhara Trust headed by Kamna Prasad, was a very rewarding and pleasing experience for him. It was heartening to find Urdu poetry's appeal cutting across all sections of the Indian society.

Besides Rahbeen, poets from other countries, including Ahmad Faraz from Pakistan and Omar Salem Al Aidroos from Saudi Arabia, also participated in the Mushaira.

Faraz's Ghazal, '' Zindagi se yahi gilaa hai mujhe, Tu bahut der se milaa hai mujhe (I have found you too late in life, and that's my only grouse against my fate)'', left the audience thirsting for many more.

Nida Fazli's ghazal on Indo-Pak relations-- ''Yeh Kaate se nahi kat-te, yeh baate se nahi bat-te, Nadiyon ke paani ke saamne, aaree, kataaree kyaa( No one can cut through it, no one can disintegrate it, it is a massive wave which no one can now stop).

--also drew much applause.

Prominent among the other poets who recited their verses included Shahryar, Iqbal Ash'ar, S K Nizam and Saghar Khayyami, Azm Behzad etc.

The Mushaira is organised every year by the Jashn-e-Bhara Trust founded by cultural activist Kamna Prasad.

UNI