Daily Times

Hafeez Tahir, a mass media expert who spent his lifetime in television productions and is now teaching film and media to Punjab University students, is obsessed with his imaginary eighth colour of light. I recall his poetry book Aathwan Rang decades ago when he had joined PTV as programmes producer. This innovative name of the book and its contents must have been one of the reasons for his selection. Recently his Punjabi poetry book Mantar (Incantation) has been published by the University of Management & Technology Press with artistic cover design by Poonam Kashif and Sajjad Khalid. This book comprises Punjabi poetry and one of the poems is titled “Athwaan Sheesha” (eighth mirror) – Page 151. It says his home had an opening with eight squares out of which seven had different colour glasses but he had kept the eighth one reserved for the colour he desired to see. If he thought of his beloved then he could see the eyes of the beloved watching him from the eighth box.

Hafeez Tahir is intrepid in his actions. He says ‘Main Tei Ucha Ud Kei Rehna/Bhanvain Tut Jaan Mere Khamb’ (I desire to fly high even it means breaking of my wings) – Page 150. In the same Ghazal he says ‘Jo Vi Kehna, Keh Jaanan Waan/Pichon Bhanvain Jawaan Kanmb’ (I utter whatever I have in mind even if I shudder at the thought of doing so, later on) – Page 150. Dr Sughra Sadaf says that whatever a poet says in one’s mother tongue, it depicts his true feelings. That is what Tahir has expressed so well in his poetry. His true feelings are reflected in his mother tongue, Punjabi. In a ghazal, he says, “Ain Ishq Da Sajjan Pyara, Main Waan Tahir Ghum Da Ghain.” In this couplet the first alphabet of the words Ishq and Ghum are used artistically for love and sorrow respectively – Page 33. His poem ‘Nimmo Jhaani’ is bold in the sense that when he dared touch his beloved, he was perturbed. On the contrary his beloved was bold and she started laughing – Page 31. Tahir’s total earnings in life is a comb in his pocket with hair of the beloved, a photograph in his wallet that has impressions of his beloved’s eyelashes, music of her anklets, odour of her flowers, affirmation on her lips and finally a tear of the first day of parting – Page 27.This poem ‘Kul Kamai’ (total earning) is a simple and emotional expression of the poet. In the culture of the subcontinent metaphors of the birds have been used in love affairs delicately. In her submission ‘Birds: Metaphor of the Soul’ Maria-Àngels Roque from European Institute of the Mediterranean states ‘Both in Mediterranean and northern European cultures, birds are the messengers of gods; at a symbolic level, this gives them the capacity to predict, with their very presence, beneficial or harmful future events. Since antiquity, migrating birds have been seen as souls and, therefore, metamorphosis is one of the long-lasting cosmological paradigms in Mediterranean culture. Augural birds prevail both in the popular imaginary and in their condition as a source of inspiration for poets and writers from diverse cultural fields. Thus, both Christian and Muslim literary traditions are full of stories, legends and beliefs about birds as a metaphor of the human soul’. The famous story of Queen to-be Nurjehan setting free the pigeon from her hands captivated the heart of Mughal King Jehangir is a household story. Hafeez Tahir selects the metaphor of Tota (parrot) to say whatever he desires to say through him. He uses the colloquial proverb/expression ‘toteya mun moteya’ (parrot that captivates one’s heart) in his poem – Page 22. Hafeez tell the Tota not to go to that street again because bad people could entangle him. That street has a multicolour glass window with amazing colours. Beauty in the window makes one ‘out of mind’. It is better not to visit that lane to save oneself. The poem also knits the problems encountered on the way to the lane. The winding Para says ‘Pyar Karan Waale Da Othe Zalim Karan Sayapa/Laikhan Dei Vich Likh Dainde Nei Ohda Aklapa … Os Gali Na Ja’ (cruel enemies separate the lover from the beloved till he is left alone. So, one should not visit that lane!)

Hafeez Tahir emphasizes on his inner beauty. He says in the poem ‘Yousuf Saani’ (Yousuf the second) ‘Vaikhan Nu Main Bhanvain Koja Waan/Par Ais Dei Ander Jehra Sohna Munda/Risda Wasda Hasda Vei/Jei Apna O Roop Vikhawe/Sheher Diyan Saarian Sohnian Kuriyaan/Apnian Apnian Unglian Wadd Lain/Pharak Kei Marr Jaan’ – Page 105. Its rough translation is:

May be I am ugly to look at, But the beautiful lad that lives in this heart, Lives, flourishes and laughs, If he is to show his true self, All beautiful girls of the town, Shall bite their fingers, Die, fluttering!

Love is a strong point of Tahir’s poetry. It seems like the mantar of love has been cast on him and he remains in its spell that entices him to choose unique vocabulary for his poetry. He does not forget however the way of living, socio-political fibre of the environment he lives in. One has to read and enjoy 93 small and big poems and ghazals to judge the validity of this observation in the poetry book under review.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com