THREE KASHMIRI ADMIRERS OF POET EHSAN BIN DANISH.

            

THREE KASHMIRI  ADMIRERS   OF POET EHSAN BIN DANISH

                                          

                          ( Ehsan Bin Danish)

( Shyam Lal Bhat)

                    ( Dina Nath Nadim )

                             ( D P Dhar )

  

Ehsan Bin Danish (1914.1982) was also known as Shaayar e Mazdoor ( poet of labourers  ). He holds the unique position as one of the great  poets of all times, with fine, romantic and revolutionary, but simple style of poetry.He struggled very hard to earn his living. He worked as an ordinary labourer for years in odd jobs, finally becoming a poet of excellence. His autobiography, Jahan-e-Danish, is a classic and has inspired many people.Danish has written more than 80 books and hundreds of articles about and including poetry, prose, linguistics, philology, autobiographies and the famous interpretation of "Diwan-e-Ghalib". Much of his literary work is still unpublished.

Before  1947, three persons from Kashmir were  his friends and fond of his poetry . All the three had met him in person and continued to correspond with him for some time  even after 1947. The persons are,  politician DP Dhar,Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat and  poet Dina Nath Nadim. A sample  of poetry of Danish is as under:-

                        (1)

Ab kaho karwaan kidhar ko chale ...

Raaste kho gaye chirag jale ....

Ishq ġham ko ubuur kar na sakaa

Raaste karwaan  ke saath chale ....

Hum pe guzri hain hijr ki raatein 

hum jahannum mein  thay magar na jale...

(2)

Kahaan mehfil mein mujh tak

baada-e-gulfam aata hai 

Jo mera naam aata hai 

to khaali jaam aata hai ......

Zamaane mein nahin  

dil-daada-e-mehr-o-vafa koyi

 tujhe dhoka hai aey  dil

 kaun  kis ke kaam aata hai .....

Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat was not only a reputed Hakim but a philosopher and lover of Persian, Arabic and Urdu poetry. He was equally proficient in Sanskrit. He would quote Hafiz and Rumi frequently. He would also quote Ravish Siddiqi ,another well known Urdu poet. Hakim Shyam Lal had  profound knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy and astronomy. I believe he must have met Ehsan Bin Danish in Lahore, Punjab where he graduated  in Unani Medicine after his BA degree. He had studied Persian and Arabic in his BA. He was also known as Gaazi e Guftaar for his scholarly communication .While Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat could recite  any Shloka from Bhagwat Gita and make its meaning clear, he was also known as Qaari and Hafiz e Quran for his knowledge of the Holy Quran . He was a Bhakt of goddess Sharika and Shiva apart from a  follower of Khwaja Lassa Sahib of Nowhatta  and Saint Gopinath Ji of Habba Kadal. In fact  Hakim Sahaz Bhat was also visiting Khwaja Lassa Sahib . This roaming Darvesh had granted the title of Dast e Shifa to Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat.

Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat's brother Dr Niranjan Nath Bhat(  LMP Lahore ) has done exemplary service to Kashmiris during the Cholera outbreak of 1935. He was also a lover of literature . Possibly this taste has passed on to this illustrious family from Hakim Sahaz Kak Bhat ,who, apart from being a Hakim,  was also a Sanskrit and Persian Scholar . Along with Pandit Govind Kaul, Hakim Sahaz Kak  Bhat has translated many Sanskrit manuscripts for Aurel Stein .  Even Dr Raj Nath Bhat ( MRCP) and son of Hakim Shyam Lal Bhat who was an eminent   professor of Medicine  in J&K had scholarly interests in poetry. Philosophy ,astronomy and literature . One needs to read diary of Aurel Stein to know his praise for scholarship of Hakim Sahaz Kak Bhat .

 Not many people know that  D P Dhar (India’s ambassador to Moscow , The architect of Indo Soviet Treaty, Advisor to PM, Planning Minister Government of India and  Chairman Planning commission )  was also writing Urdu poetry using  pen name  "RAUNAQ".It was a happy chance for D P Dhar to come in close contact with a Faquir poet of mysterious origin known as   Aamil Darvesh. Aamil was a tall but lean  mystic  who lived in a wooden coffin on the bank of Dal lake in an orchard that belonged to one Girdhari Lal Bhan. And this Girdhari Lal Bhan was  DP’s maternal uncle. Many leading poets from india came to meet Aamil Darvesh and thereby DP Dhar also came into contact with Hafeez jalandhari, Ehsan-bin Daanish , Ravish Siddiqui, Sagar Nizami and Anwar Sabri. Aamil was DP's poetic Guru. A couplet written by DP Dhar " Raunaq " goes as under :-

"Bazm e Khoobaan se Mujhe Soo e Biyabaan le chali

Kis Qadhar Vehshat Talab Taseer iss ki Dekhnaa"

Quite often , Aamil Darvesh stayed at D P Dhar's residence .

( Avtar Mota)

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