ISN'T GAZAL AN INADEQUATE FORMAT FOR POETIC OUTPOURINGS OF A FREE MIND?

                                          

                         ( Poet Akhtar ul Iman ) 

ISN'T  GAZAL AN INADEQUATE FORMAT FOR POETIC  OUTPOURINGS  OF A FREE MIND? 

"Ba qadr e shauq nahin zarf e tanganae Gazal

kuchh aur chaahiye vussat meray bayaan ke liye"

(Ghalib)

(In proportion to my fancy,the tight alleys of a Gazal are too narrow,

I need something more spacious for my expression.)

Once a  Matla or opening two lines have been written, the poet  has set the thematic and lyrical foundation for the Gazal and he has no choice but to express in the length, rhyme and meter set by Matla .  As a line provides only a short space for the expression of a poetic idea ,detailed and drawn out comparisons, in the manner of Homeric similes or Epic similes  are impossible in Gazal format. Matla is a poetic term used primarily in Persian literature to describe a couplet where the first line sets the rhyme scheme for the entire poem. 

Modern Urdu poets like Noon Meem Rashid, Akhtar ul Iman, Fahmida Riaz  and many more were not comfortable with Gazal format . Urdu poet  Josh Malihabadi also expressed limitations of  Gazal format for poetry . Even Miraji was not comfortable with Gazal format. Miraji wrote more than 360 Nazms and Geets but only about 16 Gazals.

Akhtar ul Iman never used Gazal format .He  felt that the  Gazal format  does not permit expression of original ideas and concept .He also believed that Ghalib had put an end to Gazal writing. He had brought it to its Zenith. I haven't come across any Gazal written by Akhtar ul Iman.

( Avtar Mota )

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