CHAMAN LAL CHAMAN (1937-1999)
Many friends confuse him with late Chaman Lal Chaman, the London-based noted Panjabi poet, lyricist and radio broadcaster. The man who wrote the popular Panjabi song, saun da mahina, sung by Jagjit Singh in 1979. He was a different person. I am talking about the Kashmiri poet Chaman Lal Chaman.
“Guv yo-taamath zakhm bo’dd guend guend korum
Va’neiy dawa aassien na aassien bae’l saraab”…….. (Chaman Lal Chaman)
(I
remained careless about it,
till the wound turned incurable.
Now fetch me medicine or don’t fetch it,
It is all like a useless mirage in a desert.)
It was July 1990. A section of the population had
migrated out of the Kashmir valley. Jammu was chaotic and confused, with tales of suffering.
Loss of homes for people who had lived for thousands of years at a place they
had to abandon suddenly. Long queues for everything. Queue for getting yourself
registered as a sufferer. Queues for getting basic shelter. Queues to get
rations from government-controlled stores. Queues in the banks to get bank
accounts transferred from the Kashmir valley where normal banking had come to a halt.
Long waiting lists and queues for bank lockers.
One day suddenly Chaman Lal Chaman (1937-1999) also dropped in and desperately sought a locker for his family. He was posted in the Academy of Art, Culture And Languages Cultural (J&K) where he edited the Bi-monthly Kashmiri Sheeraza. Simple and serious person. We provided him with the much-needed locker and he was more than happy. Thereafter, he would visit the bank quite often and became quite friendly. I also visited his office once and found that he was a respected person who had earned the love and affection of one and all more specifically of his boss, Mohammad Yusuf Taing, the then Secretary of Jammu And Kashmir Army of Art Culture, and Languages. I had also seen Chaman Lal Chaman in Rainawari. His sister was married to a family residing at Karapora Khushki and his nephew was my friend. I have heard of him in some Mushairas also. The influence of Nadim's style and progressive diction was starkly visible in some of his Nazms. He was essentially a poet of Nazm. I have also seen translations of some of his poems in Punjabi and Hindi magazines in the country.
Apart from being a poet, Chaman also worked as a journalist with the Urdu daily Aftab published in Srinagar for about six years. He had also edited an anthology of patriotic songs,’ Yi chhu soan wattan’ apart from authoring AHWALNAAMA, the first biographical dictionary of Kashmiri writers published by Kashmir University in 1978.
R L Jowhar has this to say about Chaman Lal Chaman:-
“During his illness, myself, M L Saqi, J L Saroor, Arjun Dev Majboor, M L Kanwal and others went to see him at Bantalab and while talking, he expressed his shock that Bashir Akhtar (who had not come to see him till then but came afterwards) even after hearing about his illness did not come and said: “Athaa raeti raeti chhum hechhunovmut”. Bashir was his assistant for editing “Sheeraza Kashmiri”. Later, as soon as Bashir Akhtar visited him, all his grievances and complaints evaporated and he was normal. He was a very sensitive human being.”
M Y Taing former
Secretary of the Academy of Art Culture and Languages (J&K) has this to say:-
“Chaman Ji was born and brought up at *Purshyar( incorrect, see footnote ) locality of Habba Kadal in Srinagâr city; very close to the place where poet Dina Nath Nadim lived.At times, to me, his poetry appeared a pocket-size edition of Nadim. Like Nadim, he would also read his poems aloud. Inspite of all this, Chaman had a distinct style and content. He was the dearest colleague and affectionate friend. From the Academy, we retired together in Jammu. I could feel that in Jammu, he did not keep good health. He had recovered from tuberculosis in his childhood.
Long back, Chaman Ji was also
admitted to Drogjan Hospital for some time where he shared the ward with Dogri
poetess Padma Sachdev. Padma Ji and Chaman Ji would spend time together
discussing literature even in the hospital. Alas post post-retirement, this disease
revisited him. Whenever I would visit him during his last days, he would always
smile and encourage me to be positive. But as per Meer, “Ulti ho gayi sab
tadbeerein kuchh na dawa ne kaam kiya”.And one day, away from his Kashmir,
in the heat and dust of Jammu, he breathed his last.
He was neat and clean in his
habits and always well-dressed. He had a small mirror in his pocket and even in the office, he would comb his hair and be tidy in appearance.Chaman ji had no son .
A loving father of three daughters. All three are well-behaved, intelligent
and affectionate. Chaman Ji brought them up with great love and care. He wanted
to see them well settled. That was the principal aim of his life in later years
. These girls studied in some excellent universities and possibly all of them
are now well settled in the US."
(Source: Pages 11 to 17 Sheeraza Published by Cultural
Academy Chaman Lal Chaman number)
Chaman Lal Chaman rose on Kashmir’s literary scene possibly in 1954 as a young poet though his poems were published in Kashmir’s literary magazine ‘Kwong Posh’ in 1952. Some critics call him John Keats of Kashmiri poetry. But I believe Chaman was essentially a poet of Nazm and love was his core subject. His collection SHABNAM SHAAR won him the CULTURAL ACADEMY award in 1964. His poems are unique in style and content. I would make special mention of his poems like,’yemi saatan pheraan chhum’ ( when longing visits me ) , guma gayee parte’y ( when the perspiration dried up ), myon mohabbat kamyaab ( My love is victorious ) vatsch daer ( open window ) , me ma laajmich nazar and pehchaan etc. He belonged to the league of Modern Kashmiri poets who had set their eyes on contemporary realities of existence. His subjects also included the suffering of an Individual on account of lack of freedom of choice. He has also written many patriotic poems.
I quote some sample lines
from his poems :-
(1)
‘Dapiev
maikashan yuth na darwaaza phutran
Sadaa
bael chhu khaasein karaan myon saqi.’
(Tell this fact to the drinkers lest they break open these
doors,
My Saqi is just befooling them by tinkling empty cups)
(2)
‘Soan
wattan zaav saanien aashan
Mosoom
mosoom shueir ginda-baashein
Mokh
chhuss jorrmut saen aaesh Ggashan
Raa’tchh
daro kar raa’tchh
Raa’tchh
daro kar raa’tchh’
(Our Land! Born to our own
optimism,
Like a newly born baby’s
playfulness
And this land stands beautified
by our own vision.
O caretaker, guard it well.
O caretaker guard it well.)
(3)
‘Vaaryaah
kaaluch me chhana taemsinz khabar
Zan
chhu vaeraan myaani yemi seenuk mandhar
Gyavta
ya mata gyavtaa ha saazandharo
Gatsch me paanus kyuut seytha panunuyi matser.’
(Since long I do not know his
welfare and
As if this temple within me lies
desolate.
O composer! You may or may not
create music for me,
But listen, the music within my
being shall suffice my needs.)
(4)
‘Kyaah
khabar Yath marhalas buthi sapiedi kyah
Kaanh
zyaaviy chha’na ti’chh kathan thavi yuss vaqaar’
(Who knows what shall confront us after this halt?
Who can be relied upon?
Every spoken word has lost its grace.)
Chaman
was at his best in his mini poems. I quote sample mini poem forming a part
of his 6 mini poems written under one caption “Loktchi Nazma “ ( Mini Poems ).
‘Tse
zan chhukh az me zyaadai vala’na ivaan
Hanga
manga myaan driey karaan
Ba
lagaai balaai
Me
bakh-chhi zi
Me zan
heitchan kyaataam mushaq Yie’n.’
(Today, you appear to be
moving
more than needed closer and closer
to me,
For trifle issues too,
You now swear by me only,
Look! I swear I can’t
withstand all this,
Forgive me,
I am led to smell something now.)
While writing a Gazal in his mother tongue, Chaman was second to none. I quote :-
‘Me na sa chhuyi vaen paanas taamath
Yina sa yuth teuth zaanukh Kenh
.
Nata kuss gindihay jaanus
taamath
Yina sa yuth teuth zaanukh Kenh…
Sankhai teunglan heinz teh tchaapakh
Vanakhai nenglith haavai reh
Yim kathaa meyi mastaanas
taamath
Yina sa yuth teuth zaanukh kenh.’
(Things
have gone out of my control now,
Love!
Take me not by what I appear.
Who else would have played with his own life?
Love!
Take me not by what I appear.
Should
I delve deep?
I
can gulp down blaze of charcoal,
And
should you so desire,
I
can even Inhale the fiery flames too,
This
carefree being can do all these things,
Love!
Take me not by what I appear.)
( Jai Prakash Narayan , Chaman Lal Chaman , M Y Taing and Pran Kishore New Delhi 1978. )
( Chaman with M Y Taing and Dr Mulkh Raj Anand )
( Young Chaman Lal Chaman )
Chaman was greatly influenced by Modern Kashmiri poet Dina Nath Nadim's personality and poetry .When Nadim died, Chaman was in great grief. He would say, “Nadim saeb ouss akh tehzeeb ta akh inquilaab. Tas aaeis swargas manz saarie praaraan” “Nadim is the name of a culture and a revolution .Everyone must have been waiting for him in heaven” .He wrote a poem on this thought. In this poem, he conveys how other poets, saints and sages of Kashmir received Nadim in his new heavenly abode. I quote some lines from Chaman’s Kashmiri poem “Nadim Nazraana”. He has beautifully described Nadim’s arrival in heaven. I quote:-
“Lal Ded draayas buthhee
Mehmood (Mehmood Gaami) log gyaavanie
Arni (Arni Maal) zol isbandh ,
Habba khatooni prutschhnas maalien sheish
Rehman daaran boznov sheshrang,
Krishen Jooan log raas gindhun,
Seer e asraar vanith gonndnas shams saeban dastaar ,
Mehjooran prazanov ta rotun Naala-maeti
Doapnakh,
“Amiss chha akki doh assi sadaarat karien
Amiss aass lafzan haenz mohara valana yiwaan
Guftaareik aabshaar aasieus wuthan pyath gindhaan”
Sheikh ul aalman dolus buthhis athh
Paanus bronh kunn behanovun,
Prutchhnuss…
“Vethhi truvah chha tseng dazaan,
Burza pashan chha gulaal khasaan
Soanta shihlis chhaa suyi anhaar
Bonie vatharan chha Syui rang”
Nadim sapud nadim
Gumaa tchhataa feeriuss
Doapnakh
Yim kuel tohi vizi vizi ruviemaet aasiv
Tim chhi az ti Vodhanie
Vunilee manz raevmeit gaasa tuel. ”
(Lal Ded came forward to receive him,
Mehmood Gaami started singing,
Arnimaal put some Isbandh (rue seeds) in fire pot,
Habba Khatoon enquired about the welfare of her parental home,
Poet Rehman Dar recited Shesh-Rang for him,
Saint poet Krishen Joo Razdan played Raas Leela,
Sufi poet Shams Faquir conveyed SEER E ASRAAR and put a turban over his head,
Poet Mehjoor recognized him and held him in a tight embrace,
Said Mehjoor to all,
“He had to lead us one day,
Expressions remained intimately close to him,
Waterfalls of communication sprang down from his lips”
Nund Reshi (Shiekh ul Aalam) moved his pious hand over Nadim’s face,
Made him to sit in front and enquired
“Do people celebrate the birthday of river Vitasta by lighting lamps?
Do tulips still grow on birch and mud-roofed houses?
Does spring still visit with its pleasant grace?
Do Chinar trees still retain their elegant colour?”
Poet Nadim was now sweating.Turning to them,
He said,
“The trees that you planted are erect to this day also
But these trees now look like
blades of grass lost in dense fog.”
And one day we came to know that he is no more. He died after a brief illness. It was painful news. And later we Kashmiris forgot him altogether.
( Avtar Mota )
FOOTNOTES
(1)
Mr M Y Taing has mentioned the residence of Chaman Lal Chaman as Purshyar Habba Kadal in Sheeraza which is not correct. It should have been Sheshyar Habba Kadal. His real surname was Mazaari and he was a distant cousin of Mazari Brothers, booksellers, Budshaw Chowk and Habba Kadal.
(2)
This author has seen Abdul Gani Lone in a smart dress playing billiards inside Hotel Oberoi Palace, Srinagar. He was a minister at that time in the Congress-led government. Probably, he formed the People's Conference in 1978. And Som Nath Kandi remained his friend.
