KASHMIRI HUMOUR POET :MAKHAN LAL KOUL 'MAHAV'

                                                                                       

KASHMIRI HUMOUR POET LATE MAKHAN LAL MAHAV

 Sometime around 1978 or 1979 (I am not sure) I accompanied some officials from the bank who wanted to meet Nand Lal Wattal the then Editor Daily Khidmat (Urdu Newspaper published from Srinagar). Khidmat had its office in a building that was very close to Hotel Pamposh near Jhelum Bund. It could be approached properly from Regal Cinema lane or from a small gate which opened on the Jhelum Bund walkway. We went by the Jhelum Bund gate. Sometimes you prefer to enter some building or house from emergency exit or backdoors. And that gives you a choice of avoiding queries from familiar faces and onlookers at the main entrance.

After leaving Nand Lal Wattal’s room, we came across Kashmiri humour poet Makhan Lal Mahav. He was walking with a bundle of English newspapers in his hand. He too worked for the Khidmat newspaper and would translate news / features from the national newspapers for publication in Khidmat. He was sharp and knew many languages that included Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and English. He would tell anecdotes of his association with Arya Samaj which had influenced him in his youth .His poetic satire was incisive and sharp. Nothing escaped his poetic scrutiny; not even Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

He was known to all of us as he used to come to the bank and entertain some select employees with his poetry. Sometimes , we  would go to his office room where he would welcome us   saying this:-

 “ Vala sa Avtar ji beh dama ta gatchh  faizyaab myani qalaam saet .Myani checki ma aayi ponsa .Chaay cheyiva. Kya booziv ,teiz kina naram”

 “ Come Avtar Ji sit for a moment and be benefited from my poetic largesse . Has the bank received the payment for my cheque under collection? What shall you listen? Light or spicy?”

 I always wanted to rush back to the office as some urgent official work was pending for my attention. He would always insist that we sit for sometime .He informed that he had written a long poem in the shape of a dialogue between two lovers. The male was bald and the female called him “Khareya”. At this, the male clarified his status that he was a bald not a ‘Khor’. And he said something like this:-

 "*Khaer gayee alagh ta alagh ha gav **traam nigaaro

Kharie ratha kashun ta traam chhuyee aaraam nigaaro

Traamas anaan chamak me vuchhuai teelvaari teel

Kharie kyah karieus ha rogan e badaam nigaaro ...”

(Makhan Lal Mahav )

 (“*Khaaer is one thing and baldness is another thing my love!

Khaer is bleeding and itching and baldness is a comfort love !

The bald shines even with oil taken from the kitchen oil pot.

What can expensive almond oil do to a person suffering from “khaer”?)

 

Another couplet that I heard from him reflects the sad state of poverty in Kashmiri households.  As far as I remember, the couplet goes as under:-

 “Ganaiyuss vozum hyath aayee ***Lakshmishori sien paav

Chhakie ras adein ta rozi adien sien falich graav”

( Makhan Lal Mahav )

 (Look! Lakshmishori has brought 250gms of mutton from the butcher on credit,

To some family member she shall now feed the gravy,

 While others shall complain that they were not given a piece of mutton.)

 His popular Kashmiri poem”The poet and his wife" goes as under …

 Poor poet’s wife says to her husband :-

 "Doob daas goyi ath shaayari ,

Kath chhukh kalam kaakud ratith

Vaai gom moklith kyah dimaai

Tse ta beyi shuren paantsan ranith

Chhukh haarsaatan paninenai

Sateen kuthis andhar bihith

Ghar baar chhuyi gomut mashith

Zan chheyi sharam khemitch kanith

Voth neir bazzar jal paahan

Dim tomula trekh daah baah anith”

 The poor poet retorts back:-

 “Kyah goyi demagaai doltham

Pur pur karith pur pur karith

Tschhuna-tham me akh zaaveul ta beyi

Aaveul khayala raavrith

Gham chhum seitha kith kaen hekeum

Beyi yuth khayaala vaen vuzith

Vine kath lajaai tomulitch fikir

Vine aaoy zan soruyi vothith

Voth gatchh dafa kath aayiham

Hala-kaer huniya hish banith

( Makhan Lal Mahav )

 

My simple English translation goes as under:-

 

The poor poet's wife says to her husband:-

 

("Hell with your poetry,

You simply waste ink and paper.

There are no food grains in the kitchen,

What shall I cook for you and your five children?

Ever Busy in your own world,

Come out of the room now.

Oblivious of your family responsibilities,

What has this poetry given you?

Feel ashamed of your deeds now.

Get up and go to the market

Buy me immediately 10 or 12 kg of rice.”)

 The poet retorts back:-

 ("What has happened to you?

You have disturbed the peace of my mind.

You foolish women!

You made me to lose an excellent idea for the poem.

Worried am I now,

How shall I recollect the same?

What the hell you remember rice at this moment?

Why you vomit when good ideas come to my mind.

Get lost. Don't ever come again

near me, you rabid bitch.”)

Media personality M K Raina Ratnakar had this to say:-

“Makhan Lal Mahav, a native of Dalhassayar was a regular visitor to me when I worked as Programme Officer in Radio Kashmir, Srinagar and so was Khazir Magribi. Though erotic poetry in Kashmiri was his forte, he otherwise also excelled in humorous and satirical poetry. Highly talented which Mr Mahav was and equally talented was Khazir Magribi also. Mr Mahav worked for “Khidmat” and Khazir Magribi would publish his daily probably by the name “Chataan ". Both excelled in humour and satire of such sort which very less poets of that time even attempted."

About Khazir Magribi, Dalip Kumar Koul (son of Makhan Lal Mahav) adds this:-

"Magribi Sahab was very simple and affectionate, never without a smile on his face. He never missed an opportunity to evoke humour and never excused even himself. One day he came to my home as he had to go somewhere with my dad. I came out and there he was with his characteristic mocking smile. “Mol katyu chhuy?"(Where is your father?) asked he. I replied that he was inside and his smile broadened, "gatsch vanus su vyoth mashter chhuy tsandaan." (Go and tell him that fat teacher wants to see you.) Trying to restrain my laughter I ran inside.”

Well known Journalist Zafar Meraj writes this:-

"I knew Mahav Sahib and used to see him almost daily while on way to Khidmat office. Those days there was no boundary wall between Khidmat office and Residency quarters where office of daily Aina with which I was working was located. He was senior to me and I made it a point to offer my respect whenever I would see him. We also had real good time when we both travelled to many Northern states along a press delegation. The tour was organised by I &B ministry. Ramesh Chander editor of Hind Samachar joined us from Jallandhar and he also relished Mahav Sahib's humorous poetry while travelling to Jaipur in train. One thing however I want to say that Mahav Sahib was not accorded the respect that was due to him as a poet and journalist. Even people from his own community did not treat him well and used to crack jokes on him. May Allah bless his soul?"

                                                                     

 ( Makhan lal Mahav Reciting his poem in a Mushaira . Stalwart Poet Dina Nath Naadim is on his right side )

Anybody who was somebody in the bureaucracy, media, politics and other professions knew him and listened to his poetry. Some took him to Ahdoo’s Hotel and relished his poetry with Kebabs and tea.  Sometimes he would be seen in the Coffee House and    Kailsh Cafeteria, Amirakadal .His friends and   admirers who enjoyed his humour poems bordering erotica   failed to see the shadows of want and need looming large in his personal life.  None came to his rescue on this front.

Some well wishers also advised him to stop writing poetry altogether and focus on serious work especially journalism .He was quite capable for that but circumstances forced him to remain complacent with his insufficient earnings from Khidmat newspaper .Sanjana Kaul daughter  of Makhan lal Mahav is a noted  Hindi writer . She lives in Delhi. Dalip Kumar Kaul son of Makhan Lal Mahav is also a noted writer and translator. He also lives in Delhi.

Poetry apart, Makhan Lal Mahav was sincere and honest to the core. He died as exile away from his native land.

 

(Avtar Mota)

 PS

1 *Khaer is a disease of hair scalp which manifests itself with red crusted swelling accompanied by itching and occasional bleeding .Khareya or Khor is used for the person who has this scalp disease ..Kharu is a common caste amongst Hindu and Muslims of Kashmir.

 2 ** Traam literally means copper. In Kashmiri language it is satirically used for baldness.

 3 ***Lakshmishori used to be a popular   name among the Kashmiri Pandit women.

 

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