MOTI LAL SAQI: POET, SCHOLAR , LEXICOGRAPHER AND ESSAYIST

MOTI LAL SAQI (1936-1999)

 

                                               

                              

                                       (Moti Lal Saqi)

 

Poet, writer, folklorist, researcher, lexicographer, essayist, dramatist, encyclopedist, a specialist in Kashmir's cultural and literary heritage, authority on the Valley's Rishi tradition, Moti Lal Saqi was born at Badiyar Bala, Srinagar. His father Pandit Madhsudan Razdan served in the police department during the Maharaja’s rule and was posted at Muzaffarabad for many years before 1947. Saqi spent his childhood, youth and a major part of his life in the village Mahnoor falling in the Budgam district. Saqi enriched Kashmiri language and literature in several ways and emerged as a major poet and critic in his youth.

Saqi was a multi-faced literary personality of the 20th century. Not before him was there a person of his stature and not after him shall there be one like him. A scholar of Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Sanskrit and English, Saqi has used his pen for every sphere of Kashmiri literature. Having started his life as a village-level worker in the Rural Development Department, Saqi joined the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages where he superannuated as a senior officer. Kuldeep Raina, who hails from village Rangar (the village of poet Abdul Ahad Azad) that falls in the vicinity of Mahanoor has this to say about Saqi:-

 

“My father also belonged to village Mahnoor and was married in a nearby village known as Rangar. Poet Abdul Ahad Azad belonged to Rangar village. My mother had no brother, so my father shifted from Mahnoor to Rangar, and we grew up in Rangar. My uncles used to live in Mahnoor only and that kept us closely tied with Mahnoor as we had ancestral property over there as well. Our family was very close to Saqi Sahib’s family. We looked upon Saqi Sahib as a fatherly figure. His eldest son, Vijay Saqi was my friend. He also had a literary bent of mind that was sharpened due to his father’s influence as well as his profession. Unfortunately, Vijay died in service a few years after Saqi Sahib’s death. He died young. I would also visit Saqi Sahib’s place. He spoke candidly about every issue brought to him for clarification. By habit, he always spoke in a higher pitch. I saw him always busy with his books with no time to look around. His eyes had become puffy due to sleep deprivation. Generally, he would go to his office from Mahnoor on the same bus that we used to take for going to S P College, Srinagar. We would walk about 3 km from Rangar to Mahnoor and catch the Srinagar bus over there as no bus came to Rangar. He would usually take the front seat and remain busy with co-passengers over some issue concerning literature, politics, history or heritage of Kashmir. One Abdul Gani Mir and Abdul Rahim Rather were his intellectual friends. Both of them were from Budgam district. Abdul Rahim Rather became the finance minister in Dr Farooq Abdullah’s cabinet. People listened to him with rapt attention. You could ask him anything about Kashmir. I mean names of rivers, birds, fruits, springs, herbs, mountains, historical characters, Kings, Buddhist scholars and anything or everything. Every time I heard him, I would pick up two to three new words from our mother tongue. He had a huge library inside his Mahnoor house. Once he went to Mahnoor after 1990, he was shocked to see his books torn and scattered in his house. The sight made him sad. He was a walking encyclopedia of Knowledge and in Jammu, many persons researching subjects relating to Kashmir history, literature or heritage would throng his house. The exile was a great setback and shock to him.”

 Noted journalist Shyam Kaul writes this:-

 “A simple villager, who never shed off his pastoral homeliness, humility and open-heartedness, who never allowed even a grain of false ego to enter his head, despite recognition, both at state and national levels, and who always lived the lily of an honest and eager learner till his last breath. That was Saqi - ever lively, ever communicative, and ever cheerful. When I think of Saqi the words of the great French philosopher Voltaire, come to my mind. He had said, "Not to be occupied, and not to exist, amount to the same thing". Saqi kept himself perennially occupied with finer pursuits in life. Put your finger anywhere on the literary and cultural canvas of Kashmir, and you will find Saqi's name there, as a contributor, a researcher, an elucidator, a commentator or a scholar. All that kept him occupied were his creative endeavours and his pen seemed to reach everywhere. In these days of pin-pointed specialization, one hardly finds any equal to this man of multifarious brilliance.”

 Moti Lal Saqi was a lexicographer as well, having worked as an editor of the Kashmiri-Kashmiri and Urdu-Kashmiri dictionaries brought out by the J&K Cultural Academy under the Chief Editorship of Prof. S. K. Toshkahani. He also edited the three volumes of the Kashmiri Encyclopedia published by the Academy, showing his great acumen as a researcher.

 Saqi had earned innumerable friends in the Kashmir valley most of who came from creative fields like theatre, music and poets. Some were senior to him while many were of his age. He was grieved at the sudden demise of his close friend Padam-Shri Som Nath Sadhu, a noted broadcaster from Kashmir. Sadhu was a playwright and man of profound literary interests. On Som Nath Sadhu’s death, Saqi wrote a poetic tribute as under: -

 

"Pot nazraai dizihe

Tael taari ba vuchh-hai sarva qadas,

Modh maachh so soorat chaen ba rachh-hai chashman manz,

Vachha aanas thaav-hai khaal khanith,

Khabaraai ma thaavith kokun draakh,

Vaeni aasi adaarai maanz athan,

Daya-batah khyath vati ma treish lagi,

Satraath chha karnaai vaapas pheir,

Safaras neran vaali tse pruchhnaai draakh

Ta assi chhuna oush thahraan

Aess Parchhen gaamit

Assi breant gatchhan.” .........(Moti Lal Saqi)

 

(Why?

Why didn't you look back even once?

O, traveller!

I would have secretly cast a glance at your tall frame,

A cypress tree that you looked like.

That sweet face,

That pleasant demeanour,

I would have brought into my eyes

And shut them up.

In the mirror of my heart,

I would have engraved your portraiture,

But you never talked about

The destination that you headed for.

O, traveller!

The henna in your hands must not have dried yet,

Lest you feel thirst from the celestial food that you had just now,

O, traveller! Do you feel it?

The night of the union remains incomplete,

O, traveller! Turn back,

O, traveller! Return.

Never did you inform before parting,

Never does the trickle of my tears stop now,

You rendered me lonely,

I keep looking for you

In many faces around.

In the faces that look like you,

O, traveller! )

 

PASTORAL SIMPLICITY IN SAQI’S POETRY

 Pastoral poetry is known for exploring the relationship between humans and nature, and for romanticizing the ideals of a simple country life. The enduring popularity of the pastoral form of poetry suggests a wide resonance with these ideals.

 

Ropal kohan kalas taaj

Karaan yaari Panun Raaj

Raesseull *Vehakh Turun *Maagh

Natchaan Vigienni Gyavaan Raag

“Panun Bagh Matchhueil Bagh

Hutyein Boneiyee Yeityein Naag

Panun Bagh Matchhueil Bagh”…(Moti Lal Saqi)

 

(Snow clad silvery peaks,

Like crowns on mountain heads.

And over these mountains,

Pine trees holding their own Kingdom.

A pleasurable Vaisakha!

A cold Maagha!

Fairies dancing singing Raagas,

That is my garden, My love-filled garden.

Endowed with Chinars Trees and springs,

That is my garden, My love-filled garden.)

(*Vehak is the month of Vaisakh. It is springtime or Bahaar in Kashmir. Maagh is the winter month of Magha. It is cold and snowy time in Kashmir.)

 

 “Koa't gatchhakh subhayee vaeni nai gaash Phol,

Naaga joyee pyath voth na vaeni sandhyai Kaanh,

Masheidi mehraabas andher katijen nendhir,

Dhaan dalas manz geil chha traavith zeeth lar,

Kuliy laenjen sosarai chhena vatharan gatchhaan,

Koa’t gatchhakh?”… (Moti Lal Saqi)

 

(Where shall you go so early? It is not a daybreak as yet.

None has yet come to perform *Sandhya with spring water,

Even the swallows are fast asleep inside the *Mehraab of the mosque,

In paddy fields, *little sparrows are still in deep slumber

Leaves of the tree branches have not turned restless as yet,

Where shall you go?)

 

 

LYRICAL ROMANTICISM

 Romantic poetry is a type of poetry that focuses on emotions, imagination, and sentiments. Romantic poems often value nature, individualism, and childhood, and can be written to inspire social change or appreciation of the natural world.  Romanticism in poetry can be defined as the development of individualism and an embrace of the natural world in poetic form. Love was a recurring theme in Romantic poetry, and it was often portrayed passionately and intensely. Many critics have written that Saqi wrote beautiful Romantic poems in Kashmiri that had modern sensibilities. His poem “Ganeemat Shaam e Gham Rozya na Roza “is one such example. Let us examine some excerpts from this poem.

 

“Bahaaruk waqt khoshvun jam aasun

Zsodahimi zooni hundh gotchh sham aasun

Shababik nagma gaeiss aasin neaten pyath

Me goss beyi bronthakani gulfaam aasun” …( Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(How good if in the spring season,

 On a bright moonlit night,

A glass of wine in my hands,

And then some youthful music is played

In my beloved’s company).

 

And

 “Khazir chhum dil panun prath manzilas kun

Amis chhena guel gandien kochh chhus na kenh deun

Yi gayi panas andher paanas ziyarat

Mangun yuss tagi tagaan nin vaalini neun.”…( Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(This mind is a traveller towards its destiny,

It has not to be begged or bribed,

Like a shrine within every individual,

this Ziyarat blesses only the seeker.)

 

NADIM’S INFLUENCE

 The modernism, diction and imagery of stalwart Kashmiri poet Dina Nath Nadim influenced and inspired Moti Lal Saqi in his youth. Despite being associated with the Communist Party of India and expressing Marxism in his poetic thought, Nadim remained an ardent believer cum admirer of the Indic civilization and the ancient cultural ethos of Kashmir. This is broadly where Saqi was profusely influenced by Nadim and his diction. However, Saqi devised his style by blending mysticism, romanticism and pastoral elegance in his poetry. Like Nadim, Saqi had also done a profound study of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita. Saqi went ahead and studied Buddhism as well.  About Nadim, Saqi writes this: -

 “Modern Kashmiri poet Dina Nath Nadim (1916-1988), regarded as the tallest of the tall, was the only epoch-making poet after Lal Ded. A firm believer in great human values, Nadim was a progressive poet and had hardly anything to do with mysticism. But metaphysical speculation brought him very near to the "Kainhna" of mystic poets and Sunya-Vada of Buddhism. Along with his vast studies which drew him very close to Sunya-Vada, the Kashmiri poetic tradition shaped and sharpened his way of thinking. “

 After a careful study of his poetic metaphors and symbols, one finds the insightful influence of Rishi culture of Kashmir and Indic civilization in his poetry. Lal Ded, Nund Ryosh (Sheikh Nur ud Din Walli), Laitaditya, Abhinavgupta and Zain Ul Abdin remained his icons. Buddhism was his unforgettable past. Mysticism and a profound search for the Ultimate Reality remained his passion. Like Nadim, Loneliness of Man also touched him. The Loneliness appearing in his poetry is also a disagreement with the dehumanizing process that this runaway technology seems to be imposing on mankind. This loneliness clears his path from many obstacles in his journey towards Mysticism and search for Ultimate Reality (Brahman). The restlessness of this search is also visible in his poetry. He also brings up the issues of crowded cities, rapid industrialization and pollution in his verses. Some verses to support this belief are as under: -

 

 “Chhu kus taamath bharaan rang kainaatas

Dohas gayi taapa phaet Ssehjaar raatas

Karam taem sundh chhu sheraan rang ta manzar

Rachhiv Shaamuk sakoon voshlun prabhaatas”..(Moti Lal Saqi)

 

 (Someone fills this universe with colours,

He makes the days so sunny and nights cool.

And His acts of kindness beautify these colours and scenes.

So, save this evening’s tranquillity

and dawn’s red blush.)

 

 

“Pazarik deevi daarav booz

Apazis gonda-hai sona dastaar”..(Moti Lal Saqi)

 

 (The truthful abode of the goddess too heard

That a golden headgear was ceremonially put on falsehood)

 

“Lukka arsaatus munz kunnzoann

Tse ti ma chhuyee myonuai hue haal

Mandinein Mongmas Raatuk sochh

Raatas dopmas zsonga zaal.”..(Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(Alone in crowds all over,

I believe you too share my ordeal.

At midday, I wish to be granted the night's relief,

And at night I ask for a lamp to be lit.)

 

“Posha baagan seidyov diesel Da’eh,

Lori dith kodd bahaar shaharan cha’en.”…(Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(This diesel smoke has entered our gardens now,

Thrashing it with sticks,

It drove away the spring season

 from our cities.)

 

“Paan sadaran petroluk vardan

Kati chheya chhapnas jaai gatchhakh kot” …(Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(The oceans are wearing inflammable apparel

Soaked in petrol,

Where is the place to hide?

Tell me where shall a man save himself ?)

 

“Myani gaaamuk ka’naai chhu vysiromut

Tota ti kor na sa taar shahran chyen”…(Moti Lal Saqi)

 

(The foundation of my village is under severe stress,

Your city is fast expanding to devour it.)

 

POET, LEXICOGRAPHER, RESEARCHER AND COMPILER

 From the lyrical romanticism of 'Modury Khwab' (Sweet Dreams), his first collection of poems, to the spiritual restlessness and an inward quest for higher values based on faith reflected in 'Mansar', for which he won the Sahitya Akademi award, and 'Mrigvan', Saqi underwent a significant change in his sensibility as a poet and established an idiom distinctly his own. Saqi's contribution as a literary critic is equally impressive, his monumental work on Sheikh Nur-ud-Din, popularly known as Nund Rishi, and the Sufi / Bhakti poets like Samad Mir and Parmanand remains unmatched to this day. As a folklorist, Saqi compiled five volumes of Kashmiri folk songs with a valuable introduction and annotation. He worked as an editor of the Kashmiri-Kashmiri and Urdu-Kashmiri dictionaries brought out by the J&K Cultural Academy and also edited the three volumes of the Kashmiri Encyclopedia published by the Academy. His last book, Aagar Neb, was regarding various aspects of Kashmiri culture. His numerous articles on Kashmiri literature, art and culture were published in several magazines and journals of the country.

 From the lyrical romanticism of 'Modury Khwab' (Sweet Dreams), his first collection of poems, to the spiritual restlessness and an inward quest for higher values based on faith reflected in 'Mansar', for which he won the Sahitya Academi award, and 'Mrigvan', Saqi underwent a significant change in his sensibility as a poet and established an idiom distinctly his own. The traumatic experience of uprootment from his native soil in 1990 found a poignant expression in many of his poems, his long poem 'Marsi' (Elergy) being a most disturbing document of the tragedy of the Pandits' displacement. His latest collection 'Niry Nagma' (Songs of the Green Meadows) shows his intense nostalgia for Kashmir and points to the torture of having to live in a forced exile away from the Valley's myriad charms and attractions.

As a researcher, Saqi travelled from village to village and collected works of many poets unknown hitherto. He is the first person who did serious work to segregate verses of Lal Ded and Nund Ryosh. According to him, not more than 70 to 80 verses (out of about 250 plus Vaaks attributed to her underuse presently) belong to Lal Ded. The rest appear to have been attributed to Lal Ded through ignorance. According to him, most of the Vaaks attributed to Lalleshwari neither carry her core message of Kashmir’s Shaiv–Darshana nor are these in the language of that period. Saqi’s well-known paper on ‘Buddhist Themes in Kashmiri Literature” opened new vistas for research and study. In this paper, Saqi writes:-

 “A remarkable figure of Kashmir was Guna Vermana, of the royal line, who in his early years, renounced his royal entitlements and took to the monastic way of life. He preached the message of Lord Buddha in Sri Lanka, Java and Sumatra and converted kings to Buddhism. After the completion of his mission, Gunavermana came back with a sweet gift to his people in the shape of the 'pagoda' style of architecture usually called the 'eastern Java type'. It is known in Kashmir Parihaspora, Risi and Charbam style. The 'Pagoda' type of architecture attained great popularity in Kashmir and the best structures of yore in Kashmir represent this type. In present-day Kashmir this type is still in vogue and considered sanctified buildings; all prominent shrines particularly those of Rishis, belong to this type. Though Kashmiris have made certain additions and alterations to this type (i.e. they have combined stupa and monastery in one structure) its basic form has not undergone any drastic change. The same old Chatteravali spire and square base remain to keep its original shape and form intact. New shrines of this type are built even in the present epoch. The shrine of Nund Rishi at Driyagama is a living specimen of it. Built only a few years back; it is being decorated now by the old canons. Wandering Buddhist monks of Kashmir were always on the move, as borne out by various sources of history. On the inauguration of Anuradhapura stupa in Sri Lanka, in the remote past, Kashmiri Buddhists constituted the second biggest contingent.”

 POETRY OF UNCERTAINTY AND FEAR CREATED BY TERRORISM IN HIS NATIVE LAND

 The armed insurgency also affected art and literature produced in Kashmir, especially from 1990 to 2000. Fear and helplessness are visible in the poems (written after 1990) of many leading poets of Kashmir. Rehman Rahi, Farooq Nazki, Radhey Nath Masarat, Rafiq Raaz and many leading poets have expressed it in their work. The death and destruction and the exile of his community from their homeland come painfully in many poems of Saqi written after 1990. Some verses could be listed as under: -

 

“Dandhan dhitchmitch chhe Khahran raam-hoonev

Kanhaai chhuna kaansi hundh saari chhe paanas

Khahan vehvaav tai taweez shoras

Kadav bara khwor khabar chha kyah chhu laanis

Mangav aahi ta guel vaeis pyan takatak

Kuni chhenna roozamitch venkyen chhapan-jaai

Khudavanda khudavanda raham kar”…( Moti Lal Saqi)

 

(The wolves have sharpened their teeth

Today, no one belongs to anyone,

Every person is alone and to himself,

The wind of fire sweeps our fields.

The gunpowder is hidden even in amulets,

God alone knows what waits for us we should step out

Should we raise our hands and seek welfare,

Fear, these hands may also fall to the ground.

Where is the place to hide now?

 Where to go now?

Mercy, O Lord

Mercy alone now.)

 

“Yimav hyok draayi tim mandori traavith

“Seytha gayi baala booji chhepi laeg zamaanas

Beghar sapdith zuvas bas raachhthaavikh

Vonuyi roodukh na aiesss kam aaess ko’t  vaet”…( Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(Those who could afford left to unknown lands

 Leaving their homes and hearths behind.

Some were wolfed by the mountains for no fault

As homeless, they could only protect their physical being,

Never did they understand,

Who they were

And where they had arrived?)

 

  SAQI AND THE POETRY OF EXILE

 Exile, a state of being forcibly separated from one's country or homeland, has been a recurring theme in poetry throughout history. This profound experience of longing for a lost home, nostalgia for familiar places, and the struggle to adapt to a foreign land has inspired poets to create powerful verses that capture the essence of exile.

Like all exiled Kashmiri Pandits, Saqi was deeply hurt when circumstances drove him out of Kashmir, the land of his ancestors. During his life, he had been a passionate lover of Kashmir and dedicated almost all his life to it through his creative work be it poetry, prose or enormous published research work on Sufi poets. Terrorism in the Kashmir valley resulted in bloodshed and destruction. He had also to leave the valley to save his life and honour leaving everything behind. Overwork had already taken its toll on his health and the exile deteriorated it fast as he could not live away from his beloved motherland. His poetry changed direction, and he started expressing his pain and anguish. His poetic collection 'Niry Nagma' (Songs of the Green Meadows) shows his intense nostalgia for Kashmir and points to the torture of having to live in a forced exile away from the Valley's myriad charms and attractions. Excerpts from three poems are enough to establish him as a poet in exile. His exile poems are overflowing with powerful emotions of an exile. The traumatic experience of uprootment from his native soil in 1990 found a poignant expression in many of his poems, his long poem 'Marsi' (elegy) being a most disturbing document of the tragedy of the Pandits' displacement. These poems can be compared with the poetry of Kurdish poets in exile especially Sherko Bekas, Kajal Ahmed, Choman Hardi, Nazand Begikhani and many more. In Saqi’s post-1990 poems, the reader comes across the adversities of deprivation, disgrace, and banishment explored Kashmir’s philosophical and religious traditions. Some select lines from these poems are as under:-      

     (1)   

  “Bub, Budya-Bub,Jadha-Budya-Bub, 

Saari yeti thanna peymit

 Yethi metchi shrepmiet

Khaah Khal timavai thaevmit sheerith

Kolla kajji timvaai  neela-vath cheerith

Nonn Kodd timavai ‘ Sharada Peeth '

Yath metchi munz Bengaashi amaanat

Yeti chhu Ali Joo yeim lalla-novus

 Az chha bhaiy meyi kalla thodh tulnas

Az chhus baeyi  az-vaai abhyaagath

Kaenn assi thov na parihaasporas

Martand pal nakha kam kam tulei

Harwanas kam athha palzeimit

Vyath baethi kaem kor taarakh zool

Chhakrith  Kaayi me paan teil dagh chham

Nari chham rajasthaan me taapas

Zang chham aassus manz rata hooneun

Vaeni chham sath dakhi chhum Dasgeer"……..( Moti Lal Saqi  from poem Dagh or Pain )

 

(My father.

My grandfather,

My great-grandfather,

All of them,

were born in this land

and sleep in the dust of this land only.

These fields,

This stock,

Tell the tale of their protective care.

These rivulets and streams,

Were born after they tore apart the rocks and the boulders.

This "Sharda Peeth” of ours,

They made known the world over.

 

In the soil over here,

Sleeps Bengashi,

My mother.

Ali Joo,

Who poured his affection upon me,

Also sleeps in the soil of this land.

Then tell me one thing,

Tell me why I fear to tread on this soil.

Tell me why am I afraid to raise my head?

Tell me why do I feel helpless?

Tell me why have I been rendered unlucky?

 

Didn’t we

lay the foundation of Parihaaspora,

Carry huge boulders on our shoulders

for the Martanda (Sun Temple),

Build Harwan’s ancient Buddhist monastery with our hands,

And illuminate River Vitasta’s banks on her birthday.

 Alas!

 Now, our body lies scattered,

Our arms face the heat of Rajasthan.

Our legs are held by bloodthirsty dogs in their jaws,

 Yet,

 To this day,

This abiding faith remains with us that

“Revered Dastgeer will stand by us. )

(2)

“Soora phyakh Sapadith ta Vethi manz baavizeum

Be wattan gatchhanuk dinam yena taana lookh.

Krooth raavun tyol ta yaadan hundh alaav

Kya phaban sekilis andher mastaana lookh“… (Moti Lal Saqi)

  

(After I turn to a handful of ash, consign me to River Vitasta

Let people ridicule me as an exile from my motherland.

Bitter is their lament of loss and with this uproar of memories around,

How shall these carefree people survive in these lifeless deserts?)

 (3)

 “Zaanh na ba karaai graav hataa vaava ratchha praar

Nerithh gayi Kam naava hataa vaava ratchha praar

Tiem myaen matchhil dost rassil yaad tarahdaar

Chhaa vaara kinna laeg daava hataa vaava ratchha praar

 Raavien ma kaansi aalmas manz bar ta panun braandh,

Gudhrun panun kas baava hataa vaava ratchha praar “....( Moti Lal Saqi )

 

(O breeze! Never shall I complain to you, Just wait a little more.

What makes you rush so fast? Just wait a little more.

Those loving friends and the varied delightful memories,

Are they well or have been sucked in by this hell fire,

Let me know, O breeze! Wait a little more.

Let none in this world lose his door and the front entrance,

Tell me to whom should I convey what befell me, O breeze! Wait a little more.)

 

(4)

 (My be we meet someday,

Put no question to me,

I too shall not put you any questions,

Preserve the brightness of your eyes,

Retain the smile on your lips,

Although, the poison of this alienation

 has seeped deep into my veins.)

(Poem ‘Letter ‘published in” Pangs of Exile “edited by Agnishekhar and Vijay Saqi )

 Remembering Moti Lal Saqi, poet Agnishekhar said this:-

 “I had very close relations with this towering personality from Kashmir. I believe none has done his type of original research work on Kashmir’s art, culture, literature, Sufi poetry, language and history. I would often visit his Lal Mandi, Srinagar office and sit in his affable company for hours interacting and learning from his encyclopedic mind. One could discuss anything about Kashmir with him. I have never seen him turning judgmental or not looking at both sides of the coin. Rarely would he discuss individuals and never subject any individual to personal criticism. From some reliable sources, I came to know that he spent many months working day and night and prepared a comprehensive encyclopedia of ancient and medieval sculpture of Kashmir. However, the fate of this work remains a mystery. Has it been consigned to some dustbin by the decision-makers in the Academy of Art Culture and Languages? I don’t know and can’t say with authenticity.The exile from his motherland had hit his soul. It had shattered many beliefs in him but never his deep commitment to humanity and human values. After being thrown out from his native Kashmir, Saqi and his family moved to Udhampur to live as exiles. I have been told by his son Vijay Saqi that his father would weep like a child at the sight of trucks and taxis carrying helpless and innocent Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu every day. If one reads him in English translation, he comes up as a tall poet comparable to any well-known poet in the world of literature. For this, his work needs to be translated and made known to the world at large. All the fundamental elements of Exile Poetry are visible in most of his post-1990 poems. You find longing, nostalgia, pain, alienation, rootlessness and loneliness starkly visible. Initially, he was also inspired by the Progressive Movement in literature, but he moved away from it and devised a path for himself that had elements of spiritualism and mysticism. I met him last in 1999 at Vijay Saqi’s residence in New Delhi. He was unwell but alert and full of life and sparkling positivity. He longed to return to his homeland and roots. He read some poems to me that made me pensive. He suffered a lot but had no personal animosity against anyone. Not even against his tormentors. Sadgati and Moksha to the noble soul Saqi. He deserved more than what he received for his contribution and work. I quote some lines from his Kashmiri poem, “When didn’t we drink the hemlock” in English translation: -

 

(Tell me, when we didn’t drink the hemlock,

We, whose destiny was to live with tears only,

The sword wounds also we kept receiving smilingly,

 While they kept sprinkling salt over them.

 River Vitasta kept flowing by our dwellings

Yet, our thirst remained unquenched.

 

Weren’t we like the lotus flower in the water pond?

But this heat and dust is our fate now.

Our history is nothing but a saga of untimely deaths,

Alas! Unstoppable remains this tragedy still.

 

If someone spoke in our favour,

We bowed even to his shadow.

And if anyone cursed us for no fault,

Without offending anyone,

We changed our path.

We bowed even to his shadow.

And if anyone cursed us for no fault,

Without offending anyone,

We changed our path.)……………….” 

 

 

                                                                 

    (Moti Lal Saqi with his wife  ...Photo. Virender Razdan son of the poet)

 Moti Lal Saqi's wife was a very kindhearted woman who belonged to a cultured family from Wagam, a village near Hushur in Budgam district. Her name was Parmeshori but she was known as Rani in her in-law's house after marriage. Saqi was attached to his mother Matekuj also known as Ded. Virender Razdan, son of Saqi informed this author that his father was initially a non-vegetarian but due to the influence of Laded and Nund Ryosh, he turned vegetarian. However, due to ill health and the insistence of his family, he was again non-vegetarian in the later part of his life. He had no specific food choice. Swami Nand Lal of Tikkar was the Guru of the parental family of Saqi’s wife. Swami Nand Lal had his Ashram in Hushur as well. Parmeshori was a religious lady under whose caring influence, agnostic Saqi became a follower of Swami Nand Lal and later Swami Mast Ram fondly known as Mast Bub. Swami Mast Ram was a direct disciple of Swami Nand Lal and used to live at his Ashram in Hushur. Swami Mast Ram was a Punjabi who spent his entire life in the Kashmir valley and later moved to Jammu in 1990. This is what well-known composer Pandit T K Jalali said about Saqi:-

 “I had a long association with him as a colleague. Post-1990. I composed a number of his poems/features for Radio / TV and benefited greatly from his scholarly knowledge. He was a moving encyclopedia and had a razor-sharp memory. He was associated with Arun Kaul in Kashmir File Productions as an advisor. We made several visits to Delhi together from Jammu for this purpose. Most of the creations featuring Ali Mardan Khan, Nund Reish, Lalded, Roop Bhawani, Azad, Habba Khatun and many more writers were based on his selection before recording them for Vyeth Televisions. A real great man.”

 THE RECOGNITION AND THE LAST DAYS

 For his enormous research work, poetic collections and books on Kashmiri literature, Saqi was honoured with the Padama-Shri Award in 1989. In 1981, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetic collection, “Mansar”.

 Moti Lal Saqi died on May 21, 1999, in New Delhi after a heart attack. Earlier in March he had undergone surgery for a heart ailment. The Government of J&K has named the Government Degree College, Hyderpora as Moti Lal Saqi Memorial Degree College. During his last days, Saqi had some premonitions about what was going to happen. He kept saying his immortal lines to one and all who came to see him,” Bhariv taaf halmas...Siri losvun chhus “or “Come, have some warmth before this sun finally sets down.” Let me close this write-up with a quatrain of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz:-

 

 “Hum khasta tanon se mohtasibo,

kya maal manaal ka poochhte ho

Jo umr se hum ne bhar paya

Sab saamne laaye detay hain,

Daaman mein hay musht-e-khake-jigar,

saagar mein hay khoon-e-hasrat-e-mai

Lo hum ne daaman jhaarr diya,

 Lo jaam ultaaye detay hain.)

 

(“We are the enfeebled,

What is there to ask about our assets O censors?

All that life has proffered us,

We are holding up for scrutiny:

In the hem of a handful of heart’s dust,

In the goblet the blood of yearning’s wine.

Look, here we empty our hem,

And here we upturn the wine glass.”)

 

 

  (Avtar Mota)

  FOOTNOTES

 

(1)

For this write-up, this author is indebted to Virender Razdan son of M L Saqi who provided some rare photographs and the sought-after information. The author is also indebted to Kuldeep Raina retired Senior Manager of Punjab National Bank who hails from Rangar, in Budgam district for his valuable inputs.

 (2)

 (Kashmir has six seasons, each two months in duration. These can be summed up as

 

Spring - From March 15 to May 15. Soant

Summer - From May 15 to July 15. Gresham

Rainy Season - From July 15 to Sept. 15. Vaharaat

Autumn - From Sept. 15 to Nov. 15. Harud

Winter - From Nov. 15 to Jan 15. Vandha

Ice Cold - From Jan. 15 to March 15. Shishur

  The calendar followed by Kashmiri Pandits has the following months

 Chaitra, Vaisakh, Jyeshtha, Ashadh, Shravan, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Marg, Paush, Magh, Falgun. In Kashmiri these months are known as …Tsitter, Vahek, Zeth, Haar, Shravun, Ba'drepeth, A'shid, Kartik, Monjhor, Poh, Maag, Fagun)

 (3)

 *Geil (Kashmiri word not exactly a sparrow) is a sparrow-like small black bird seen in paddy fields. It lays its eggs and builds its nest in these fields only. After the harvest, this bird flies away.

 *Sandhya is the daily religious ritual of Hindus performed at the time of two twilights or the opening and closing of the day. It is generally performed on river Banks or springs or any other source of fresh water or even inside their dwellings. Sandhya was a "Daily practice" with elderly Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir valley.

 *Mehrab is the decorative groove in the wall of a mosque, which marks the direction of the Qiblah. The traditional Mehrab is a common element of Islamic mosque architecture throughout the world. During the summer season, swallows would make Nests inside Mosques, Temples and residential Houses in Kashmir.

( This essay is a registered copyright material published in  Avtar Mota's  book, 'Kashmir; Men Matters And Memories'.   )

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