DID YOU KNOW ?

In the preserve of Urdu poetry, there is a poet who is dubbed by some people as ‘Mahtabi Shayar’. This poet was Andalib Shadani (1904-1969), whose poetry collection ‘Nishat-e-Rafta’ beams with words like ‘Maah’, ‘Chand’, ‘Maah-taab’, ‘Mehr’, and ‘Chandni’. Dr. Andalib Shadani was a professor of Urdu and Persian at Dhaka University, he was also a researcher and critic, but his poetry was all about love. At one time, his stories and poems were published under the pen-name ‘Prem Pujari’. He was a master at composing eloquent and impromptu couplets. Once he was to meet someone, and while waiting, it got too late, when the gentleman arrived, Andalib welcomed him with this couplet:



der lagii aane me.n tum ko shukr hai phir bhii aa.e to

aas ne dil kaa saath na chho.Daa vaise ham ghabraa.e to



After a long time, he composed an entire Ghazal on this rhyme and refrain, which became one of his most famous Ghazals.

He was also known for his conducting of Mushairas and did the task in his signature ad-lib style. When he went to Iran on behalf of the university, he continued composing extemporaneous Persian couplets in front of the local Iranian litterateurs, which, of course, well and truly surprised them.