Asrar ul Haq ‘Majaz’ (1911-1955) is often referred to as the Keats of Urdu letters for his lyrical expression, exquisite imagery and the romantic spirit that underlies his work. Majaz hails from a family of poets and litterateurs. Muztar Khairabadi, one of the great masters of Urdu poetry, was among his ancestors. His sister, Safiya was married to Jan Nisar Akhter, Javed Akhter’s father. Majaz did his B.A. at Aligarh Muslim Univ…ersity and became a popular poet at Aligarh–very early in his life. He endeared himself to students, masses and literati alike and became one of the front-ranking poets of the taraqqi pasand tahreek or Progressive Writers’ Movement. He wrote the taraana or anthem of the AMU—yeh mera chaman hai, mera chaman, maiN apne chaman ka bulbul huN. His nazms and Ghazals have enduring appeal and his awaara is ranked among the most popular nazms in Urdu. However, alcoholism took him rapidly down the path of self-destruction and he died a lonely death on the roof of a tavern on December 5, 1955. While Majaz’s talent was never in question, the fact remains that his genius did not quite find full expression, marred as his poetic career was, by alcoholism.
As a tribute to one of the finest poets in the Urdu tradition and as part of its Poetry Appreciation Series Lamakaan kicks off Majaaz’s centenary celebrations through a lecture-presentation by Dr. Fakhre Alam, Assistant Professor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (Lucknow Campus) on Sunday, January 9.
Lamakaan presents Sangeeta Natak Academy Award Winner Prahlad Singh Tipanya’s Musical Interpretation of Kabir
The Celebrated Kabir Project Comes to Hyderabad
At Lamakaan, Road No. 1 Banjara Hills on Friday Jan 7th 2010 at 7 30 PM
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Lamakaan is proud to present the songs of Kabir rendered in the mellifluous voice of Prahlad Singh Tipanya and group on Friday January 7th at 7 30 PM. Tipanyaji’s first ever Hyderabad concert also marks the beginning of a year long effort to bring the Kabir Project (http://www.kabirproject.org/) to Hyderabad.
Prahlad Singh Tipanya is a rural school teacher from the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, who began singing in the late 1970s after being attracted by the sound of the folk tambura. His rare talent, passion, and insight have caused him to be increasingly recognized as a remarkable exponent of Kabir’s music and meanings. Among many other honors, he received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2008.
Many believe that in the historic struggle in India between secular syncretic traditions and communal forces, it is people like Tipanya who form the most important place. His concerts in rural India are attended by thousands who ar drawn to the radical message of Kabir through his rendition of the tradition.
Tipanyi is not merely a singer but a radical interpreter of Kabir and the Sufi/Bhakto tradition. While his amazing rendition of Kabir bhajans are captivating in themselves, his greater strength is his capacity to bring forth the radical nature of Kabir’s message that has been part of the Indian tradition for six centuries now. Come enjoy the songs of Kabir at Lamakaan. Attached are also two of Tipanya’s renditions of Kabir as a brief teaser for your listening pleasure.
This is ‘Andaaz-e-bayaaN aur’
Selected Readings from Mirza Ghalib
Ghalib-e-naamavaram naam-o-nishaanam mapurs
(I am the renowned Ghalib; ask no more)
Mirza Ghalib (1797-1859) is widely acknowledged to be the greatest and the most influential Urdu poet. Ghalib, who wrote in Persian and Urdu expanded the scope of the conventional Urdu Ghazal, lending a new dimension to the form of the classical Ghazal. His complex style, unorthodox views and approaches, and the multi-layered connotations of his verse have inspired a host of commentaries and interpretative texts by some of the most reputed poets and men of letters in Urdu. It can safely be stated that no major poet in Urdu has remained untouched by Ghalib’s pervasive influence.
Mirza Ghalib’s birth anniversary falls on December 27 and as a humble tribute to the great master, Lamakaan proposes to host an evening that would showcase selected pieces from his work—Ghazals and a few of his celebrated letters.
Venue: Lamakaan
Date and time: Saturday, December 18, 2010, 6.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
On 14th November at 6:30pm, the book ‘The Story that Must Not be Told’ by Kavery Nambisan is going to be launched at Lamakaan.
Kavery Nambisan is from Coorg district of Karnataka. She graduated from St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and did her surgical training and FRCS in England. Since then she has devoted most of her working life to practice in rural Indian and has worked as a surgeon in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. She is now surgeon and medical adviser to Tata Coffee Limited.
Kavery Nambisan is the author of several children’s books and four novels. She is married to journalist and poet Vijay Nambisan. http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/Authors/Kavery_Nambisan.aspx
Sridala Swami, poet and writer, will be in conversation with Kavery Nambisan.
The program is free and open to all.
On Saturday September 4th at Lamakaan, we have book reading of The Mythologist: A Novel by the author Vamsee Juluru.
It shall be followed by a conversation with Vijay Marur. About the author: Vamsee Juluri is a Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of three books, Becoming a Global Audience (Orient Longman), The Mythologist (Penguin), and the Ideals of Indian Cinema (Penguin, forthcoming). His writing has been published in numerous journals and newspapers around the world, and he is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.
Find more about the book and the Author at http://www.themythologist.com/
Riding the Tiger – Leadership through Learning in Turbulent times.
Leadership and the ability to influence change can convert turbulence into an opportunity for success. Though most leadership books are written from the viewpoint of lessons on the path to great success, Riding the Tiger provides a rare opportunity to learn from a catastrophic event that shook the foundation of a thriving global organization. This discussion will take you through a specific, step-by-step approach to take that tiger by the tail and benefit from the challenges of leading during chaotic times. These experiences and techniques are universally applicable wherever people in an organization are facing turbulence-whether caused by the global recession, rapid growth, mergers and acquisitions, internal corruption, or any other changes.
During the event, the co-authors of the book Priscilla Nelson & Ed Cohen will share the key learnings from the book.
Agenda:
6:00– 6:30 pm Fellowship
6:30 – 7:30 pm Presentation
7:30- 7:40 pm Chai Break
7:40 – 7:55 pm Discussions and Q & A
7:55 – 8:00 pm Authors’ signing of books
Poetry Appreciation Meetup
Discussion of the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
starting at 7pm in Lamakaan on Friday, 25th June 2010
Dr. Fakhre Alam Azmi of Dept of Urdu, MANUU, Lucknow Campus will be the moderator
Entry for this event is free
