Of late there has been a lot of mention of the obligations of the auto drivers on Urdu language and literature. Some people think that the popularity of Urdu is increasing because of writing Urdu couplets with great fondness on the autorickshaws. Whereever these rickshaws go, urdu also goes there.

Jab Tum Chalo Zabaan Chalay Aasmaan Chalay

[When you walk, Togue walks, Sky walks]

Urdu has now become so weak it can’t walk on its own but it boards the autorickshaw and certainly goes. If it is not the gratitude of the rickshaw drivers, what is it then that they carry Urdu in their autorickshaws but they don’t collect any fare from it, otherwise when do they carry anyone free of charge?. Govt. also does something for Urdu. Although it does not demand any fare but it does demand “Vote” from the Urdu speakers.

The list of those who do some service to Urdu language and literature continues to be longer. There is an obligation of film makers that they are using Urdu in their films. This can also be said about poets’ gatherings (Mushayera) that wherever such gatherings are held the usage of Urdu is getting popular. It is an obligation of the choristers (Qawwal) that through their programmes the popularity of Urdu is increasing. Those beggars are also the obligers who beg with the help of Urdu couplets. Now autorickshaw drivers have been added to the list of these obligers of these Urdu. Whether there is an increase in the number of Urdu speakers or not, the increase of number of obligers is a welcome gesture.

However, a gentleman differing from the services of the acutorickshaw drivers for Urdu said that it is a mistake to attribute the popularity of Urdu to autorickshaw drivers because many a time, they get such couplets written on their autorickshaws which are without head or tail. Such couplets are out of metre.

In response to this objection, I submit that the autorickshaw is such a conveyance that whether a person is in it or a couplet, it is bound go out of metre. Those who have the experience of sitting in an autorickshaw or those who are well versed with prosody, know this point very well that by sitting in this type of conveyance, the person automatically gets hard pressed. Many a time he falls out of the autorickshaw along with his weight. To me, this objection seems to be silly that the couplets written on autorickshaws don’t have head or tail and that most of the couplets have no meaning. Couplet is a couplet, to find out a head or tail in it is foolishness. And moreover, the kind of poetry that is being composed these days where is the head or tail in it that we expect the auto drivers to provide the scope for head or tail in their poetry.

It amounts to exceeding the limits. An then, we don’t see any meaning in modern poetry. When no objection is raised against the universally accepted poets why should we blame the autorickshaw drivers. The poetry of autorickshaw driver seems to me of the same status as the modern poetry, although these poor fellows are not the regular poets. It so happens sometimes that sometimes spelling mistake are committed by them. But with their spelling mistakes also, new meaning and new sense is generated. Long time back I had seen the couplet of Dr. Iqbal written on the auto rickshaw in this fashion.

Nahin Tera Nasheman Khusre Sultan Ki Gumbad Par

Tu Shaheen Hai Basera Kar Pahadoun Ki Chatonoun Mein

[Your abode is not on the tomb of your father-in-law

you are a falcon inhabit yourself in the rocks of the mountains]

Since the autorickshaw driver did not ‘Khasr-e-Sultani (Palace of the King) he wrote ‘Khusre-Sultani (abode of the father-in-law) by writing ‘Khur-e-Sultani’ and by not constructing his ‘nest’ in the house of his father-in-law, he has proved that he never likes to be the dependent son-in-law (ghar damaad) of any body. By change of spelling, a new meaning was generated in the couplet of Dr. Iqbal.

The writings on the autorickshaws sometime generate the opposite meanings. You might have seen “Blessing of mother written on many autorickshaws. The man is driving an autorickshaw and still thanks that he is driving the auto rickshaw because his mother’s blessing is included in it. Had his mother’s blessing really been included, why would he have driven the auto rickshaw. He would have become the leader of some party. Praise the feelings of his generosity and contentment that he considers even auto driving as the blessing of his mother. Auto driving should be considered as the curse of the father and not the blessing of mother. These days the blessing of mother is not so effective as the curse of father.

The autorickshaw drivers who get the words mother’s blessing written on their autorickshaws, we also consider them as the humour writers. Driving an auto rickshaw with such writings on the autorickshaw seems to be the deep cut of satire. We see very highly sophisticated couplets on some autorickshaws wherein there is a persuasion of protecting the moral values. On the other hand, we find some amorous and sinful couplets which arouse tumult in our passions unnecessarily. In fact, you see, life is the name of creating a balance between the extremism and modernity.

When the talk of Urdu poetry has been started, I recollected a rickshaw puller in whose rickshaw I used to sit very regularly. The rickshaw puller was a poet himself. When he came to know suddenly that I am associated with reading and writing, he recited a couplet to me. I like that couplet and I praised him. He then stopped the rickshaw and started saluting me in the manner in which a poet receives applause for his couplet. The distance I used to cover in three minutes was covered in half an hour because in response to my praise, he had to stop and get off the rickshaw every time and had to salute me. After this revelation, he used to be engaged in carrying me. Though he was a rickshaw puller but through the channel of literature, he became my friend. It was revealed that he used to compose couplets regularly. When his family members told him to do any other noble work besides composing poetry, then he started driving a rickshaw.

If considered, he was thousand times better than those poets who compose only poetic couplets and do nothing else. If composing poetry is considered as dong some work.

One day, I told him that why doesn’t he recite his poems in the gatherings of the poets? (Mushayeras) He, then said, “Sir, this is not the period of poets but it is the time of pseudo poets. These pseudo poets have formed a group of “Mutual Praisers” and their monopoly alone works. If you don’t belong to that group, you are not invited to the gatherings of the poets (Mushayeras) I can do anything but I can’t strike a bargain of my ego. If I compose good poetry, is it necessary for me to recite my poems in the gatherings of the poets (Mushayeras)? I compose poetry for my self satisfaction. I have nothing to do with others”. He was a selfless poet. He had a feeling that the time has not valued him appropriately.

He used to reach my office to take me back home. On a certain evening when he came to my office I was not in the office. The next day, he complained to me that I was not my office the previous day. I told him that I had gone to a gathering of the poets (Mushayera) which was organized in honour of Maqdoom Mohiuddin. “On hearing this, he felt sad and said “Sir, because of these senior poets, we the junior poets do not get an opportunity to flourish. I had composed a new ‘Ghazal’ for you. I had an earnest desire to recite it to you but you fell prey to the senior poets.” Since his talk was pertinent, I not only listened to his latest poem sympathetically but praised it so much that at one stage, I offered myself that I will pull the rickshaw and he should sit behind me in the rickshaw because he had to get off the rickshaw frequently in response to my appraisal.

At this offer of mine, tears appeared in his eyes suddenly. Praising my sense of comprehension of poetry, he said, “If two or four persons of your sensibility of poetry are born, the situation of literature would be changed”. I made him understand “Nature makes use of miserliness in creating invaluable poets like you and exemplary and perspicacious persons like me. Good people can be counted on fingers”. Very often, I still remember the rickshaw puller who was a poet.

Sometimes, I used to have no money to pay rickshaw fare. He then used to say “money and riches are transitory. When you get money, you may give me, there is no hurry”. But something else was destined to happen. I went to Delhi suddenly and I could not pay the balance of rickshaw fare. I searched for him very much but I couldn’t find him.

Such are the silent servants of Urdu language, not persons like me who pay a tribute and keep quiet where fare has to be paid.