Sheikh Baquer Ali “Chirkeen”

Sheikh Baquer Ali “Chirkeen” was a unique, first and innovative shayar. A poet from Lucknow, he rarely, if ever, used sexual content in his verses. His great love was excreta! which makes him unique and different from others. Allama Chirkeen's specialty seems to interesting and acceptable. In earlier days, he wrote beautiful 'regular' ghazals, but his bayaaz was stolen by some people who had some of the poems published under their names in Hyderabad and elsewhere. At one mushaaerah in the Deccan capital, unaware of this fraud, he recited a ghazal and was booed by some people who assumed he had stolen the ghazal from one of the books. In anger, he swore never to write a line of verse that any persons would steal and be willing to call their own and went on to write hundreds of shairs, each one containing some scatological term.

I do recall seeing few giggly references among some people which did not really appreciate the technical perfection of his shayree, despite the constraint he had placed on himself. I am sure, many will turn their noses away from this post (although smells are not yet easily embedded into Docs). There are many who appreciate his technical perfection and mastery on the language. Other languages also have great tradition of such humour, e.g. Mark Twain, Rabelais and others written on the topic. The difference is that the west has printed a lot of these works but - a pity - that such works of our classics in this genre will get lost.

Compilation of his poetry (Deevan-e-Chirkeen; a 46 pages book) is available in market. We can enjoy the rich and topical shayri by this classical, unique, first and innovative shayar.

Few shayr are here:

First Shayr in Deevan

Thaa giriftaari mein jo khatra mujhay baydaad ka,
kar diya bai- ul- khala hug hug kay ghar sayyaad ka.

2.

Gaiz me talwar kheenchi Haidar-e-Karraar nay,
darr kay maaray hug diya lashkar-e-kuffaar nay.

3.
Dast se khana khilaya maine apne yar ko,
pani jab manga to hamne paish- aab kar diya.
4.
Hug de agarche woh bute bepeer hath main,
le gu ka bosa ashike dilgir hath mein.


5.

Maronde pet mein uthein na kis tarah ’Chirkeen’,
kisi ki zulf ka yaad aya pench-o-taab hamein.

6.

Chandni ko khet mein jab hagne baitha maah ru,
leed kha kha kar hilaale charkh gardun ho gaya.

7.
Dast par dast chalay aatay hain lay jald khabar,
teray beemaar ka ab haal hai patla qaatil.
dast-bar-daar hoon in baaton say ab jaanay day,
qatl ‘Chirkeen’ ko na kar, gu na uchhaal ai qaatil.

8.

Kisi key paady se urtee na kankaree dekhee,
uraaye deta hei Chirkeen’ pahar phuskee se.

9.

Hum se achche hen pakhane ke qadamche “ Chirkeen”,
ham tu didar ku tarsen wo barehna dekhen.

10.

Bad muddat aap ka mere ghar aana hua,
tez ki ghumdan hui aur dhad se pakhana hua.

11.

Chirkeen chane ke khet me chirko alag alag,
surat alag alag rahe seerat alag alag.

12.

Dil tha khayale yar me nikla jo ek dast,
Pok se diwar pe tasveere jana ban gayee.

13.

Naaz se bola dame rukhsat na aana phir kabhi,
warna ae “chirkeen” yeh ghar be-tul-khala ho jayega.