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Author Minu Bakshi: Every rhyme isn’t poetry; writing ghazals is an art
Singer and poet Minu Bakshi talks about her love for poetry, her new collection of poems in Urdu, and how every attempt at rhyming doesn’t make a ghazal.
She’s from a close-knit, well-off, and traditional Punjabi family. Singer and poet, Minu Bakshi, who has recently released her second book of poetry Mauj-e-Saraab, says, “My poetry is straight from the heart. I have been writing for many years but it took me one year just to design the book,” says Bakshi, who has been born and brought up in Delhi.”
An alumnus of St Thomas’ Delhi and Miranda House, Delhi University, Bakshi’s interests in sports and cultural activities, particularly music, made her a much-loved and well-recognised figure at DU events.But, she says, “A concert by Begum Akhtar was one of the defining moments in my life. Following her assiduously from concert to concert, I not only imbibed the fundamentals of ghazal-gayaki. Also, I began to appreciate the nuances and beauty of Urdu and Urdu poetry.”
The aesthetics of Urdu language can be studied and appreciated in Bakshi’s new book, which is a collection of poems in Urdu. The beauty of the book doesn’t just lie in the seamless format that the verses flow, but also the translations in Hindi and English, alongside each poem.
What are her views on the recent trend of writing poetry on Instagram and other social media platforms? “Har tukbandi, poetry nahin ho jaati (Every rhyme isn’t poetry). Writing ghazals is an art. Aap chupe huey mein kya keh paate ho, woh ghazal hai (What you say while remaining silent is ghazal). One needs to learn the language, which takes lot of hard work. Saying [a] few lines is not poetry.”
A self-taught artist, after learning Urdu, Bakshi embarked a rigorous journey of leaning classical music — first from Ustad Ghulam Hussain Khan (Rampur Gharana), and then from Ustad Marghoob Hussain Khan (Patiala Gharana). And her learnings reflect in the mood of her written words that sound music to the ears of the reader.
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