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Once a cultural hub, Lucknow varsity hosted several literary greats
GOLDEN PERIOD Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Gopal Das ‘Neeraj’ and other literary figures were invited for mushairas and kavi sammelans at
GOLDEN PERIOD Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Gopal Das ‘Neeraj’ and other literary figures were invited for mushairas and kavi sammelans at the varsity, recalls poet Sharib Rudaulvi
LUCKNOW There was a period when Lucknow University was considered to be one of the most culturally active varsities of India where poets, theatre artistes and singers thrived.
Noted critic and poet Sharib Rudaulvi, 85, who was a student of LU from 1953 to 1961 said: “During that time, this university was one of the best in India – be it academics, sports, literature or culture. We had the best professors and students.”
LU produced one of the best hockey teams, had a great theatre team and its Hindi and Urdu departments organized the best of cultural activities, he said.
“As students, we invited literary figures like Firaq Gorakhpuri, Jigar Moradabdi, Josh Malihabadi, Aftab Akhtar, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Shabhunath Singhji, Kaifi Azmi, Gopal Das ‘Neeraj’, Anwar Mirzapuri, Bekal Utsahi for mushairas and kavi sammelans in Lucknow University,” recalled Rudaulvi.
The importance of events at LU could be gauged by the fact that poets Josh Malihabadi and Jigar Moradabadi (who were never on good terms and never used to share the stage anywhere in the world) never refused an invitation from the university. “They were seated next to each other in the mushaira here every year,” said Rudaulvi.
He added, “These great personalities never charged a single penny for their performances at the events. They just wanted respect from us.”
The Hindi and the Urdu department had separate budgets for cultural activities like drama, kavi sammelan, mushaira, debates etc.
Plays like ‘Sarai Ke Bahar’ and ‘Johny Langda’ were so appealing that they were aired by the All India Radio (AIR), he said.
During that time, there were very few female students in the university, so boys played the roles of girls too.
“I remember one Mithilesh Mathur playing the role of the lover of Mir Taki Mir in a play on his life. He earned a lot of praise from the audience and became one of the most sought-after actors. Other actors like Aftab Akhtar, Anandmoy Das, Arif Naqvi and Agha Sohail were also very popular,” said Sharib Rudaulvi.
He added, “Student unions also had a decent budget that was utilised in organising mushaira, kavi sammelan, drama and singing performances. But at the same, studies were given due importance. We had the best of students who excelled in their field and contributed to the society in some way.”
“My classmates like Lalji Tandon, Dauji Gupta and Vilayat Jafri had different ideologies. Dauji Gupta was a Congressman, I was a progressive writer and Lalji Tandon was a rightist. But we were very good friends and are very good friends till date. We had respect for each other because each one of us was convincing in their thoughts,” said Rudaulvi.
Later, Dauji Gupta went on to become mayor of Lucknow, Lalji Tandon is governor of Madhya Pradesh and Vilayat Jafri started the tradition of light and sound shows in India and went on to become the director of Doordarshan Kendra (Lucknow).
Surya Prasad Dixit, former head of Hindi department (LU), talking on phone from Delhi, said: “Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ lived in Lucknow from 1928 to 1936. He was in financial stress. But he used to visit the university because he was the most popular poet of that time,” he said.
“Even poets like Majaz, Brij Narain Chakbast, Faiz Ahmand Faiz were regulars at LU events (before migrating to Pakistan). During my time, I and Mallikzada Manzoor Ahmed used to jointly organize kavi sammelans and mushairas. But now, this practice has come to an end because of financial constraints and change in attitude of students. Today, they are more inclined towards mobile phone and Internet,” said Rudaulvi.
Because of its rich cultural background, LU was able to mobilise students during the Independence movement.
Head of department (Urdu) Abbas Raza Naiyar said, “The university has been a hub of cultural activities and has produced number of scholars who have made a name for themselves at the international level.”
“Last year, we organised a cultural session when Manzar Bhopali came here. But it was my personal initiative. We need LU to come out with a budget for literary and cultural activities. Lucknow has rich culture and literature that we can proudly promote,” he said.
DATING BACK
LU produced one of the best hockey teams, had a great theatre team and its Hindi and Urdu departments organized the best of cultural activities, said Rudaulvi.
The importance of events at LU could be gauged by the fact that poets Josh Malihabadi and Jigar Moradabadi (who were never on good terms and never used to share the stage anywhere in the world) never refused an invitation from the university.
The Hindi and the Urdu department had separate budgets for cultural activities like drama, kavi sammelan, mushaira, debates etc
“Student unions also had a decent budget that was utilised in organising mushaira, kavi sammelan, drama and singing performances. But at the same, studies were given due importance. We had the best of students who excelled in their field and contributed to the society in some way,” he said.
