Shabnam’s Parting Gift to Kashmiri Literature
— Deepak Budki
Two books written by Omkar Nath ‘Shabnam’, a known Kashmiri humorist and satirist, have been published posthumously by his wife, Anjali Bhat, in 2024, titled ‘Myein Kath-Wachi Pyatha Vaishali Taam’ (Autobiography) and ‘Harf Katstam Rudim Toti Baqi’ (Collection of Poems). Before these, his poetry collection ‘Tyoth Modur’ was published in 1988. All his life, he enthralled listeners with his humorous poetry in Mushaiaras and on the radio.
Born on 12 January 1945 in Wachi, Shopian, Kashmir, Omkar Nath Bhat (Pen name ‘Shabnam’) was adopted by his widowed grandmother’s sister and grew up in Zainapora until her death, after which he rejoined his parents. He lost his siblings, except his younger brother, who is also a poet. In his short autobiography, Omkar Nath nostalgically recounts the ups and downs of his life and describes the relatives who mattered to him. He also relates important anecdotes that added spice to his life’s journey. Shabnam has narrated an interesting account of how Som Nath Sadhu, Agha Sahib of ‘Zoone Dab’, visited his house to fulfil his father's wishes, and, after a warm welcome, lost his prized pen, which was found after his departure and sent to him the next morning. He has also given glimpses of the said programme, which was very popular in those days. Other anecdotes concern the reactions of various poets to his poetry, etc. He recalls that at his primary school in Wachi, the medium of instruction was Kashmiri. He joined the middle school at Zainapora and stayed with his adopted mother, but unfortunately lost his actual mother in 1959.
He was introduced to writing by the famous Kashmiri writer Arjan Dev Majboor, who taught at his school. He accompanied Majboor Sahib to Mushairas and met well-known poets such as Dina Nath Nadim, etc. Other influencers were his maternal uncle Daya Ram Kastoor and Radhey Nath Masarat. After passing the 8th standard examination, he joined the high school in Bijbehara, from where he completed his matriculation. Moreover, he obtained a degree in Basic Education Course and joined the teaching profession as a primary school teacher.
Shabnam started writing poetry in 1965 with a Tarhi Nazm in the daily Khadmat, a couplet from which is reproduced hereunder:
Myeti Zoal chael chael danus zyun,
Tohe keth paeth baele tchapan naar
Afterwards, he continued to write for all the prominent Urdu and Kashmiri journals and newspapers, as well as for Yuva Vani and Radio Kashmir. He was transferred from place to place during his career. At Saraf Kadal, Srinagar, he was fortunate to meet Ghulam Nabi Firaq and Hasrat Gadda, the former of whom became his Ustad and taught him the nuances of poetic diction. Later, he was shifted to Kapran, where he met poets, viz. Naji Munawwar and Shafi Shauq. At this juncture, he had to leave his ill mother alone in the house. His pain and helplessness are portrayed in his poem, ‘Maej’. Three couplets:
Ye chu maje pyomut thane suy baluk,
Maeng maeng yus taem hyut astanun;
Hu chaey motus saet dabe dabe karwen,
Ye che nazrav nishe tus waryah door…….
Yem shure kut taam tchepi tchor gindan,
Mae che aalav aalav Maej divaan
It was during his stay at Kaparan that he responded to an invitation from Radio Kashmir for young poets to submit their poems, and his poem was selected. Thereafter, he became a regular on Yuva Vani and AIR programmes. It is here that he got another guide, Autar Krishen Rehbar, who taught him to focus on his strengths, i.e. humour and satire, instead of trying his hand at every genre. As a result, Shabnam became very popular and was always cheered on in Mushaiaras. After about five months, his Officer was impressed by his recitation of poetry at a Mushaira, which prompted his transfer to Zainapora, near his home, where he stayed for almost 15 years. As per his assertion, he was thus convinced that “Pen is mightier than the sword.” While in service, he completed his graduation in 1973, post-graduation in Persian in 1976, in Kashmiri in 1983, and B.Ed. in 1978.
In May 1990, he had to migrate from the valley along with his community members due to militancy. He initially stayed in Jammu for some time, but in view of employment opportunities for his children, he shifted to Delhi-NCR and ultimately settled in Vaishali, Ghaziabad. In Delhi, he himself was employed as a translator and later as a newsreader in Kashmiri at the AIR. Here, too, he remained associated with Kashmiri literary associations and contributed to magazines. Various organisations awarded him many prizes.
As regards ‘Shabnam’s latest collection of poems titled ‘Harf Katstam Rudim Toti Baqi’, it has 32 poems, including 4 ghazals, apart from introductory essays by Moti Lal Kaul ‘Naaz’, Roop Krishen Bhat and Ms Anjali Bhat, wife of Late Omkar Nath ‘Shabnam’. The poems are mostly humorous and portray human behaviour in the contemporary age, his personal experiences, and the evil practices prevalent in our modern society. As per Richard G. Scott, “ A good sense of humour is an escape valve for the pressures of Life.” Suffice it to say that humour is a gift from God to Shabnam, and it is subtle and thought-provoking. He often uses satire to poke at the dying embers of the unresponsive society's fire. The poem ‘Zang’, and quatrains like ‘Tukh’ and ‘Parody’ are the best examples.
Ratus dohus vaze chaie, kus kheye te kus kare zaye;
Gushtabe maran graye, Ristan andar sarmaye,
Tchaman te palak draye, aeke tyoth te aek mung myooth,
Kastam chu sapdan looth, kastam chu sapdan looth. (Looth)
Demand vemand ti ma kaerev; Kore maelis panun hub,
Chequey hargah ditchin, ratav; tath kya karav su gaye zang.(Zang)
Manz Wandus akh sheene maharaze wuchum khandar karan,
Salarav maend rub te dub lug yazmanus manz aangnus (Parody)
His humorous poems are interspersed with some serious ones, which are a direct result of the pain and agony he suffered in early life due to separation from his biological mother and migration in old age, which made him extra-sensitive. Examples are ‘Maej’, ‘Yaad’ and ‘Sarfaene’. In his poem ‘Okus Bokus’, he seeks to realise himself. In ‘Shamat’, he portrays the nightmare he underwent due to the militant uprising in Kashmir, while in ‘Raete Koul’, he describes the pain and suffering he faced after migrating out of the valley. In ‘Praznath’, he questions why people nurture hate. The poem ‘Ghush’ reminds us of Aesop's tale of a woodcutter and a goddess.
Kanh zan deyi kadlus naar tchallav kut,
Vyethe vaenis mileve su khak wanav kus.
2) Yeli reshtis watte lug dugnyaruk,
Gaye nazre te napaak wanav kus
3) Gharan qulaf te waanan falav dith naerav,
Saeriy gatchav jamah, yas nish yus hethyar chu,
Su heth naerav jehadus,
Tethuy ditch bronthe kanek hamsaye kaet aek,
Lut lut kraekh, mukhbirus ditchekh goel
Kaefir morukh, Kaem? Koche gale manze pritchus kore ake…
Even on his deathbed, he never lost his sense of humour while interacting with his doctors and nurses. He wrote:
Mae chu door tchallun, tchyen dith rishtan
Kenh praevith, path kun travun az.
After going through the above books, I felt that if Shabnam Sahab had also concentrated on prose writing, he would have greatly enriched Kashmiri literature. His style is unique and precise; he uses similes and metaphors frequently to adorn his prose.
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