wOrdS sPreAdiNg fRaGraNcE

koh bah koh phel gayee baat shanaasaii kee…

The words do spread fragrance…can you smell??? You never need to have a special nose for that, all you needs to have is the heart of taste………..

the words of greatest poetess ever of Urdu poetry says it all, and we all know about Parveen Shakir…Few says she is the one with the most beautiful female touch, some agree on her approach to love while some thinks her poetry has endless meaning and what I felt after going through Khusboo to Inqaar, she has the words to spread fragrance of love.

In literature, expression of femininity refers to articulation of female aspiration, sentiments, feelings and sufferings, that’s what all, the poetess expresses. Her first book took the literacy world by storm. In poetic perfection, she excels all other female poets. For Parveen Shakir, poetry is the fragrance of life that grows with every wound to give words powerful meanings. In her earlier poetry, she gives articulation to the sentiments of young girls dreaming of a home of their own. The girls in her first book “Khushboo” is not a rebel. She feels comfortable in the social constraints and does not want emancipation from the self-erected walls of sentiments.

It is said that Parveen Shakir reflects sentiments of a girl who lacks maturity, but the fact remains that Urdu poetry has been voicing the feelings of a lover; Parveen Shakir voiced the sentiments of a beloved. Her conscious mind was fully aware of the happenings around her. In her later poetry, we see in her a poet of progressive vision and imagination. She knows the face of a woman whose eyes conceal an ocean of love. In her poetry, the theme of love surpasses all other themes. While writing about love, she shows smoothness of her tone and tenor. Parveen Shakir’s poetry is filled with series of visions, delightful freshness and entertaining charm. Here we see a woman who despite her inflicted soul is highly conscious of the sensibilities of her lover. With passage of time, she left behind the confessional mode in her poetry and focused upon the pathos of a woman who, despite all sorts of handicaps and obstacles, wants to breathe in a free atmosphere.

Parveen Shakir died in 1994 in an accident, at the height of her creative power. Today, a large number of female poets are writing in Parveen Shakir’s tone and theme, and here I dedicated my 1st blog to her.