Mumbai: From “La Illaha Il Allah’’ to “Nabi Nabi Nabi Nabi’’, the hall resounded with invocations to Prophet Muhammad on Saturday evening. Not surprising, considering the venue was Islam Gymkhana and the Naatiya Mushaira (naat is a hymn in praise of the Prophet) was being held on the eve of Eid-e-Milad, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
What was unique about this event though, were the participants. “La Illaha Il Allah’’ was a refrain in Richa Sinha’s naat, and “Nabi Nabi Nabi Nabi’’ was the chorus of Pandit Sagar Tripathi’s song. All nine artistes on stage were Hindu and Tripathi, who anchored the mushaira, made it a point to mention that some were Brahmins.
While this Naatiya Mushaira was perhaps the first in India to have only Hindu poets, the practice of Hindus writing naats and other Islamic genres of prayer is not new.
Farid Ahmed Khan, who had conceived of the programme, mentioned names from the 18th century, and among the two inaugural naats sung by Anushka Nikam was the late award-winning Marathi ghazal writer Suresh Bhatt’s “Akhercha aasara Muhammad’’.
Editor of ‘Hindustan Urdu Daily’ Sarfaraz Arzu, praising this unique mushaira, hoped that “a whole hearted appreciation of this dwindling tribe of non-Muslim poets who sing the praises of Prophet Muhammed, would attract newer poets to this genre.’’
The mushaira had both types of poets, the old and the new. Anant Nandurkar ‘Khalish’ from Amravati, had composed a naat specially for the occasion, as this was the first time he was reciting one on stage; at the other end of the spectrum was Pandit Sagar Tripathi, the senior most of the poets, who has recited naats in all Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia. He had also, he told the audience, seen at close hand the clothes of Prophet Muhammad as well as his sword, preserved in Istanbul.
The mushaira was the penultimate programme of the “Prophet for All’’ campaign that began on September 28 in the Islam Gymkhana, aimed at removing misconceptions about Prophet Muhammad among non-Muslims, and bringing the two communities closer. Coincidentally, “Mohammed Sab ke Liye’’ is also the title of a book of naats by Pune’s Uddhav Mahajan ‘Bismil’ which was released in 2018.
The hall resonated with “wah wahs’’ and “subhanallahs’’ as a bindi-sporting Alka ‘Sharar’ recited “Hamesha naam lab par ho tumhara/ Ya Rasul Allah’’; Dr Laxman Sharma ‘Wahid’ sang: “Rab ki raza bhi mere/ Nabi ki raza mein hai’’; Uddhav Mahajan ‘Bismil’, with his black prayer topi, sang “Mujhse Madina jaake/ phir aaya na jaayega’’ and Siddaarth Shandilya tied a handkerchief over his head to recite: “Safina doob sakta hi nahin jab nakhuda tum ho.”
The ugly controversies over Nupur Sharma, loudspeakers, Navratri, all seemed part of another world as Anant Nandurkar Khalish’s naat spoke of the azaan spreading love and Sagar Tripathi repeated throughout the programme: “Koi bhi paak saaf Hindu hai/ woh kabhi dushmane Rasul nahin.”