Betnaa Ye Doorer Chouni Zarai Baal Maraeyo | Abdul Rashid Hafiz | Poet : Rasul Mir | Kashmiri Sufism

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗮 𝗬𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗶 𝗭𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼, 𝗞𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗿'𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘃𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗭𝗮𝗿 𝗭𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗗𝗶𝗹 𝗸𝗵𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘀, 𝗻𝗮𝘀 𝗸𝘆𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘇, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗞𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗵’𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗱𝗵𝗲𝘃 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶 𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗖𝘇𝗲𝗶 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗹 𝘇𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝘆𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗶 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗿 𝘇𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗮𝘄, 𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗺, 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗵 𝗮𝗳𝘀𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗶. 𝗪𝘆𝗼’𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗸𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗳𝘀𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗔𝗻𝗶 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗻𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗶 𝗹𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝘄𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗛𝘆𝗲𝗵’𝘀𝗲 𝗪𝘆𝗲𝘀’𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘃𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘀’𝘁𝘆𝗲𝗼, 𝗪𝘆𝗲𝘀’𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶, 𝗧𝗲’𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗸𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘃𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼, 𝗞𝗲𝗺𝗶 𝗛𝗮𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝗖𝗵𝗶 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗻, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗚𝗮𝗲𝗷 𝗦𝗼𝗼, 𝗟𝗮𝗲𝗷 𝗦𝗲𝗶 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗕𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶 𝗚𝗮𝗷𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝘂𝗺𝗼 𝗞𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗺 𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗔𝘇'𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗺 𝗸𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗳𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗶 𝗖𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗳, 𝗗𝗮𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗶 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘇 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗶, 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼. "𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝗿" 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗶 𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗹, 𝗕𝗮𝗵𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀 𝗞𝗶 𝗣𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗼 ! 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 : 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐳  𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭 : 𝐑𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐫 "𝗥𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗿" also known as Rasul Mir Shahabadi, he was an eminent poet of Kashmir in the 19th century. By nature, he was a romantic poet. Like Wordsworth, he was also a great lover of natural beauties. He was was born in Mirmadan Dooru Shahbad (a historic town in Anantnag district of Kashmir) in 1840. He is often referred to as imām-e-ishqiya shairi' for his literary contribution to Kashmiri romanticism.  Mehmood Gami was his neighbour. One day, Mehmood Gami had foretold that Rasul Mir would die very young. He died at the young age of 31 years only like the eminent English poet, John Keats (d 1821), who died at 25 only. Rasul Mir composed only 62 poems in his short span of life but his poetry is one of the richest contributions to the Kashmiri poetry. Some say that he composed 110 Gazals. However, a more reliable and authentic source writes that he wrote 67 poems or 79 poems in Kashmiri. Of 79, the authorship of four is doubtful, so the remaining 75 poems are genuinely attributed to the poet. His poems are mostly romantic Kashmiri Gazals which have earned him a permanent place in the history of Kashmiri literature. His pro-feminist poem is Gastivesiye lal mah doorei, which had a connection with his love. The poem aptly describes the woes of a lady caught in a dilemma, it is said. A Kashmiri academician has drawn a comparison between him and John Keats. Doubtless, he was the most romantic poet of the early nineteenth century. Rasul Mir has certainly the sweetness of rich poetic words and melodious tunes in his poetry. See, for example,  Eid Ayi Ras e Rase, Eidgah Vasvi… O, my God, such bead of beautiful, thrilling and enchanting everlasting song. Even if Kashmiri Muslims are not going to Eidgahs on blessed occasions of Eid festivals now but it is a Sunnah. It gives one a touch of real traditions and culture overwhelming the land. His selection of rhyming words is par excellence. It is a recorded fact that he in his very young growing adult age was enchanted by his lady love. However, in one of his poems, he asked …..for ambrosia, an eternal food for his changed thoughts. Iterating he died very young, though Abdul Ahad Azad has said that he died in 60 or 70 years of age. But the overwhelming majority hold that he died at a tender age. When Rasul Mir was a boy, he was sent to a Maktab (school of those days) in his village to learn Persian and Arabic. The boys and girls of his village and other adjoining villages received education in the Maktab. There was a Pandit girl in the Maktab. Her name was Kongi or Kong (saffron). She was fair and extremely beautiful. He too was beautiful. He was attracted by the childlike extraordinary charms of Kongi. They became intimate playmates at the Maktab. His heart and mind were filled with poetic frenzy. With the passing days, the childhood frolic changed into deep love. But, then, one day parents of Kongi married her to another man. This dealt a merciless blow to his desires and dreams. He became lovelorn and in separation and estrangement, he wandered on moonlit nights and often would talk in poetic tune to his lady love. The two most popular folksongs or Gazals of Rasul Mir are Rindi Poshmal Ghindini Drayi Lo Lo (My carefree beloved goes out to frolic) and Kongi Hav Ti Paan (Kongi, My Love, I am dying for a glimpse of you). These poems depict his yearning for his beloved, Kongi, like John Keats of England for Fanny Brawne who was also Keats’s neighbour. Unfortunately at a very young age of 30 in 1870 Rasul Mir passed away leaving behind his legacy and many memorable Kahsmiri Poerty which is still remembered & sung even after a century passed !