“Ek to Dil Hai, Dard Hazaron
Ishq aur Himmat Ek hi Shai hai
Aashiq Mehnat, Aashiq Zehmat
Dil ki ye Ghaflat Ek hi Shai hai”
(There is one heart. Love and Courage are the Same Thing. Lover labors, Lover Faces Hardship, Ignorance of Heart is the Same Thing!)
Lamakaan —the cultural hub of Hyderabad reverberated with appreciation when Urdu poet from Italy, Daniel Speziale urf Raahi Italvi won the hearts of an elite gathering of Urdu lovers and renowned contributors to Urdu language, poetry, and literature with the above couplets on Wednesday evening amid cool and romantic breeze.
When Humera Said, delightfully comparing the grand event introduced and invited Raahi Italvi to take his turn in mesmerizing Hyderabadis after scholarly research presentations on Allama Iqbal’s poetry by the versatile Prof. Ashraf Rafi, Banker Zaheeruddin who tallied the balance sheet of Iqbal’s poetry with Western comparisons and Javed Kamal’s parallel recitation of Iqbal’s Shikva and Jawab-e-Shikwa with his literary partner Lateefuddin Lateef, the audience knew they were in for a special treat.
Daniel disclosed that he chose his pen name to denote his reality as a traveler from Italy. Hence the pen name. He reflected on Iqbal’s poetry too. He concluded with an impressive couplet in which he presented the reality that a traveler (Raahi in Urdu) remains a traveler. He opined that a house and poverty are the same, implying they are for eternity.
Speaking to BeyondHeadlines, Raahi Italvi disclosed that he is a self-made Urdu poet. His love affair with Urdu started after he had listened to some Bollywood songs. It is significant to note that many popular Bollywood songs were written and sung in the Urdu language apart from the dialogues in Urdu. Raahi is fascinated by words like Pyar, Mohabbat, Deewana, Diwani, Dost, Dil, Dard, Ishq Biryani, etc.
Raahi’s love of Urdu took him to Maulana Azad Oriental Research Institute at Public Gardens. He is a fan of Iqbal, Ghalib, Mir and Daagh. He visited the tomb of Daagh Dehlavi the reputed Urdu poet in the last Mughal Emperor Court Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Court, which is at Dargah Yousufain of the Patron Sufi Saints of Hyderabad, who migrated from Egypt and settled in Hyderabad. Raahi expressed his admiration for the Telugu language also.
Move over Sonia Gandhi, Cheese, Chocolates Pizza — Here comes Urdu poet Daniel Speziale urf Raahi Italvi to enthrall Hyderabad. Hyderabadis say: Pleased to meet Raahi, do come again!
