Lunch & Discuss Habib Jalib's Poetry
Details
Join us for lunch at The Buzzin' Bean, Teele Sq., Somerville, and a discussion of the poetry of Habib Jalib, a Pakistani poet active from the 1960's through the 1980's.
Note on the restaurant: Because The Buzzin' Bean is very small, the owners have asked that we order lunch while we take up space during their busy lunch hour, so please arrive hungry! The restaurant offers healthy South Indian vegetarian food, as well as chai, coffee, and desserts, all made by the owners. Please keep your RSVP updated if you can no longer attend. The restaurant will lose money if we reserve seats we won't be using. 🙏
Reading: The main poem for our gathering is Jalib's short poem "Dastoor" (poem text, video of Jalib's recitation in a mushaira). Two other poems ("Zulmat ko Ziyaa," "Sahaafii se") are optional.
The poems are available in Hindi (Devanagari) and Urdu (Nastaliq) scripts, as well as romanized versions, on Rekhta. You can switch scripts using the drop-down menu at the top of the page. If you have any trouble using the links, please DM Mariyam.
About Habib Jalib: Jalib advocated for democratic norms and free speech during military rule in Pakistan, and was imprisoned multiple times for his activism. His poems continue to be used by various political movements today, even beyond the Hindi/Urdu-speaking world. An important theme in his work is exhorting writers and journalists to speak up.
We'll also discuss the role of the mushaira, live nighttime drop-in gatherings where poets recite their work to be enjoyed free by the public. These have existed in North India and the Deccan, original homes of Urdu, for centuries, and continue to thrive throughout the diaspora.
Who should attend: If you are a language learner and poetry itself isn't fully accessible, but you are interested in any of the above themes, please do join us! This Meetup will be conducted in Hindi, Urdu, Urdu-Hindi, Hinglish, and Urdlish. If you can have a basic literature discussion in any of those languages, without resorting to pure English (and with a little help as necessary), feel free to attend.
About the location: The Buzzin' Bean, at 237 Holland St, Somerville 02144, is walking distance from Davis Square T. There is also street parking available.