Kathak, thumri, Urdu literature: Celebrating Wajid Ali’s contribution to Kol’s culture-scape

KOLKATA: Awadh’s last nawab, Wajid Ali Shah, who was a connoisseur of art, music and food, had created a “mini Lucknow” in Metiabruz, where he was exiled after his kingdom was annexed by the British in 1856. He encouraged flowering of traditional performing art forms, like kathak, thumris, ghazals. The Nawab, who was born on July 30, 1822, spent the last 31 years of his life in Kolkata.
“The Nawab had left Lucknow but he wanted Lucknow to live in Kolkata,” said Wajid Ali Shah’s great great granddaughter Manzilat Fatima at ‘Nawabi Calcutta: An Overlooked Era’, an event held on Saturday to commemorate the bicentenary birth anniversary of Wajid Ali Shah through exhibitions, documentary and talks. Two of his ghazals were recited.
Wajid Ali’s stay in the city resulted in a gastronomic revolution and the evolution of the Calcutta biryani with potato is a well-known story. But lesser known is that he introduced kite-flying as a pastime. During the nawab’s stay, cock-fighting and flying pigeons became popular. Wajid Ali brought with him Lucknawi tailoring.”
Sarod maestro Irfan Md Khan, whose ancestor came here with Wajid Ali, said, “Shah was a master of Persian and Urdu literature and popularised it by encouraging writers, singers and poets. Mushairas, ghazals, marsiaya, qawwalis became popular. He introduced kathak and thumris in the city.”
The event organised by Know Your Neighbour (KYN) and Intach Hooghly Chapter focused on the polyphonic aspects of the Nawab in 19th century Kolkata and his contributions to the development of the nondescript locality into a bustling industrial and cultural space. “After governor-general Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 on a false charge of maladministration, the nawab came to Kolkata to talk to him. The 1857 mutiny broke out and the nawab was put under house arrest in Amherst House, Fort William for 26 months. After his release, he stayed back in Kolkata,” said Antara Mukherjee, additional co-convenor of Intach Hooghly and assistant professor of English at Durgapur Government College.
Manzilat spoke about how people re-learnt about the nawab through her and her food and how her family had kept his legacy alive. “My father, Kaukub Quder Sajjad Ali Meerza, wrote a book in Urdu on Wajid Ali Shah’s literary and cultural contributions. My sister, Talat Fatima, translated it into English,” she said. Visual artist Soumyadeep Roy curated an exhibition, ‘Dastaan e Akhtar’, as a tribute to the nawab, also an artist. “The exhibition gives a glimpse into the nawab’s life, legacy and his love for art.” said Roy. Sabir Ahamed of KYN said, “We wanted to highlight the nawab’s contribution to the city’s cultural aspects and its influence on locals, apart from biryani.”