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This paper explores the dynamic interplay between the oral tradition of Mushā’irahs and the literary evolution of the Progressive Writers Movement (PWM), underscoring the profound transformations engendered by their intersection. The Mushā’irah, historically an exclusive poetic forum steeped in classical Urdu traditions, underwent a radical reconfiguration under the ideological imperatives of PWM. Writers and poets such as Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Asrarul Haq Majaz, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nisar Akhtar, and others recognized the Mushā’irah’s potential as a platform for disseminating revolutionary ideals. Though male poets dominated this space, the movement’s broader feminist ideals were advanced by female prose writers such as Rashid Jahan and Ismat Chughtai, who used their work to challenge social structures and call for change. This led to a transition in poetic themes from shabāb (romantic love) to inquilāb (revolutionary fervour), embedding poetry with sociopolitical exigencies and fostering an ethos of collective resistance. Responding to Sajjad Zaheer’s critique of the Movement’s early intellectual deficits, the PWM turned to Mushā’irahs and incorporated rigorously thematic poetry, which in turn transformed the Mushā’irah from a cultural ritual to a politically instrumental apparatus. By organizing poetic assemblies in libraries, coffee houses, and public spaces, PWM democratized the Mushā’irah, engaging hitherto marginalized audiences and enabling the transmission of progressive ideas in accessible vernacular idioms. This paper argues that PWM’s strategic appropriation of the Mushā’irah as an ancillary yet indispensable extension of its political agenda catalysed a paradigmatic shift. The nazm emerged as the dominant form, relegating the ghazal to a secondary status, privileging ideological resonance over aesthetic convention. Consequently, the Mushā’irah evolved from a poet-centric enclave into a mass-oriented institution, fundamentally altering its structural, thematic, and linguistic parameters. This dialogic interplay between orality and progressive literary praxis not only redefined the Mushā’irah as an institution but also broadened the horizons of Urdu poetry, ensuring its relevance for generations to come.

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From Page to Stage: Weaving Orality into Literary Evolution

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Vishakha Goyal

摘要

This paper explores the dynamic interplay between the oral tradition of Mushā’irahs and the literary evolution of the Progressive Writers Movement (PWM), underscoring the profound transformations engendered by their intersection. The Mushā’irah, historically an exclusive poetic forum steeped in classical Urdu traditions, underwent a radical reconfiguration under the ideological imperatives of PWM. Writers and poets such as Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Asrarul Haq Majaz, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nisar Akhtar, and others recognized the Mushā’irah’s potential as a platform for disseminating revolutionary ideals. Though male poets dominated this space, the movement’s broader feminist ideals were advanced by female prose writers such as Rashid Jahan and Ismat Chughtai, who used their work to challenge social structures and call for change. This led to a transition in poetic themes from shabāb (romantic love) to inquilāb (revolutionary fervour), embedding poetry with sociopolitical exigencies and fostering an ethos of collective resistance. Responding to Sajjad Zaheer’s critique of the Movement’s early intellectual deficits, the PWM turned to Mushā’irahs and incorporated rigorously thematic poetry, which in turn transformed the Mushā’irah from a cultural ritual to a politically instrumental apparatus. By organizing poetic assemblies in libraries, coffee houses, and public spaces, PWM democratized the Mushā’irah, engaging hitherto marginalized audiences and enabling the transmission of progressive ideas in accessible vernacular idioms. This paper argues that PWM’s strategic appropriation of the Mushā’irah as an ancillary yet indispensable extension of its political agenda catalysed a paradigmatic shift. The nazm emerged as the dominant form, relegating the ghazal to a secondary status, privileging ideological resonance over aesthetic convention. Consequently, the Mushā’irah evolved from a poet-centric enclave into a mass-oriented institution, fundamentally altering its structural, thematic, and linguistic parameters. This dialogic interplay between orality and progressive literary praxis not only redefined the Mushā’irah as an institution but also broadened the horizons of Urdu poetry, ensuring its relevance for generations to come.