A Review on “Speaking Silence”

B Y MUHAMMAD FAROOQ REHMANI

A collection of poems by Prof. Nazir Ahmad Shawl

Poetry is a gift of Allah— rhyme and rhythm of heart and mind to whosoever He may be kind
enough to grant. It has no requirement of literacy and education. Some minds work hard to write a
poem. Thus it is their sporadic gift; others receive sudden and spontaneous showers of poetry as if a
garden in full bloom. However, in poetry or prose even beautiful ideas need fascinating words. But there
is always both good and bad poetry. It depends upon ones intuition, environment and social up-
bringing. This has eloquently and scientifically been illustrated by Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali in his
illustrious treatise “Muqadma-e-Sher-o-Shairi.”A good poetry gives voice to voiceless people, and can be
applauded as the light in darkness. Poetry is the soul of humanity, whether in joy or sorrow. While some
poets do serve humanity, some mislead mankind by their poems. Therefore The Quran defines and
demarcates the contours of this lovely medium of expression and differentiates a good poetry from a
bad one. Quran’s definition of poetry revolutionized the perception of verse and poetry. Al-Kitab warned
humanity against aimless wanderings of thought, showed the path of virtue and glorified poets for
preaching virtue and raising their voice against injustice and tyranny. The Quran in Surah Al-Shu`ara'
declares:—
And the poets—
It is those straying in Evil,
Who follow them:
Seest thou not they
Wander distractedly in every valley?-
And that they say
What they practice not?-
Except those who believe,
Work righteousness, engage much
In the remembrance of Allah,
And defend themselves only after
They are unjustly attacked
And soon will the unjust
Assailants know what vicissitudes
Their affairs will take!
[Verses: 224-227]
Prof. Nazir Ahmad Shawl has through his first published collection of English poems “Speaking
Silence” lucidly and impulsively followed the afore mentioned principles of Poetry. When I first read the
title of this Book, the following lines of Dr. Iqbal instantly came dancing in my mind:—
Nahein minnat kashay tabay shuniden dastan meri,
Khamoshi ghuftaghu hai bezubani hai zuban meri.
My saga will not afford debt of gratitude to listening,
Silence is my speaking, silence is my talking.
Although Prof. Shawl now lives in London but through this poetry his soul is in Kashmir. He in his
new destination is not ready to surrender his enchanting memory of the past. It enthralls him. The
flowery meadows, serene springs, murmuring streams, calm Jhelum, Wular and Dull lakes, rhyme of

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thick forests and bushes—the beautiful face of nature finds a special mention in this collection. But the
beauty is in grief and gloom. There is also a vivid impact of the teachings of Walis (saints) on his poems.
The people of Kashmir despite new-age changes and waves of material considerations still love to live
under the spell of their national saints. It is quite evident from the daily rush of the people towards their
mausoleums to pray in their mosques.
That was the age of autocratic Kings in Kashmir and India. But the great Sufis (saints) of the time
sacrificed their material comforts for spiritual and moral pursuits and gains, and thus were indifferent to
the glamour of the courts of Kings. Their perception of the world; their likes and dislikes or virtue and
vice can be understood from their poems, sayings, and folklore—even today narrated and sung in
Kashmir. People have great love for these mystical Kashmiri melodies and Persian lyrics of the time.
To this day their teachings are followed by Kashmiris not only to know the path towards
understanding Allah but also to promote inter-communal and inter-religious harmony. The poet is
interested in the bygone times, public mores; present and past; and different characters of those good
old days are in his mind.
Nevertheless, the saga of Kashmir from 1947 onwards haunts him most in his new destination.
Sheikh Abdullah and his National Conference called the second phase of this dark period as Naya
Kashmir, that had begun with the occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by Indian forces—inflicting tyranny,
exiling opposition workers, crushing basic human rights and civil liberties under The Enemy Agent
Ordinance, and bringing death and destruction to the Kashmiris for their uncommitted sins. After 60
years of global political changes nothing has changed, rather everything has become red with the blood
of innocent Kashmiris, and many faces are pale like Autumn leaves because of the torture, humiliation
and intimidation by army and police. Notwithstanding the Kashmiris are proud of their struggle and
sacrifices. Thanks to India’s Gandhian philosophy, grave yards of martyrs are growing in number only to
make this struggle uncompromising. If Egypt is proud of its ancient and grand pyramids, the heritage of
Pharaohs, Kashmir finds its solace in the heritage of its martyrs; and in the message of God’s loved and
exalted personalities. The last two decades of Kashmir have left unforgettable and endless marks on the
life and times of the people.
Prof. Shawl in his “Speaking Silence” has keenly observed, thoroughly experienced and deeply
felt travail of Kashmir. He is stirred by misfortunes of the land but is optimistic to notice the gallantry
and intelligence of the inhabitants of Kashmir. It has tempted him to write these thoughtful English
poems in London. It is his everlasting contribution to the current phase of freedom struggle, to give
physique to weak and exalt people’s envious belief in the freedom from foreign occupation. Of course, a
lyric poem can be the most effective medium of mirroring human aspirations and feelings of sorrow.
Lyrical poetry with a national and humane theme makes you immortal. In describing the picturesque
valley and the traumatic humanity, the poet walks through his landscape and rouses similar emotions
among other politically victimized Kashmiris, who can’t go back to their land of dreams.
Each and every year of the past 20 years of Kashmir is a book of history—unforgettable and
undying. But the natural resilience of this nation before the onslaught of the nuclear India is itself a
miracle. How could a man of letters like Shawl remain silent and subdued in the land of great English
poets like Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Shelly and many others? The message of his first
publication, I believe will bloom fully in the colorful city of London. Its message I hope will equally
impress the literary world of the mainland and the people will urge their politicians, clergy and royal
dynasty to support the Kashmiris for the right of self determination. The poet is fully conversant with all
the traumatic conditions of Kashmir, which I like to, illustrate in the words of Wordsworth:
Through times of honor, and through times of shame,
Have I descended, tracing faithfully
The workings of a youthful mind, beneath

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 The breath of great events—
It’s really being in the modern period of terror and tyranny and fighting horror of horrors, to
surmount agents of tyranny and shame that Kashmiris would not have imagined at the time of the
independence of India and Pakistan from Britain.”Speaking Silence” opens with ‘The Grace of
Providence’, infinite and eternal power of the Almighty Allah—caring for, protecting, and sustaining the
universe and life therein. This magnanimous grace in the word of Allah is “Light of the heavens and
earth.” In “A clarion call” the poet becomes a nomad for the freedom of his country of origin—“a
wingless bird craving a nest.” But a firm belief in ‘The Grace of Providence’ makes him sing Allah’s most
‘magnanimous grace’ that; despite prison, torture and exile” ‘all woes will melt. And ‘the breeze of
freedom will blow very fast.’ In “can we afford a slip” he says, ‘brave men always brave the storms.’ In
“conquering Evil” he regrets how ‘blood spills like torrential rains.’ Again in his poem “Kashmir will
awaken the world” he quotes Mahjoor—the national poet of Kashmir who had given a new meaning to
Kashmir and the age-old Kashmiri language - rich in metaphors and symbols:—
My fellow countrymen listen, rejoice!
My ears are ringing with Mahjoor’s strong voice:
“The time will come when the world we shall rouse.
Kashmiris sing out this song and be proud!”
A reader feels a difference in this verse collection. Although Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-
lingual, multi-religious, multi-ethnic state, cut into two pieces in the war of 1947, being controlled by the
armies of India and Pakistan on both sides of the territory, the poet like every Kashmiri believes in its
unity and indivisibility. He thunders:-
I am the heir of all this land
I am from the paradise grand.”
In these poems he exalts gems and incarnations of literature, love and beauty, truth and justice.
There are poems separately paying tribute to some of the great personalities of past and present world.
The poet extols festivals of great civilizations and religions of universal fame. He feels nostalgia of blissful
festivals, which were being celebrated jointly by the followers of different faiths, before the episode of
the poet’s migration to Pakistan. Under the spell of his past, how could the poet forget describing
memory of his birth place—Varmul (Baramulla) and Asia’s famous sweet water lake—Wular in the
foothills of Bandipore and Ningli nursery of Sopore. These are exactly my own feelings and sentiments as
I come from Bandipore (Bandpur). Undoubtedly, the poet also refreshes my memory. He takes a trip
down memory lane.
Moments vanish and time flies,
The dream swims in the vacant eyes.
In the poem “on Wular Lake,” the poet says,
Lake’s vision dances scene by scene
Wular’s waters are emerald green.
What to Egypt is the Nile River?
The same to Kashmir is sweet Wular,
Or, like Sibaria’s Lake Baikal-
Wular gives blessings to each and all.
The poet relives horrors of army brutalities in Kashmir. In his poem “Paradise turned into hell”
he cries,
Indian thugs on a killing spell.
Paradise converted into hell!
King Jehangir in his memoirs eulogizes Kashmir, saying ‘if there is paradise on earth, it’s here, it’s
here, it’s here.’ But the savagery of Indian troops in Kashmir continues in the 21 st century. In his poem

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“The flower vale cries out for spring.” the poet desperately depicts plight of the Mughal Gardens-Nishat
and Shalimar; waters of Dal Lake, Wular Lake, and Lidar-Nalla (stream); remembering great poets of,
melodious voices and brooding Nightingale. He holds foreign criminal occupants responsible for the long
drawn travail of Kashmiri Muslims and non Muslims alike. Even under such worst conditions, he
proclaims,
O Gardener see Mahjoor’s flower vale,
My people now, will brook no sale!
In “The Phoenix of Kashmir” he calls the land ‘The inspiration of poets, the writer’s heaven’
which will gain freedom from the despot’s hand and the Kashmiris ‘will reshape their destiny. He
compares the ‘idyllic land of beauty’ with the phoenix-a mythological bird, which burns itself into ashes
and then reborn.
The “Speaking Silence’” from A to Z preaches universal peace, brotherhood, love and justice for
the mankind. Therefore, if on the one hand this book of poems laments the loss of freedom, mercy and
justice in Kashmir; it is never unspeaking about the independence struggle of other oppressed nations. It
calls for the creation of an Independent state of Palestine—the land of Prophets of Allah. It speaks on 08
October 2005, earthquake in Kashmir and Pakistan, invoking sympathies for the helpless survivors of this
catastrophe. The poet is also alive to the terroristic attacks of 9/11 and 7/7/2005, in New York and
London. In his poems “A tribute to Londoners” and “Long Live Humanity” written on the London tragedy
and the twin tower disaster, he calls upon the world to
Declare with me in utmost sanity
Scared, the Life, of all humanity!
In short, no tragic event is missed in the eyes of this book of poetry. The poet transmits
Kashmir’s message of peace, love and humanity to all the peoples and nations across the world. Having
said all this on “Speaking Silence” I beseech that in this age of neo- telecommunication, flow of
information, and scientific research; the Islam-phobia, tirade against the Prophet (PBUH) and Quran in
some areas of the west, should not escape the pen of poets and artists, which if once left unchallenged
and untouched will plunge west into a greater horrible war than ever imagined. Some powers and
groups in Europe try to create conditions similar to the 14 th and 15th century Spain to murder Islam and
Muslims in the continent. For that nefarious design the dreaded word ‘terrorism’ is being misused
against Islam and Muslims. Therefore, it is the duty of poets, artists and writers amongst Christians,
Muslims and Jews in the West to stress upon the bond of divine revelation in their religions and kill the
monster of hate and fanaticism between the East and the West. Prof. Shawl’s poetry has an intrinsic
value. It brings to light a variety of topics with a singular theme in the “Speaking Silence” but the real
challenge to humanity lay ahead, looming large over our heads.
Nevertheless, Shawl’s poetry is all dream, and determination. It is full of remarkable insight. The
poems bear a nostalgic character. The reader is led to our bygone days; colorful pictures of the
countryside come but vanish to see wolves in the shape of saints, butchering humanity across the
“paradise.” The “Speaking Silence” gives a multi-faceted message of justice, peace and communal
harmony and rejuvenates love against terrorism and fanaticism. It is the voice of broken hearts,
suffering minds and impoverished people. In a manner it graphically shows you the festering sours of
the Kashmiris, leaves you brooding, rouses your inner self and introduces a vibrant and articulate
generation of the “earthly paradise” to the West. I admire its theme and commend it to the lovers of
poetry and natural beauty. I hope that Shawl’s poems would rouse and inspire Kashmiri youth in the
English speaking world, especially Britain, where they are unaware of the phonetics of their fathers and
forefathers. In spite of their western upbringing and environment such publications will place them on
an equal frequency with the country of origin.

Note: The write is Chairman Jammu and Kashmir People's Freedom League. Email: mfr_isb@hotmail.com.

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