54-410: Umrao Jaan is the titular heroine, a courtesan from Lucknow, in the 1899 Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada by Indian writer Mirza Hadi Ruswa. Umrao Jaan may also refer to the novel's adaptations: Umrao Jaan Ada Umrao Jaan Ada ( Urdu : اُمراؤ جان ادا ) is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa (1857–1931), first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many and tells
108-511: A tawaif . Over the years the novel has inspired many films both in India and Pakistan . It was made into a Pakistani film in 1972, Umrao Jaan Ada , directed by Hassan Tariq , and the Indian films: Mehndi (1958) by SM Yusuf , Zindagi Ya Toofan (1958) by Nakhshab Jarchavi, Umrao Jaan (1981) by Muzaffar Ali and Umrao Jaan (2006) by JP Dutta . The novel was also the theme of
162-404: A Pakistani television serial, Umrao Jaan Ada , aired in 2003 on Geo TV . It was directed by Raana Sheikh and the screenplay was written by poet Zehra Nigah . Umrao Jaan Ada , an Indian television series adaptation of the novel aired on Doordarshan 's DD Urdu channel in 2014. It ran for 13 episodes and was directed by Javed Sayyed with music from Sappan Jagmohan. Salim–Sulaiman remade
216-405: A brainless libertine. He was a lovable and generous gentleman. He was a voluptuary, still he never touched wine , and though sunk in pleasure, he never missed his five daily prayers . It was the literary and artistic attainments of Wajid Ali Shah which distinguished him from his contemporaries. Dr. G.D. Bhatnagar, Awadh Under Wajid Ali Shah A large number of composers who thrived under
270-642: A long voyage and it was his mother, brother and heir apparent who left for England. A year later when the Indian Rebellion of 1857 spread to Lucknow and rebelling sepoys installed one of his sons to the throne of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah was imprisoned in Fort William by the British along with his Prime Minister, due to apprehensions that he would become a rallying figure for the sepoys. HEA Cotton wrote that on Panic Sunday (14 June 1857), there
324-702: A particularly popular rendition remembered today was performed by Kundan Lal Saigal for the 1930s movie Street Singer . بابُل مورا نیہر چھُوٹو ہی جائے बाबुल मोरा, नैहर छूटो ही जाए bābul morā naihar chhūṭo hī jāye O My father! I'm leaving home. چار کہار مِل موری ڈولِیا اُٹھایّں चार कहार मिल, मोरी डोलिया उठायें chār kahār mil, morī ḍoliyā uṭhāeṃ The four bearers lift my palanquin . مورا اپنا بیگانو چھوٹو جائے मोरा अपना बेगाना छूटो जाए morā apnā bigānā chhūṭo jāye. I am leaving those who were my own. آنگن تو پربت بھئیو اور ڈیری بھئی بدیش अंगना तो पर्बत भयो और देहरी भयी बिदेस āngan to parbat bhayo aur dehrī bhayī bidesh Your courtyard
378-458: A pre-eminent art under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah. In the ancient times Kathak being the part of the temple ritual was performed at temples. With the change of time the Kathak performers in search of better prospects and rich patronage left the temple and entered into royal courts. The transformation was inevitable. The dance started adapting itself to the demands of the court, but it was under
432-536: A spectacular pageant or Mela known as Jogia Jashan, in which all citizens of Lucknow could participate, dressed as Yogis, irrespective of caste and creed. Later, when his favourite venue, the Qaisarbagh Baradari was built, he began to stage his magnificent Rahas (a Persianised name for Rasleela) full of sensuous poetry, his own lyrical compositions and glamorous Kathak dances. Ranbir Singh gives details of Wajid Ali Shah's book entitled Bani in which
486-483: Is Bani which runs into 400 pages. It is a treatise on Music and Dance, which offers details of the mushairas held at Matiya Burj, of the buildings raised there at his command. There are also descriptions of the animals at his personal zoo, besides vignettes of life and the time at Matiya Burj. Although it is estimated that he wrote over 60 books but most of his works are not available and hence no critical assessment of his writing has been made till date. After losing
540-468: Is Rahas and the other one is called Raas . He himself choreographed a dance based on the moves of Kathak called, Rahas , that he danced himself with the ladies of his court. For him, Rahas was a dramatic form of theatre including acting, dancing, and music and with different scenes the whole setting and locale changes. On the other hand, Raas was purely a religious form. Primarily Dhrupad was sung in Raas and
594-526: Is born as Amiran ( Urdu : اميرن ) to a modest family in Faizabad . After the criminal Dilawar Khan is released from jail, he decides to get revenge as her father testified against him in court. Khan kidnaps Amiran and decides to sell her in Lucknow. She is imprisoned with another girl, Ram Dai, but the two are separated when Dilawar Khan takes her to Lucknow. There she is sold for 150 rupees to Khanum Jaan,
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#1732798039602648-497: Is disputed among scholars as there are few mentions of her outside of Ruswa's book. She does appear in his earlier unfinished novel Afshai Raz , but is very different from the cultured character in Umrao Jaan Ada . The existence of an Uttar Pradesh dacoit named Fazal Ali is recorded, and there are British documents that mention the claims of a tawaif named Azizan Bai who stated that she was taught by Umrao Jaan. Umrao Jaan
702-423: Is faithful records of the hazardous journey that he undertook from Lucknow to Calcutta, after having relinquished his crown. It speaks of the unkind and unceremonious treatment accorded to him by the British authorities. Vivid details of the people and the places he encountered on his journey. It also evokes his desperation at his arrest and subsequent deportment to Calcutta's Matiya Burj. Another important work of his
756-554: Is imprisoned, but luckily one of the tawaif from Khanum Jaan's kotha is in the service of the Raja whose soldiers arrested her so Umrao Jaan is freed. As soon as she leaves the Raja's court, Faiz Ali finds her and gets her to come with him. He is soon captured and Umrao Jaan, reluctant to return to Khanum Jaan, sets up as a tawaif in Kanpur . While she is performing in the house of a kindly Begum , armed bandits led by Fazl Ali try to rob
810-437: Is said that Amanat's Inder Sabha was inspired by these dance-dramas, written, produced and staged by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Like the performing arts , Wajid Ali Shah also patronised literature and several poets and writers in his court. Notable among them were 'Barq', 'Ahmad Mirza Sabir', 'Mufti Munshi', and 'Aamir Ahmad Amir', who wrote books at the orders of Wajid Ali Shah, Irshad-us-Sultan and Hidayat-us-Sultan , Amanat
864-545: Is said to have composed many new ragas and named them Jogi , Juhi , Shah-Pasand , etc. The source for much information on music in Nawabi Lucknow comes from the text Ma’danul Moosiqui ('The Mine of Music') of Hakim Mohammed Karam Imam, courtier of Wajid Ali Shah. During his time, complicated ragas like hori and dhrupad were ignored and easier raginis like tilak , pilu , sendura , khammach , bhairvi and jhanjhauti were encouraged. As these were liked by
918-496: Is said, it was called Parikhana. However, heartbroken after leaving Lucknow , he had carried his dear city in his heart and proceeded to carve out a miniature of Lucknow in Metiabruz. In his exile in Metiabruz, he tried to keep the sweet memories of his Lucknow era alive by recreating the musical environments of his Kaisarbagh Baradari. The banished king had been "given" a number of fine houses with vast grounds stretching along
972-641: The Bengal Army on the kingdom's coffer, in addition to repeatedly demanding loans. However, the EIC refrained from annexing the remainder of the kingdom because they needed a buffer state between their territories to the east and south, and the Mughal Empire to the north. Wajid Ali Shah ascended the throne of Oudh at a time when the East India Company was determined to annex the throne of
1026-475: The British Resident of Lucknow , General William Sleeman , who submitted a report highlighting "maladministration" and "lawlessness" he described as prevailing there, although Sleeman himself was strictly opposed to outright annexation for a variety of reasons, including political, financial and ethical ones. This provided the British with the facade of benevolence they were looking for, and formed
1080-559: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 as the regent of Awadh. His kingdom, long protected by the East India Company (EIC) under a treaty, was annexed by the EIC on 11 February 1856, two days before the ninth anniversary of his coronation. The Nawab was exiled to Garden Reach in Metiabruz , then a suburb of Kolkata , where he lived out the rest of his life on a generous pension. He was a poet, playwright, dancer and great patron of
1134-500: The mutiny is over. She meets the Begum from Kanpur again in Lucknow and discovers that she is actually Ram Dai. By a strange twist of fate Ram Dai was sold to the mother of Nawab Sultan and the two are now married. Another ghost of Umrao Jaan's past is put to rest when Dilawar Khan is arrested and hanged for robbery. With her earnings and the gold that Faiz Ali gave her, she is able to live comfortably and eventually retires from her life as
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#17327980396021188-430: The 1981 Indian film into a musical play , Umrao Jaan Ada - The Musical , in 2019, the theatrical adaptation was directed by Rajeev Goswami with Pratibha Baghel in the title role of the tawaif. In January 2023, an eight-part series adaptation of the novel was announced with Sajal Aly in the titular Umrao Jaan. Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ( Urdu : واجد علی شاه ) (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887)
1242-402: The artistic guidance and patronage of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, that Kathak achieved greater dimensions. He gave it a definite form, made it more artistic, and gave to it an aesthetic touch, he enriched it with rasa and bhava , and he added literature to it, lent it sensuality, and furnished it with grandeur and splendor to its presentation, argued Abdul Halim Sharar . During this period, Kathak
1296-527: The arts. He introduced Kathak , a major form of classical Indian dance as a court dance after the decline of Mughals for recreation activity. Wajid Ali Shah succeeded the throne of Awadh when the kingdom was in decline. The British East India Company (EIC) had annexed much of the kingdom under its rule in a treaty signed with the Nawabs in 1801 and stymied the Awadh economy by imposing the costs of maintaining
1350-475: The author mentions 36 types of Rahas all set in Kathak style (with colourful names like Mor-Chchatr , Ghunghat , Salami , Mor Pankhi and Mujra ), and gives exhaustive notes about the costumes, jewellery, and stage- craft. Rahas, prepared at a fabulous cost of several lakhs (hundred thousands) of rupees, became very popular, and was performed at the Kaisarbagh-Rahas Manzil, (most probably
1404-438: The banks of the river Hooghly three to four miles south of Kolkata. Because of the presence there of an earthen dome (or raised platform), people would refer to it as Matiya Burj . The king spent lavishly out of his income of 12 lakhs (or, 1.2 million) rupees per annum and before long a "second Lucknow" arose in this area. His bhairavi thumri Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaay has been sung by several prominent singers, but
1458-431: The famous author of Indra Sabha and Bekhud wrote Jalwa-Akhatar , Hajjo Sharaf and Afsana-i-Lucknow have presented a picture of the times and life of Wajid Ali Shah. The famous poet Mirza Ghalib also received the gracious patronage of Wajid Ali Shah, who granted him a pension of Rupees five hundred per year in 1854. Wajid Ali Shah used to write himself and was a poet of a considerable merit. He used to write under
1512-713: The first Hindustani Theatre Hall). Many have regarded Wajid Ali Shah as "the first playwright of the Hindustani theatre", because his "Radha Kanhaiyya Ka Qissa" staged in the Rahas Manzil was the first play of its kind. It featured the Goddess Radha , Lord Krishna , several sakhis , and a Vidushaka-like character named "Ramchera". Songs, dances, mime, and drama were all delightfully synthesised in these Rahas performances. He dramatised many other poems such as Darya-i-Tashsq , Afsane-i-Isbaq , and Bhahar-i-Ulfat . It
1566-513: The gathering, convinces Umrao Jaan to share her life story with them. The novel is written in first person as a memoir. The book was first published by Gulab Munshi and Sons Press, Lucknow in 1899. The novel is known for its elaborate portrayal of mid-19th century Lucknow, its decadent society, and also describes the moral hypocrisy of the era, where Umrao Jaan also becomes the symbol of a nation that had long attracted many suitors who were only looking to exploit her. The existence of Umrao Jaan Ada
1620-411: The head tawaif of a kotha . She is renamed Umrao and begins to study classical music and dance . Together with the other apprentice tawaif and Gauhar Mirza, the mischievous illegitimate son of a local Nawab, she is taught to read and write in both Urdu and Persian . As Umrao grows up, she is surrounded by a culture of luxury, music and poetry. She eventually gains her first client, (earning her
1674-497: The house, but leave when they see that Umrao Jaan is there. Then Gauhar Mirza comes to Kanpur and she decides to return to the kotha . Umrao Jaan performs at the court of Wajid Ali Shah until the Siege of Lucknow forces her to flee the city for Faizabad. There she finds her mother, but is threatened by her brother who considers her a disgrace and believes she would be better off dead. Devastated, Umrao Jaan returns to Lucknow now that
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1728-412: The king and easily understood by all sections of the society. They came to be well-loved by the commoners. Wajid Ali Shah has been accused of cheapening the classical tradition and promoting lighter forms of music such as ghazals and thumris. But then, as argued by scholars like Ravi Bhatt, this is how popular music has always been criticised. Popular belief has it that the light classical form, thumri
1782-542: The kingdom, the King first went to Kanpur and then progressed to Calcutta in a steamer accompanied by his close relatives and large entourage comprising musicians, nautch girls, cooks and animals from his menagerie and came ashore at Bichali Ghat near Metiabruz , Calcutta on 13 May 1856. He had made up his mind to go and plead his case to Queen Victoria because of his firm belief in the British sense of justice. However, his physicians did not think his health would permit such
1836-493: The lavish patronage of the Nawab rulers of Lucknow enriched the light classical form of thumri ; the most prominent among these was Wajid Ali Shah. He was not only a munificent patron of music, dance, drama, and poetry but was also a gifted composer. He had received vocal training under great Ustads like Basit Khan, Pyar Khan and Jafar Khan. Pyar Khan, Jafar Khan and Basit Khan were the direct descendants of Mian Tansen and were
1890-414: The mysterious Faiz Ali, showers Umrao Jaan with jewels and gold, but warns her not to tell anyone about his gifts. When he invites her to travel to Farrukhabad , Khanum Jaan refuses so Umrao Jaan must run away. On the way to Farrukhabad, they are attacked by soldiers and Umrao Jaan discovers that Faiz is a dacoit and all of his gifts have been stolen goods. Faiz Ali escapes with his brother Fazl Ali and she
1944-510: The nom-de-plume of ‘ Akhtar ’. He had equal command over Persian and Urdu and wrote several books in both languages. According to his court chronicler Masih-ud-Din he received a liberal western education and was well versed in ancient and modern history and literature. Garcin de Tassy, while travelling in the sub-continent during the mid-nineteenth century wrote in his journal about Wajid Ali Shah and noted, "I do not have to appreciate here this very political resolution, neither do I have to appreciate
1998-647: The official basis for their annexation. Recent studies have, however, suggested that Oudh was neither as bankrupt nor as lawless as the British had claimed. In fact, Oudh was for all practical purposes under British rule well before the annexation, with the Nawab playing little more than a titular role. The Bengal presidency army was recruited largely from Oudh; while, under direction by the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie in 1855, any tax revenue from Oudh not required for state government costs
2052-505: The official court dance, but using it in performances of rahas made it popular among the people. When Wajid Ali Shah was a young boy, some astrologers warned his parents that he would become a Yogi, and advised them that the boy should be dressed up as a Yogi on each birthday of his so as to counteract the effect of the evil stars. He established the famous Parikhaana (abode of fairies) in which hundreds of beautiful and talented girls were taught music and dancing by expert-teachers engaged by
2106-663: The performance began with its singing. Raas was a circular form of dance where many gopis danced with one Krishna. Radhakamal Mukerjee in his book, The Lord of the Autumn Moons , says that the Raspancadhyayi or the five chapters pertaining to the circular group dance of Krishna with the Gopis, distill the embody the full maturity of the mystical emotions. Kathak dance attained new heights of popularity and glory under his expert guidance and lavish patronage. Thakur Prasadji
2160-527: The prosperous Awadh, which was "the garden, granary, and queen-province of India"- the royal predecessors and successors of Awadh were one of the major threats to the dominance of the Mughal Empire before the arrival of the East India Company to the Indian subcontinent . In different circumstances perhaps, he might have succeeded as a ruler because he had many qualities that made a good administrator. He
2214-425: The qualities or defects of Wajid Ali Shah, as a sovereign, but I am interested in him as a distinguished scholar and as eminent poet in Hindustani". Wajid Ali Shah wrote extensively and adopted a simple language that easily conveyed meaning to all. It showed sprinkling of Awadhi, the local dialect. He was a prolific writer. His work Sawat-ul-Qalub runs into 1061 pages and comprises a collection of 44,562 couplets, and
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2268-408: The royal patron. These girls were known as Paris (fairies) with names such as Sultan pari , Mahrukh pari and so on. On each birthday, the Nawab would dress up as a Yogi with saffron robes, ash of pearls smeared on his face and body, necklaces of pearls around his neck, and a rosary in his hand, and walk pompously into the court with two of his ' paris dressed up as Jogans. Gradually he made it into
2322-574: The sons of famous Tanseni Chajju Khan. Bahadur Hussain Khan was the descendant of Tansen's son-in-law Naubat Khan , and was one of Wajid Ali Shah's favorite musicians, so much that the Nawab bestowed upon the singer the title Zia-ud-Daulah. Although Wajid Ali Shah's poetic takhallus was "Qaisar", he used the pseudonym "Akhtarpiya" for his musical compositions. Under this name, he wrote over forty works – poems, prose and thumris . The collections Diwan-i-Akhtar and Husn-i-Akhtar contain his ghazals . He
2376-433: The story of a tawaif and poet by the same name from 19th century Lucknow , as recounted by her to the author. According to the novel, a tawaif and poet Umrao Jaan from 19th century Lucknow, the story was recounted by her to the author, when he happened to meet her during a mushaira (poetry gathering) in Lucknow. On listening to her couplets, the author along with Munshi Ahmad, a novel and poetry enthusiast present at
2430-566: The suffix of jaan ) but prefers the impoverished Gauhar Mirza, her friend. Umrao Jaan attracts the handsome and wealthy Nawab Sultan. The couple fall in love, but, after an altercation with an impolite patron where the Nawab Sultan shoots and wound hims in the arm, he no longer comes to the kotha and Umrao Jaan must meet him secretly with the help of Gauhar Mirza. As Umrao Jaan continues to see Nawab Sultan and also serve other clients, she supports Gauhar Mirza with her earnings. A new client,
2484-459: Was also extensively performed by tawaifs, who themselves developed the art in parallel to its refinement in court. They frequently performed on lighter classical music of such as dadra , kajri and tappa as well as thumri . Given the tawaifs' environment, their performance style of Kathak also differed from the court style, involving more of what in Kathak is termed nakhra (mischievous playfulness). Wajid Ali Shah started two distinct forms one
2538-428: Was appropriated by the East India Company. In his book "Awadh Under Wajid Ali Shah", Dr. G.D. Bhatnagar gives the following assessment of this ill-starred prince: Cast by providence for the role of an accomplished dilettante, he found himself a misfit for the high office to which he was elevated by chance. Wajid Ali Shah's character was complex. Though he was a man of pleasure, he was neither an unscrupulous knave nor
2592-497: Was completed in a short span of three years. Abdul Lais Siddiqi in Lucknow Ka Dabistan-i-Shairi noted that it was common for kings to employ poets to write on their behalf but this was not true of Wajid Ali Shah, and every single word has been written by himself and no one else. One of his most important works is the autobiographical Huzn-i-Akhtar , which is in verse and contains nearly 1276 couplets. It
2646-618: Was created by Wajid Ali Shah. However, James Kippen argued that evidence suggests that thumri had almost certainly already become an independent vocal form somewhat influenced by khayal by 1800, becoming extremely popular and pervasive in the time of Wajid Ali Shah. Wajid Ali wrote and performed ghazals, and the modern-day style of ghazals was certainly evolved by his innovative ideas and experimentations in ghazals, some of which were noted for their inclusion of obscenities and sexually explicit references to his own private life. Not only music but dance also developed strongly in Lucknow and became
2700-512: Was during his reign that Lucknow Gharana came into existence. It was in this period that the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak attained maturity, through the efforts of the stalwarts like Thakur Prasadji and others. The Lucknow style of Kathak dance is characterized by graceful movements, elegance and natural poise with dance. Abhinaya , concern for movement shape and creative improvisations are the hallmarks of this style. He not only made Kathak
2754-465: Was generous, kind and compassionate towards his subjects, besides being one of the most magnanimous and passionate patrons of fine arts in the Indian tradition. When he ascended the throne, he took keen interest in the administration of justice, introduced reforms, and reorganised the military. Wajid Ali Shah was widely regarded as a debauched and detached ruler, but some of his notoriety seems to have been misplaced. The main cause for condemnation comes from
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#17327980396022808-475: Was his Kathak guru, and the unforgettable Kalka-Binda brothers performed in his court. What with the grand pageantry of the Rahas, Jogiya Jashan, Dance-dramas, and Kathak performances, Lucknow became the magnetic cultural centre where the most reputed musicians, dancers and poets of the time flourished. The greatest musicians, dancers and instrumentalists of the time enjoyed his munificent patronage and hospitality. It
2862-583: Was the eleventh and last King of Awadh , holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better known as Khas Mahal ( transl. special wife ) because of her exquisite beauty. She was one of two Nikahi wives. His second wife, Muhammadi Khanum, better known as the Begum Hazrat Mahal , rose against the British East India Company during
2916-678: Was widespread apprehension among the European inhabitants of Kolkata because he had "one, two, three thousand" (no one knew) armed men under him. The suppression of the Indian Rebellion by the British Army dashed all his hopes of returning to Lucknow. After his release from Fort William , he was allotted a building called BNR House in Garden Reach near the headquarter of South Eastern Railway , Calcutta . In those days, it
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