The Dawn of Tehet in Karachi - Syed Aley Raza

Syed Aley Raza (1896-1978) was a renowned ghazal and marsiya poet. He was born in Unnao, and practiced law in Lucknow before moving to Pakistan in 1947. A pupil of Arzu Lakhnavi, Raza was one of the boldface names of the modern marsiya. He is more widely remembered for penning the salam-e akhir (farewell salutation), which was recited by Nasir Jahan and ended the Ashura transmission each year on Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television. Raza was a proponent of the modern style of tehetul lafzkhwani. Tehet is a form of non-melodic marsiya recitation, delivered with a sensitivity toward poetic meter and semantic connotation. The 1965 essay featured in this episode provides a history of tehetul lafzkhwani in Karachi after the creation of Pakistan. Raza begins with the state of the marsiya in Lucknow at the turn of the century, how a new style of oratory was being popularized by Maulana Sibte Hasan, and how the traditional Mir Anis style of affected marsiya recitals was going out of vogue. He explains the logic, not only behind his breaking from tradition in writing the marsiya, but also behind his style of recitation, and how it differed from the theatrical style of Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, which gained widespread popularity over the airwaves. Raza provides insight into the city's cultural scene during the early years of independence, and into the modern marsiya tradition and its 'philosophical' pretensions.Featured recitations:

1. Syed Aley Raza - Shahadat se Pehle

2. Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari - Bakhuda faris-e maidan-e tahavvur tha Hur