Habba Khatoon - Nightingale of Kashmir

              (Image source: Internet) 

Background: 

Kashmir had given birth to many great saints, seers, poets. poetesses who have excelled in their sainthood and poetic greatness respectively. One of such great poetess and ascetic was a kashmiri Muslim women known as Habba Khatoon also famous as the nightingale of Kashmir. She has got an important place in Kashmiri culture and language. She had and continues to mesmerise Kashmiris by her melodious and sweet voice and her poetry is even today on the tongue of the elders Kshmiris both Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. Habba Khatoon has enriched Kashmiri language, poetry and culture by her poetic and mystic contributions. She was 16th century poetess and ascetic and has greatly influenced Kashmiri language and culture by her poetry and she has carved her name in the then culture fabric of Kashmir and her sweet voice and style of singing is a feast to human mind. Her poetry is based on the real life situations. 

Zoon Rather: Birth, Beauty and Early Education

She was married to Yousf Shah Chak but she is famous and in fact has become immortal by the dint of her poetry.  Habba Khatoon was born as Zoon Rather. Her music gave her poetry a push gradually into learned fraternity. Those who fled on the poetry of immortals like Firdausi,Omar, and Hafiz  criticised her poetry. She became a poetess under the compulsion of her family as she got separated from her husband who divorced her. Her poetry has the mix and tinge of both romance and asceticism but later on her poetry shown on the  literary and culture landscape of Kashmir. She came to be known in Kashmiri society by her folk songs and oral traditions. Habba Khatoon became famous  among the generations of Kashmiris by her romantic and ascetic poetry. She was born in village Chandur in Pampur town of Pulwama Tehsil. Habba Khtoon was born on 1554 and breathed last in 1609 after excelling in poetry which is based on reality. 

An Unhappy Marriage and the Awakening of a Poetess

Her poetry is even today brimming with separation and loss. It is said that she was called Zoon because of her beauty. She was born in a peasants family but she learned to read and write from village Alimah. His father Abdi Rather of Chandhur was a rich man and he had unusual courage and foresight.Notwithstanding criticism and opposition from society, her father made arrangements for her daughters education with the village molvi and she was taught Holy Quran and she also learnt Gulistan Bostan which was common those days. It was in Persian script. Her name spread beyond the boundaries of  her village and Abid Rather’s Zoon was called as the extra-ordinary child in the surrounding hamlets. She the paragon of beauty and her voice was so sweet and it enchanted and mesmerised the people. She came from  well-to-do family and was educated as well. She could work at home and in fields and could bring prosperity to the family. She was married to  peasants son named Aziz Lone. But his tastes and interests had nothing in common. His husband was a dull boorish young peasant. Nature made he to sing and be glorious through Aziz Lone who was apathetic to her love. Still Habba Khatoon was devoted to him in love and fidelity and she tried her best to get love from her husband. 

Despite this she worked in the house of her in laws and also worked in fields and did all chorus of work but without any appreciation from her husbands parents and from her husband. She used to go to the river to fetch water, go to woods to fetch firewood, ply the spinning wheel and did all types of works of those times. It is said that by chance she broke an earthen pot used for fetching water and her in-laws demanded new pot or in the alternative money for it. She sung Warven saet Vare Chasno Char kay muoin Malenyuo Ho, Ghar Drayas Abi Netus, Nuet Mai Fout Malynuo Ho, Ye Dietum Nanti-Nauta Nata Nautcha Har Malynuo, meaning roughly as I am not good at the in-laws house, do good do to me my parents, I went to fetch water, my Neut the earthen pot broke so give me new pot or in the alternatively money for its damage. It shows that her in-laws were very cruel to her. The life was very bad for her and she realised that her life is worse than death. Aziz continued to be indifferent to her. The circumstances were very bad and in such situations women turn to the godly men and so Habba also sought the help of such a man and she Approached one Khawaja Masud and he consoled her and predicted a better future for her. But there was no streak of conjugal delight in her married life and she continued to address her laments to her husband. 

Habba Khatoon: The Immortal Voice of Kashmir 

One of the most famous songs of Habba Khatoon is Wolo Myaeni Poshay Madano - come, my flowery Cupid. It showed her state of mind which was full of bitterness, melancholy  and vexation at the reluctance of her husband. It is said that Yousf Shah Chak saw her and heard her singing under a chinar tree and there grew between the couple. She entered the palace in about 1570, and at the same time changed her name to become Habba Khatoon and it was the period when there was political, social and economic distress.She entered palace when dark clouds were hovering over the sky and there was apathy and scorn for Kashmiri language and culture. Habba Khatoon sticked to her language and any other poetess would have adopted Persian language. Yousaf Shah Chak got an immense beautiful women who has melodious and sweet voice and he gave considerable time and attention to her and gave enough love to her. The couple toured Achabal, Aharbal and Sonamarg and enjoyed the love under the shade of nature. Her contribution to Kashmiri language and culture can not be exaggerated. She died at the age of 55 years in the year 1609. In short, she was a celebrated poetess who is remembered even today and her songs are on the tip of elder Kashmiris. She infact is the 'nightingale of Kashmir'.