Noted Tamil poet and scholar ‘Kaviko’ Abdul Rahman is a beacon light to his community in Tamil Nadu. One of top handful of Tamil poets of Tamil Nadu, he is much celebrated for his excellent artistry and deft handling of the words and the themes of his choice in his works.
Dr. Abdul Rahman earned his audience even before his poetic collections were published in book form. His popularity came mainly through his participation in Kaviarangams, most of which was participated by Kalaigner Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu now.
“These kaviarangams had been training ground for me, those days. I was able to see the mood of the people and feel their pulses. My poetic impulses kindled,” he recollects. Not only that these kaviarangams served him as contact building exercise, otherwise however talented he was, he would have been lost, for he was working as Tamil Professor in a remote college (in Vaniambadi).
This writer of Asian Tribune knocked at his doors late night on Friday last; there was no discomfort on his face, although he waited some time for me. He was my Tamil professor at the Islamiah College, Vaniambadi, 30 years before. Off and on we were just meeting, although. Now settled for a discussion we were oblivious of time. The flood gate of his learned knowledge gushing out; (and my scope for using them here is limited. Probably I may think of another piece on his untold stories on injustice to Muslims from British days later).
Kaviko’s captivating spell on different kind of audience was principally due to his conscious artistry of image-use and symbolism. The secret of his success, he switched over to New Poetry (Pudu Kavithai) at the right time; Karunanidhi heralded the trend with his pudu kavithai.
Kaviko (means ‘Emperor of Poems’) has won several awards and was decorated with many titles for excelling in the literary sphere. Sahitya Academi award (1999) for his famous work ‘Aalaapanai’, making him the first Tamil Muslim to get the prestigious honour.
Kalaigner award (1997), Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Kalaimamani” title and ‘Bharathidasan’ award (1989), Kamban Kazhagam’s ‘Kambar award’ (2007), Podhigai award of Pothigai TV (2007), Adhithanar Literary award (2007) and Umaru Pulavar award (2008) are a few to mention. Colombo Kamban Kazhagam had honoured him with title “Kamba Kavalar” (the Advocate of Kamban).
Chairman of Wakf Board
Recently, Dr. Abdul Rahman was elected as new chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Wakf Board; he is the first poet to be in the place. He has been elected for a term of five years. Being a long-time friend of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, it is said that Kalaingar himself had taken special interest in Kaviko becoming the Chairman.
Already affected he was by Katchar committee report on Muslims in India, he had been into awakening and enlightening the Muslim youth to go for higher and higher education, and also helping them the purse education with a team of good natured friends to secure loans from banks, Muslim trusts, Muttvalis and government, and giving necessary guidance. “I accepted this responsibility of Wakf board chairmanship, for it would give me more opportunity to help the community, and broad-base my social committment,” he says.
Earlier he was offered chance to contest for MLA and chance to become Vice Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, he did not go for it.
Kaviko says it was shocking to read the Katchar committee report on the majority of Muslims’ living condition in the country which is much worse than Dalits. Still worrying him is every Muslim person is looked down upon as ‘terrorist.’ He wants to do something to the community in this regard. Will he be an Ambedkar to his community, only time should tell.
As soon as he assumed charge of the wakf board chairmanship, Rahman found gross mismanagement and corruption in all trusts managed by it. There are huge properties throughout the state, 75 % of which encroached. He has vowed to redeem the properties of the Board from encroachers. He has already commenced his work of cleaning the Aegean stable.
“Properties of the Board worth around Rs. 90,000 crore have been encroached all over the state. I plan to redeem them with the support and cooperation of the Government and like-minded Muslim friends,” he says.
Being committed to the educational development of the community in the State, Kaviko plans to open elementary schools, polytechnic colleges, girls hostel. Beginning a university providing free education to Muslims is his dream. He wants to start a medical college as the required land is no problem, on the pattern of Aligar Muslim university. He plans to build hospitals in the four major cities of Chennai, Trichy, Madurai and Kovai (Coimbatore). The hospital in Chennai would be made a centre for heart transplantation.
Muslims in the State are educationally backward. Illiteracy and poverty are very common, Kaviko says. Wakf Board has plans to provide financial help to poor students for higher education. There are many educational institutions run by Muslims, but a majority of them are self-financing institutions where the fees are unaffordable for the common people.
Educating and empowering women will be one of main focuses, he says
All praises for Karunanidhi
Muslims are there in every party in the State, but the parties generally see them as mere vote-bank. A close friend of the DMK chief and State Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Kaviko is all praises for him. “Karunanidhi has got a good heart towards Islam and Muslims in general. He has done a lot for Muslims”, says the poet. “We have many common interests like the popularization of Tamil language and literature, attitude towards general issues, etc”.
Recently the chief minister has announced Ulema welfare board to take care of the religious heads. Religious education is provided in Masjids, but not in an organized manner. The new chairman also wishes to begin an organized Madrasa system.
Majority of the Muslims in the State follow the Hanafi Mad’hab and speak Tamil, the mother-tongue. But of course there are Urdu speaking people too. Some people follow the Shafi Mad’hab.
Although in Sri Lanka the Muslims there speak Tamil as mother-tongue, they are not united on the basis of language. They are dived into four groups.
“I advocate the unity of all Muslims. If Muslims unite, they can solve all problems. Muslims are killing each other in Pakistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Muslims should be united under one umbrella. Islam is enough for Muslims. All parties and organizations divide Muslims, keeping one group against others. Muslims have got a very bad name by terrorism. The Qur’an doesn’t approve of the killing of innocent people,” he says.
His popularity in the literary world, his closeness rulers of the state, his command on the Muslim community should help the community to save its image, which is battered after the Babri Masjit demolition. He is pained at heart the community as whole is looked down as terrorists, just because a few have their hands dipped in violence. “I am not justifiying their act; let them be punished for their wrong acts. The community should not be branded so,” he says.
72 year old Kaviko hails from Madurai, the literary hub of Tamil Nadu since ancient times. An M.A. (Tamil) and Ph.D, he became a professor and the head of the department of Tamil in the Islamiah College, Vaniambadi. His father Mahdi also was a famous scholar and poet, who has translated many famous Islamic works to Tamil.
Presently, he is a Member of the Centre for Classical Tamil, member of Public functions of the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held next year, and member of the Tamil Development Board of the Central Government.
Some of his most famous works include 'Paalveedhi', 'Neyar Viruppam' , ‘Suttuviral’, ‘Aalapanai’, ‘Pitththan’, ‘Muthamizhin Mugavari”, all poetry, ‘avalukku Nila yendru Peyar’, ‘ Martanam Mutgru pulli alla’, ‘Pasi yentha jadhi’, ‘Kakkai soru’, ‘Kadavulin Mugavari’, 'Silandhiyin Veedu', all prose.
He was involved in translating the Ghazals and other literary works of poems from the Arabic, Urdu and Paarsi to the Tamil language through the journals ‘Junior Post’, ‘Junior Vikatan’, ‘Kumudam Reporter’ and "Bagya".
Samples of his word play:
Old age:
A book eaten by the white ants of Time
An old gramophone spilling the songs of the past
A wastepaper basket filled with memories
A pasture of diseases
A painting transformed by Time’s
Mischief into a cartoon!
On women:
Darkness in the tresses
Sun in the face
--O Women !
Because of you, we have Day and Night.
Nector in the lips
Venom in the eyes
--O Women!
Because of you, we have Life and Death.
Reflection of photo on the wall:
What stare at me from inside this
Glass cemetery is
My corpse indeed!
It is a sheet of calendar torn off from me
On the wall crucified!
Some of his sinter poems:
All through the night
Thoughts of you,
Crowding Mosquitoes
On flower:
On the dewless
Eyelids of the flower
Fall my tears
On love:
Autumn Night
Lustful Moon on the
Thorny stars
On marriages:
Marriages not decided
In Heaven;
Marriages decide
Heaven.
- Asian Tribune -
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