Fawad Tamkanat is a well-known name in the art world, but not even half as famous as his father Shaz Tamkanat in the world of Urdu literature. “In fact,” says Fawad, “People who follow Urdu literature know me as Shaz Tamkanat, the famous Urdu poet’s son.” January 31 marks the 84th birth anniversary of the poet, but Lamakaan is hosting an intimate celebration on February 1. “Few artistes, including the Warsi brothers will perform. Professors and writers will also be talking about my father,” says Fawad.
Shaz Tamkanat started writing poems early on. “He wrote his first poem at 14, after his mother’s sudden death. He was filled with so much sadness that it poured out onto the paper,” says Fawad, and adds, “He was 20 when he recited a poem at a big mushaira in Kashmir in front of poet Firaq Gorakhpuri. When he turned 35, a celebration was hosted for him called the Jashn-e-Shaz. All his contemporaries and friends, such as Kaifi Azmi, Janisaar Akhtar and others were present but never took a penny to attend the event.”
He adds that they shifted to Pune as his father was writing for a film. “He didn’t like the atmosphere of the industry and left it. But he wrote many private songs and qawwalis,” he says. Shaz passed away when he was just 50, but left behind a great legacy. “He wrote about six books and thousands of poems, which are sung by several singers and are famous even today,” says Fawad.
Shaz was also a very progressive man. “We never discussed religion at home. My father never put any kind of restrictions on us and we were allowed to follow any profession. His only condition was that we all have a good education,” reveals Fawad. The Tamkanats grew up listening to classical music. “We never played filmi songs in our home and every month, we had a ghazal night, where famous singers would come down and sing my father’s poetry. I even remember Begum Akhtar, the famous singer, come home one night. My father was loved by all,” Fawad says about the man who used to only write poems around 3 am.
Fawad and his brothers are currently working on translating Shaz’s work into English by a PhD scholar from Kashmir, Huzefa Pandit. “We want my father’s work to reach people who don’t understand Urdu. We’re also releasing a CD where popular singers sing his poems,” says Fawad, revealing that of the six brothers, “Only Farhad writes like dad.”
