Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Taba Ram Turki (1776 – 1847 CE, 1833 – 1904

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (ISO: ''Vikrama Saṁvata''; abbreviated VS), also known as the Vikrami calendar is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent and still also used in several Indian states and Nepal. It is a lunisolar calendar ...

) lived at Rainawari,

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and wrote

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

under the pen name ( takhalus) of Betab. Betab made an important contribution to the

Persian poetry Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...

and he commanded great respect among the poets of

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

of his time. Betab was an exceptional poet whose Persian poetry reached as far as

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. Some critics have rated Betab's works at par with the Shahnama of

Firdausi Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian ...

. Betab was also proficient with reading and writing Arabic. Mulla Mohammad Taufiq Kashmiri, another popular Persian poet of the era who lived near Jama Masjid area of Srinagar and wrote under takhalus Taufiq was a contemporary of Betab. Betab was a frequent visitor to the Court (

Durbar Durbar may refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance o ...

) of Pandit Raja Kak Dar, who was also a gifted poet and wrote under takhalus Farukh. Betab's comprehensive collection ( Diwan) of poems was first published fourteen (14) years after his death in 1861 CE. * in

Kashmiri language Kashmiri ( ) or Koshur (Kashmiri: , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic languages, Dardic branch spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Kashmir Valley and surrounding hills o ...

Taba is a short name for Aftab (meaning ''Sun'' in

)

Origin

Betab's ancestors originally hailed from village Turkipora in Rajwar Tehsil of

Kupwara Kupwara ( ; ) is a city, District headquarter and a municipal council in Kupwara district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Municipal council Kupwara is an Urban Local Body with elected members which administers the city Mun ...

district. This village was previously named Trikhapora. Betab's ancestors relocated to Srinagar during the reign of Budshah. In the next few hundred years, Betab's ancestors moved around to live at various localities of Srinagar before settling at Motiyar Rainawari.

Occupation

After completing his education Betab was appointed as an administrative official (Kardar) at village Breng in

Anantnag Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...

area of the valley, where he spent most of his service life.

Compositions

Betab composed his writings in the form of ''

masnawi Mathnawi ( ), also spelled masnavi, mesnevi or masnawi, is a kind of poem written in rhyming couplets, or more specifically "a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines". Most mathnawi poems follow a meter of eleven, or occasionally ten, ...

s'' which contain historical details of his times (a ''masnawi'' is a long

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

describing the battles fought and past events and may also include

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

ethical Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied e ...

themes). Betab was summoned to

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

and honoured by the general and wazir of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Prince Mohammad Akbar Khan. Betab praised his patron Mohammad Akbar Khan in the poem ''Akbar-nama''. Akbar Khan was a great lover of fine Arts. Betab then witnessed the invasion of the

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

army of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl ...

over his native land Kashmir and the defeat of the

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

governor Muhammad Azim Khan in 1819 CE, which he versified under the title ''Jang-nama''. After the change of rulers, Betab visited

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

for a meeting with Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Betab was honoured by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in his Durbar, where he also met the powerful and influential

Raja Dina Nath Diwan Dina Nath (1795—1857) was an official of the durbar of the Sikh Empire who served as the Privy Seal, privy seal and finance minister in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was conferred the title of Raja in 1847, eight years after the ...

, who was Finance Minister of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Following his return from Lahore, Betab composed one more masnawi containing historical details like the other two named ''Ranjit-nama''.

Style

On one occasion someone recited Taufiq's

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse (poetry), a line or lines in a poetic composition * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict meter or rhyme, but still re ...

(

sher Sher may refer to: People Title * Sher-e-Mysore (''Lion of Mysore''), a popular title of Tipu Sultan of the Mysore Sultanate * Sher-e-Punjab (disambiguation) ** Sher-e-Punjab (''Lion of Punjab''), a popular title of Ranjit Singh of the Sikh ...

) - ''shikasta rangiye man ba tabeeb dar jung ast /ilaje darde saram husne sandali rang ast,'' which was applauded by all present in the gathering. Pandit Raja Kak Dhar who was present in the gathering threw a challenge - If anyone could compose a better sher in the same style and manner? Betab accepted the challenge on the condition that he should be suitably rewarded and produced a master piece in the process - ''siyah bakhtam wa az bakhte khaesh khursandam /chara ki bakhte man wa zulfe yar hum rang ast''. Pandit Raja Kak Dhar immediately ordered his men to deliver one hundred Kharwars (legacy measure of weight in Kashmir; 1 Kharwar = 177 Pounds or about 80 kg) of paddy at Betab's residence.

Reviews

J.K. Banerji in the book ''Encyclopaedia of Kashmir'' mentions "Outstanding among the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Pandits who made important contributions to Persian poetry may be mentioned the name of Pandit Taba Ram Turki "Betab" whose ''Jang Nama'' reached classic heights." Further eminent historian and author Pandit Gwasha Lal Kaul in the same book ''Encyclopaedia of Kashmir'' mentions "''Jang Nama'' by Taba Ram Turki stands on the same footing as ''Shah Nama'' of Firdausi". Eminent a

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

politician, scholar and author Prem Nath Bazaz in the book ''Inside Kashmir 2' states "Pandit Taba Ram Turki " Betab " (1840 A.D.) whose ''Jang Nama'' stands on par with ''Shah Nama'' of Firdausi lived during the time of the Sikhs". Betab's Masnawis are prescribed for Post Graduation studies in the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

References

External links

* Bhat, Dr. Khursheed Ahmad

"Cultural Conditions of Kashmir during 20th Century" Retrieved 2018-04-07. * Iqbal Ahmad

"The Less Known Persian Manuscripts" Retrieved 2018-10-31. * Kaul, Brigadier Rattan

"Saraswat Brahmins" Retrieved 2018-04-07. * Kilam, Jia Lal

"A History of Kashmiri Pandits" Retrieved 2018-04-07. * Kilam, Jia Lal

"A Survey of Afghan Rule in Kashmir" Retrieved 2018-04-07. *Turkipora Retrieved 2018-10-31. *PIB, GO
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/nowiki>] Vice President, Hon. Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji's speech to Kashmiri students on 23 DEC 2019 Retrieved 2023-12-08. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taba Ram Turki 1776 births 1847 deaths 19th-century Persian-language poets Kashmiri people People from the Durrani Empire People from the Sikh Empire