The Early Poets of Delhi and Their Hesitant Acknowledgment of Wali Dakkani's Greatness
When Wali Dakkani's diwan collection of poetry reached Delhi in the 1720s during the reign of Emperor Muhammad Shah, it created a sensation in the city's literary circles. According to Shah Hatim, Wali's verses were on the lips of the young and old alike, and everyone, from the elite to the commoners, began composing poetry in his style. However, for the poets of Delhi, accepting a 'Dakkani' someone from the Deccan as their master was a psychological hurdle. According to Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, while the poets of Delhi did become Wali's followers, they expressed this allegiance in a language marked by a strange ambivalence and hesitation.
For instance, Shah Mubarak Abroo praised Wali by saying:
Ābrū sher hai tirā ejāzJūñ Walī kā sukhan karāmat hai
Abroo, your poetry is a miracle,
Just as Wali's verse is a marvel.
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On the surface, this is a tremendous tribute, but Abroo wrote elsewhere:
Walī rekhta beech ustād haiKahe Ābrū kyūñki us kā javāb
Walekin tatabbo sīñ kahanā sukhanKare Faiz sūñ fikr mein kāmyāb
Wali is the master of Rekhta,
How can Abroo ever reply to him?
But composing poetry through tatabbu emulation,
Brings success to one's thought through its grace.
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Some critics consider this an unreserved admission of Wali's superiority, but according to Faruqi, the word 'tatabbu' here does not merely mean 'imitation', but rather 'a quest with hard work and thorough investigation'. Abroo is actually claiming that through his own intellect and effort, he possesses the ability to write a response to Wali.
Shakir Naji's tone was even more aggressive and challenging:
Jo qabristāñ mein koī sher Nājī kā padhe jākarKafan ko chāk kar-kar āfrīñ kahtā Walī nikle
If someone goes and recites a verse of Naji in the graveyard,
Wali would tear through his shroud and emerge to say 'Bravo!'
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Here, Naji is openly trying to establish his superiority over Wali. Among these early poets, Shah Hatim was the only one whose nature was generous, and who openly admitted in the preface of his diwan that he "considers Wali the master of Rekhta." Hatim did make a subtle claim to equality, though:
Hātim bhī apne dil kī tasallī kūñ kam nahīñGharche Walī Walī hai jahāñ mein sukhan ke bīch
Hatim, too, is no less for the consolation of his heart,
Even though Wali is Wali in the world of poetry.
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Overall, however, despite acknowledging their debt to Wali, the poets of Delhi tried to diminish his stature. Wali himself had not given any special importance to the poets of Delhi. While he mentioned Deccan poets such as Hasan Shawqi, Firaqi Bijapuri, and Faqirullah Azad in his poetry, he completely ignored the Rekhta poets of Delhi. This is proof that Wali did not consider himself dependent on any Delhi tradition.
