(Dabistan e Lucknow): For the people of Lucknow and those who admire its culture, if there is any place they long to see, besides the holy sites, it is 'Lucknow.' The same Lucknow where simply strolling through markets and promenades is enough to instill the values of culture and inclusiveness. The same Lucknow that was the standard of eloquence and oratory. The same Lucknow that was a beacon for language and colloquialism. The same Lucknow that was home to civilization and sophistication. As one of its admirers said :
“go milii jannat bhi rehne ko bajaay Lucknow
chaunk uthtaa hoon main hardam keh ke haay Lucknow.”
(Even when I get heaven to live in instead of Lucknow,
I get startled every moment, exclaiming, 'Ah, Lucknow!')
If you would like to learn about Lucknowi culture, history, social life, language, and rituals, or if you are curious about the beauty, elegance, refinement, purity, and organization of the Urdu language and poetry in Lucknow, then the book "Dabistaan-e-Lucknow," written by the distinguished scholar and intellectual Syed Mohammad Baqar Shams, is a must-read!
About the Author
Maulana Baqar Shams’s is from the lineage of Khandan-e-Ijtihad, Lucknow. He was born in Jaunpur, India, on the 10th of August 1909 and passed away in Karachi, Pakistan, on the 6th of January 2007. He earned a Dabeer-e-Kamil (Masters-in-Writing) from Lucknow University and studied medicine at Munmba-e-Tib College Lucknow. Maulana was proficient in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic and was also familiar with Hebrew and English.
Shams Sahib Qibla started poetry in 1923 at the age of 14 and literary articles and essays in 1926 at the age of 17. For a prolonged period in India and then in Pakistan, he was engaged in research, criticism, creation, composition, compilation, and reforms in the fields of education, literature, poetry, and oration. Additionally, he also had a passion for medicine and hunting.
Amongst his published literary works: History of Lucknow; Youth of Lucknow; Language of Lucknow; Poetry of Lucknow; Civilization of Lucknow; Philosophy of Khayyam; Wisdom of Poetry; History of Urdu Language; Five Methods; Writings of Color; Critical Discussions; Failure of Mirror; Versified Pearl; Selections of Diwan-e-Javed; and Signs of Sun received several accolades. His book "Philosophy of Khayyam," which was published in 1937 by Sarfaraz Press Lucknow, was included in the syllabus of the Bachelor of Arts and Dabir-e-Kamil (Masters-in-Writing) of Lucknow University for an extended period.
Maulana Baqar Shams was the companion and associate of many illustrious scholars of literature, among whom Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa, Mirza Muhammad Hadi Aziz, Josh Malihabadi, Professor Masood Hasan Adeeb, Mirza Jafar Ali Khan Assar, Maulana Ali Naqi (Naqan Sahib Qibla), Dr. Ahsan Farooqui, Niaz Fatehpuri, Hazrat Safi Lakhnavi, Hazrat Aziz Lakhnavi, Nadim Sitapuri, Mushfiq Khawaja, Dr. Shaukat Sabzwari, Arzoo Lakhnavi, Mirza Kazim Hussain Mehshar, Sahir Lakhnavi, and Hussain Anjum are included.