Hindu Contribution to the Marsiya

It may appear a bit odd to talk about Hindu contribution to the tradition of marsiya and azadari at a time when communalists in India seen bent upon effacing every vestige of the religious heritage of the Muslims from that country. In fact, now is the time to show how different were the cultural attitudes in this land in the past. I am chiefly indebted for this information to Kalidas Gupta Raza. Kalidas Gupta Raza, …

…in a mournful voice, "Husain Kushta Shud" (Husain has been martyred). In a cultural atmosphere of this sort, who could imagine a Hindu-Muslim riot? Only in such an atmosphere a Hindu poet could feel inspired to write marsiyas. This atmosphere in later times found its echoes in Munshi Prem Chand when he wrote his famous play, Karbala, in which a group of Hindus is seen fighting in Karbala for the cause Imam Husain stood for.