Kashmiri Marsiya
thumb|Compilation of Kashmiri Marsiya, biyaz copied in 1730, Srinagar
The Kashmiri Marsiya (Kạ̄shir Marsī کٲشِر مَرثی) is a commemorative and devotional literary genre that closely resembles an elegiac poem, which is primarily used to mourn the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala. Marsiya is a loan word in the Kashmiri language, borrowed from the Persian word  (), which is itself derived from the Arabic word  (). Unlike the Arabic and Persian , the Kashmiri   goes beyond the constraints and conventions of an elegiac poem. In its classical form, the  assumes the shape of an elaborate prose that imitates the rhythmic prose associated with the Quran. The writer of a  is referred to as an author () rather than a poet ("").

 History 

 Initial reception 

The oldest trace of a  in Kashmiri language dates to the 15th century CE and comprises a short, loose elegy composed on the death of a Sufi, Nund Rishi (d. 842AH/ 1438CE), by his women disciple, Sham Bibi (d. 1446). The first elegies written in Kashmiri to commemorate Husyan's martyrdom also date from the same period in works composed between the 15th and 16th centuries. These include  written by two poets from the Musavi familyThe descendants of the seventh Shia imam, Musa al-Kazim (d. 799CE) are known as Musavi Sayyids., Qasim bin Yusuf Din Shah, and his nephew Hakim Din ShahThe postscript written at the end of a  attributed to Hakim Din Shah mentions: "This lament was written by Hakim Ibn Musa Ibn Yusuf Din Shah during the reign of Badshah". See, Hamdani, Hakim Ghulam Safdar (2009).  (in Kashmiri) (2nd ed.). Delhi. Skyline Publications. in and around 811- 850 AH (1409-1446CE), during the Shahmiri Sultanate (1339-1561CE). Another work that survives is of Ahmad, a poet who hailed from Ahmadpora, a Shia centre of learning in medieval Kashmir. 

Modern researchers have characterised this period commencing with the rule of Sultan Sikandar (r. 1389-1413 CE) and ending with the demise of the short-lived Shia Chak Sultanate (1561-1586 CE), as the first stage in the development of Kashmiri . Significantly contemporary medieval texts originating from within Kashmiri Shia circles make no mention of Muharram assemblies to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, or of traditions linked with the writing of  in Kashmiri.These include the tazkira originating within the Nurbakshiyya Sufi order, see, Ali, Mulla Muhammad Ali (2006). Jan, Ghulam Rasul,(transl.). Tuḥfatūl Aḥbāb (in Persian). Srinagar: Jan Publications. This includes both hagiographical works () as well as political histories () of the region authored by Shia writers. 

Aside from a few anonymous works, the names of the following poets who composed  in this period survive:
+Kashmiri  Writers ( 15th-16th century)AHQAhmadHakim bin Musa ibn Yusuf Din ShahQasim ibn Yusuf Din Shah

 Development 

The development of the Kashmiri  coincides with Mughal (1586-1753 CE) and Afghan rule (1753-1819 CE) in Kashmir. This period saw the consolidation of Persian, both as the court language, as well as the preferred language of the urban elite, completely eclipsing native Kashmiri. Many Persian poets who arrived at the Mughal court from Persianate lands, made Kashmir their home, settling down in the capital city, Srinagar. Some, including two poet laureatesThese include Hajji Jan Muhammad Qudsi, Abu Talib Kalim Kashani, see, Sharma, Sunil (2017). Mughal Arcadia: Persian Literature in an Indian Court. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-98124-9. ( malik-u shoura) at the imperial court are buried in the cemetery of poets (Kashmiri: Mazar-i Shoura or Mazar-e-Shura) located on the foothills of Takht-i Suleiman, Srinagar. With the official promotion of Persian, the vernacular Kashmiri went through a period of steady decline. This is also witnessed in the  written during this time. Ahmadpora in North Kashmir served as a major nucleus for  writing during this period, with many sayyids from the RizviRizvi Sayyids trace their descent to the eighth Shia imam, Ali al-Rida (or Reza). The descendants of the tenth imam, Ali al-Naqi are also referred to as Rizvi (or Naqvi Sayyids). family following this tradition. Some of the prominent poets who composed  during this time include:
+Kashmiri  Writers ( 17th-mid 18th century)AMQAqa Sayyid Mahmud TabriziMir Sayyid Muhammad AbbasQazi Ahmad AliBMir Sayyid Muhammad JafarQazi Ahmad DinLike Qazi Ahmad Ali, Ahmad Din was also a Sunni from the town of Varmul (Baramulla), who converted to Shiism, see, Hamdani, Hakim Ghulam Safdar (2009). Aush ti Aab (in Kashmiri) (2nd ed.). Delhi: Skyline Publications.Baba Muhammad JawadMirza Jawad Ali Khan KaaniSHMirza Jaza-al LahSayyid FakhirAccording to Shafi Shauq, Fakhir (d. 1780) also introduced the genre of ghazal into Kashmiri language, see, Shauq, Shafi and Munwar, Najji (2008). Kashir Zaban ti Adabuk Twarikh (in Kashmiri). Srinagar: Ali Muhammad & Sons. pp.125-127. ISBN 978-81-921925-7-4Hassan Khan ibn Muhammad TaqiMuhammad Yahya ibn Ahmad KhanSayyid Jafar NajafiKMuhammad AzamSayyid Mir Arab ShahKhawja Muhammad FazilMulla Abul Hakim SatehSateh also served as the companion of the Mughal emperor, Farukh Siyyar (r. 1713-1719), before returning to Kashmir after the emperor's execution.Sayyid Mir Muhammad AbbasKhawja Hassi Bhat NadanMulla Ahmad NishapuriSayyid Mir Sharf-al Din RizviKhawja Muhammad TabriziMulla Ibrahim MunjimMulla Ibrahim Munjim (or Mulla Abdul Rahim Munjim) served as the tutor of Nawwab Ibrahim Khan (d. 1709), who served as Mughal Governor of Kashmir in 1662-63, 1679-86, 1701-05 and 1709. See, Kashmiri, Mirza Muhammad Ali (2009). Barzegar, Dr. Karim Najafi (ed.). Tazkira-i Zafran Zar (in Persian). Tehran: Society for the Appreciation of Cultural Works and Dignitaries.Sayyid Amir-al Din ZakhirMMulla Muhammad MahdiSayyid Saleh RizviMir Ahmad Ali TusiMulla RehmanUMir Arab Shah RizviMusa Khan ibn Muhammad Taqi al-HaeriUstad Muhammad JaferMir Saif ibn Mulla Khalil Munjim

 Emergence of  

The beginning of the nineteenth century CE marked the revival of the Kashmiri language, though Persian continued as a court language till 1889 CE. During the late eighteenth century through the nineteenth century CE, a new form of writing  in Kashmiri emerged, signifying a major evolutionary phase in this literary genre. Literary critics refer to this period as the age of classical  writing or  (). The  that emerged during this period is structured around four fixed stations known as , which define the thematic content. Each , in turn, completes a stanza— ( )with a parallel internal structure. 

Two writers from North Kashmir are credited with this innovation: Qazi Ahmad Ali (d. 1800 approx.) and Khwaja Hasan Mir (d. 1826 CE). Qazi Ahmad Ali, originally a Sunni from Varmul (Baramulla), converted to Shi’ism and formalized the s within the . He was a senior contemporary of Khwaja Husayn Mir, a cultivator residing in the village of Habak. Husayn Mir, popularly known as Hussi Boii (), significantly popularized the new form of  among the urban elite of Srinagar. He also made innovations to the internal structure of the . Additionally, he introduced the poets of the Mulla family in Srinagar, who were accustomed to composing in Persian, to this new form of Kashmiri . Over the next two generations, the Mulla family produced successive  writers. 

The earliest composers of Kashmiri  in the Mulla family include Mulla Hakim Muhammad Azim (1803-1852CE), Mulla Munshi Muhammad Yusuf(1798-1885 CE) and Mulla Munshi Shah Muhammad (d. 1850 approx.).Also see, Baqir, Sayyid Muhammad (late 19th century). Risala Saif al Saram (in Persian). Lahore. Hakim Azim and Munshi Yusuf played pivotal roles in enhancing the poetic beauty of , transcending the constraints of its elegiac form. In an epistle written to Khan Bahadur Sayyid Rajib Ali Khan (d. 1869), Azim highlights how he envisaged Marsiya as a symbol of Shia identity, and also his own role in reshaping the literary contours of this genre:Having sent that for such a long time at an adverse fate, I necessarily intended to bring out the shinning pearls of its sad contents, which I had spun together in new ways, and arrange it on the lines of a Kashmiri Marsiya.During the nineteenth century, alongside Srinagar, another notable centre for  writing emerged in the village of Gund Khwaja Qasim, under the stewardship of Khwaja Muhammad Baqir Gundi (d.~1834CE). The tradition was greatly advanced by his son, Khawja Abdullah, and a student Mirza Aboul Qasim (d. ~ 1853CE). The works of Mirza Aboul Qasim would achieve great public acclaim, and he remains the most prolific and popular  writer to date. 

During the first half of the 19th century, many Kashmiri Marsiya writers left for Faizabad and Lucknow, seeking patronage at the court of the Shia rulers of Awadh. These include Munshi Qasim, Munshi Shah Muhammad, Khwaja Abdullah, Munshi Safdar and Mirza Aboul Qasim. Oral traditions preserved amongst the Kashmiri Shia community maintain that Munshi Safdar was a close confidante of the last king of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah(r. 1847-1856), and was poisoned due to court intrigue.  

Some of the main  writers from this period are:
+Kashmiri  Writers ( 19th-mid 20th century)HMMHakim Ghulam RasulMulla Hakim Muhammad AzimAzim was intimately connected with the Sikh and Dogra court and used his official position to further the interests of Kashmir Shia Muslims. He was the only Muslim Chief Jagirdar who enjoyed the confidence of the first Dogra ruler, Maharaja Gulab Singh, serving as his Chief Physician as well as the custodian of the Sericulture industry (daroga-i kiram kashan), see, Zuthsi, Chitralekha (2003). Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir. Delhi: Permanent Black. p.73. ISBN 81-7824-060-2
(1803–1852)Munshi Ahmad Ali Ghazi
(1853–1923)KMulla Hakim Muhammad Jawad
(1891–1946)Munshi Muhammad Safdar
(~ d. 1850's)Khwaja Abdullah GundiMulla Munshi Haider
(1872–1941)SKhwaja Husayn Mir
(~d. 1820-30's)Mulla Munshi Hasan Ali
(1866–1933)Sayyid Muhammad RizviKhwaja Muhammad Baqir GundiMulla Munshi Ihsan-al Lah
(1838–1925)Sayyid Mustafa RizviKhwaja Muhammad DaimMulla Munshi Muhammad Abbas
(1869–1944)MMulla Munshi Muhammad Ali
(1829–1902)Mirza Aboul Qasim
(~ d. 1853)Mulla Munshi Muhammad QasimQasim was also an acclaimed calligrapher, for details see, Hamdani, Hakim Sameer; Qureshi, Mehran (11 January 2024), "The Art of the Book in Early Modern Kashmir", The Routledge Companion to Global Renaissance Art, New York: Routledge, pp. 300–315, doi:10.4324/9781003294986-25, ISBN 978-1-003-29498-6, retrieved 24 August 2024
(~d. 1840-50's)Moulvi Abdullah AnsariMulla Munshi Muhammad Sadiq
(1897–1972)Mulla Hakim Abdullah
(d. 1887)Mulla Munshi Muhammad Yusuf
(1798–1885)Mulla Hakim Habib-al LahHabib also left a diwan of Persian poetry. Outside the genre of marsiya he is also known for his satirical poetry which brings to the fore various aspects of Kashmiri society in the 19th century, these include, Greias Nama and Sehlab Nama. See, Kazmi, Anees, and Manzar, MY (1981). Kuliyat-i Hakim Habib-al Lah (in Kashmiri). Srinagar: J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages.  
(1852–1904)Mulla Munshi Mustafa Ali
(1814–1889)Mulla Hakim Hasan Ali
(1870–1915)Mulla Munshi Shah Muhammad
(~d. 1850's)
In the post-Independence period, the tradition of writing  was greatly reduced, with most poets engaging in composing in the easier, shorter genre of nauha. Some writers who have produced  that are recited publicly include, Sayyid Aboul Hassan Zigum, Sayyid Anis Kazmi and Sayyid Muhammad Chatergami. 

The main writers from this time are:
+Kashmiri  Writers (mid 20th century- onwards)ASZAga Sayyid Abbas MusaviSayyid Akbar HashmiZulfiqar QasmiAga Sayyid Aboul Hasan ZigumSayyid Anis KazmiGSayyid Asad-ul Lah SafviGhulam Husayn KhaksarSayyid Muhammad ChatergamiMSayyid Sami-ul Lah JalaliMoulvi Muhammad Yusuf

 Structure 
According to Hakim Ghulam Safdar Hamdani, Kashmiri  evolved from a native tradition used to mourn the death of a family member, known as  (). Expressed in the vernacular,  in its original form does not assume a poetic structure, nor does it seem to have been consigned to text. This is a view generally held by most writers who have looked into the evolution of . The arrival of Muslim preachers in Kashmir during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries resulted in the gradual introduction of practices and traditions prevalent in the Islamic world into Kashmiri society, including that of . A surviving  from this period starts with a verse in Persian followed by its translation in Kashmiri in the same meter.

In its classical form, the  is divided into four thematic sections:  (),  (),  or  (), and  (). Sometimes, a  may also include a small section of supplications (dua), but this is very rare. The elegiac content is limited to the last section, . While hamd and na’at are based on a single  (stanza), madah sometimes includes multiple . The dard section of the  comprises twelve to fourteen , though this can sometimes extend up to nineteen. Each  is further divided into verses of varying length, based on the nature of sound: ascending or descending in which they are recited. This recital quality of the verse also defines its metrical pattern,  (Kashmiri:  ). Based on the , verses in each  are classified as , , , ,  and . Each component retains a different qafiya (rhyming pattern) and radif (refrain word) which gets repeated in subsequent .

Unlike  in Arabic, Persian or Urdu,  the classical Kashmiri  is nearer to the tradition of masnavi, with each  composed under a specific title (Kashmiri: ). The title of a , dictates the writer's choice and selection of words, phrases, metaphors, and other literary devices. Similarly, much like in Persian masnavi, the initial section of a Kashmiri  includes introductory and body paragraphs () in praise of Allah (), in praise of Prophet Muhammad (), his family the Ahl-i Bayt () before proceeding to the elegiac section (). In his  with the title '' (The Door), Hakim Azim starts by invoking Allah in these verse:Yā Allāh Humēsha soun dāb jurm-o khatā

Choun bāb jūd-o 'atā

(transl.) O Lord! Our ways are of incessant crimes and transgressions

Yet we arrive at your threshold, of generosity and benevolence

 Title () 
A  is composed keeping in consideration the title (), which is adopted for it. The unwan serves as the framed plot for the  which is then elaborated in the various thematic sections of the work. Some major titles under which  have been composed include:
+CategoryTitleCategoryTitleCategoryTitleCategoryTitleCategoryTitleReligious
subjectsAllah-o AkbarCrafts &
ProfessionAhangiriInnate
objectsAayenaBody partsBazooEmotions
& ActsDostiAsul-i DinHikmatAftabChashmDuzhdiFaro-I DinInshaAngushtriDastHasadHajjKakazgiriBiyazDilHayaHamd-o SipasKarChiragDimagJahalatImammatKimiyaGouharGoshKhamoshiJihadNaqashiHinaJismKhayalKaabaPadshahiJahazMouRiyaKarbalaQaziKishtiNakhunSabrMirajRangreziKuhPushtSharafatNimazSahafiLalQafasTifliPaigambiriSarafiLibasRouUlfatQuranSaudagiriMashkZubanHistorical PersonalitiesDaraRamzanWaazNamakNatureAabIssaSajdaZamindariSangBaharJamshedShan-i AllahSatoonGul-i LalaMusaWahdatTasbihHamesh-i BaharSikandiriNargisYusuf

 Translations 
The grammatical structure of Kashmiri language; the heavy dependence on idiomatic expressions and the contextual nuances with multiple layers of meaning that form the essence of a successful Kashmiri  are invariably lost in attempts at translation even in languages such as Urdu. Still, there have been attempts with limited success at translation in Urdu, starting with the 1960s and 1970sThe first translations undertaken in Urdu include those by Hakim Ghulam Safdar and Munshi Muhammad Sadiq.. An English translation of the ,  (The Book) was composed by Mulla Hakim Azim in 1253AH/ 1837 CE. See,Sajjid, Maqbool (2000). Kuliyat-i Hakim Azim wa Munshi Muhammad Yusuf (in Kashmiri). Srinagar: Imam Hussein Research & Publishing Centre. p.22., seeks to capture the spirit of some of the main verses:   (The Book)

thumb|A biyaz of Kashmiri Marsiya compiled in Calcutta, 1283AH/ 1866CELord! Bestow thy grace that I may pen thy book of eulogy.

Accept my offering of , so I may commence my learning.

And, the light of thy essence may dawn in the gloom of my ignorance,

so that I may remember anew that eternal pledge of allegiance.

Men learned listening of thy attributes fall into veils of despair.

Oh! That one may grasp but an atom of thy creation, thy purpose.

Even the Prophet, that eloquent tongue, read  there instead.

What disrespect then, that tongue-tied I, may extol thy creation.

The universe itself is a whirl teaching thy essence.

The moon outshining the stars in perpetual motion-lighting thy creation: teaching.

And yet men at the nadir of life glaze at that page of enlightenment: first and still unread.

 

 The page of thy messengers was sealed, when for his last message,

the Lord from the seminary of creation choose Muhammed, The Seal of Prophets.

to correct, to complete his teachings.

Angels and spirits salute:

“Praise the teacher who made the sun re-read its course, split the moon, a sign to learned men.

The un-lettered who opened the pages of God’s testament.

All learners, aspirers cried, no knowledge that knows not he”.thumb|Mention of Kashmiri Marsiya writers in a 19th century work, Risala Saif al SaramWhat can I then extol his grace whose eulogy is in the Quran itself.

He for whose sake, Ibrahim, Adam nay, the universe itself

was created from the uncreated self! 

  

In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate.

Lo! I praise Ali, the door of all knowledge, all essence.

The one who cleaved, truth from untruth.

The Spirit of Islam, keeper of the Prophet’s Garden, his helper.

Verily, they are the two who from the Lord received knowledge in its essence.

If all the leaves and flowers were penned in his praise

still would remain un-written, unread, his nobility, his grace.

For the Prophet and Gabriel praised him as the Lord had praised himself.

He was the speaking Quran raised on the Prophet’s shoulder.

Whose pulpit was out of the grasp of the sky and heaven.

What then, can I say of that martyr?

Come let us raise the cry of salutations, heavens are his who but pens a line in his praise.

   

Oh! What calamity, what times? What befell the Imam?

Look how the Kufi’s, bookless, repaid the Prophet for his teachings.

How they honour him? How they respect his sanctity?

Look how the heads of his children’s

Are raised on lances;  offerings of Shumr to Yazid.

With the Quran around his neck Husayn had approached Ibn Saad at Karbala.

“Oh, tyrant! I am the sage ever ready for the death,

but know you not, that Quran was revealed to us.

Surely the world knows of it or have you not read the Sura Muhammed?

My Grandfather had preached in his sermons time and time again

Oh! Muslims I leave but two gifts with you, the Book and my Family

maintain their sanctity always for they represent me.

Lo! Today you are forsaking the Prophet’s teaching,

how then will you face him tomorrow in ?

Lo! But which religion asks of you to kill me?

From which book of the law do you issue my death warrant”.

Alas! What had fate written for Zainab?

To re-live, re-read, recite the woes of Muharram!

Alas! her night, her days spent in anguish, in fear, in lament!

When the day would dawn in the dark dungeon

she would remember anew her nephews, her lost children,

and cry:

“Wake! The time for lessons has come it honors you nought to dwell in slumber.

The teacher is in waiting, go and pay your salutations,

Or, if with Grandfather you are studying, tell him then of Umar-i Saad

his tyranny, his acts of terror.

Alas! What fate? What destiny? I am left to lament, my family; my burden,

my arms tied; my back broken.

Oh! but that I could see,

Ali Akbar opening his book, Asghar; stammering in his lessons.

Alas! The Prophet’s progeny rendered desolate.

Alas! Eighteen brothers of Zainab, slaughtered under the sword.

 Textual record 

So far around five hundred  written during the nineteenth century have been collected and published. These have been mapped from manuscripts, known as , which have been copied in not only Kashmir but also in major cities of colonial India, including Amritsar, Lucknow, Faizabad, Calcutta and in far-off Kabul (Afghanistan). According to Shafi Shauq, Kashmiri  literature is the oldest genre within Kashmiri literature that has been consigned to a preserved written form:[...] Within Kashmiri language, 's are the first with a written literature.Shauq, Shafi and Munwar, Najji (2018). Kashir Zuban ti Adabuk Twarikh (in Kashmiri). Srinagar: Ali Muhammad & Sons. p. 91. ISBN 978-81-921925-7-4The oldest compilation of  literature in Kashmir in a manuscript form (biyaz) dates back to 1725, when Kashmir was under Mughal rule. Other  compiled during the 18th century include those written in 1769 and 1794. Of the  written, more than a hundred are still recited in public mourning ceremonies across Kashmir.

  as a performance 
thumb|Performance of marsiya at Marak Imambada, Zadibal, Srinagar.
 in Kashmir manifests as public performances, primarily recited during mourning assemblies [Kashmiri: majlis ] held within an imambada. After composing a , the  hands it over to the , whose responsibility is to recite it in the public. Historically, the  refrains from reciting his work, this is the role of the . The role of a  is hereditary,Prominent zakir families in Kashmir who continue to practice the art include: the Fakir family (Budibog), Khwaja family (Gund Khwaja Qasim), Malik family (Tangmarg), Rather family (Hanjjiyar), Sufi family (Magam), and various branches of the Sayyid family. See, Sajjid, Maqbool (2013). Kashir Marthiauk Safar: An anthology of Kashmiri Marsiya (in Kashmiri).Srinagar: J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. p. 155. with the right to recite any assigned  being passed down from father to son.

Within the imambada, both men and women collectively recite the . Typically, the imambada is a two-story space, with women occupying the upper floor, physically and visually separated from the men by latticework screens or curtains. This follows the Muslim practice of women's seclusion (purdah), which is rigorously followed in a . The primary reciter, known as a , receives assistance from a group of  7 or 12 men sitting in a circle called the . These men are referred to as s. 

The congregation forms multiple concentric circles, radiating outward from the daireh, with the  moving from one end of the congregation to another. The same practice is followed in  performed at homes. A jug of water and soil of Karbala (Kashmiri: khak, or khak-i shifa) is kept in the middle of the  on a cloth spread. One of the earliest descriptions of the performance of a Kashmiri  is recorded in the travelogue written about Kashmir in 1928.The travelogue was written by a Muslim woman from Hyderabad who also worked for India's freedom and greater women's emancipation, see, Mirza, Sughra Humayun (1930). Rahbar-i Kashmir (in Urdu).Hyderabad: Azam Press. The travelogue describes the performance in the main imambada of Srinagar, Marak,The first imambada built in Kashmir at Zadibal, Srinagar is known in the vernacular as Marak. For details, see, Hamdani, Hakim Sameer (2015). "The Maarak and the Traditions of Imamabadas in Kashmir" Marg (September–December). Mumbai. in these words:In Srinagar there is a moḥala Zadibal where many Muslims live, and there are many Shiʿi in this moḥala. The majlis happens here. Sayyid Shāh Jalālī is a big jāgirdār and zamindār and the father-in-law [i] of his son is trader of pearls [. . .]. All of us went to Jalālī Ṣahibs place [. . .]. After lunch we went to the imāmbāda which is near his house. The majlis starts at six in the morning and continues till six in the evening. The majlis is read in the Kashmiri language and the imāmbāda is very large. There are buildings on all four sides, in the middle there is a lower ceiling supported on thirty-five columns, under which the majlis takes place [. . .]. The buildings on the four sides are two storied, the upper floor is in wood and has delicate wooden jālīs (screens). It is here (behind the jālīs) that women sit and listen to the majlis. The lower and the central floor is used by men. From morning till evening whoever desires, may come and be a part of the majlis. When men enter the majlis they remove their coats and turbans. All the men in the congregations were bareheaded. The marṣiya khwanī adopted here is distinct from that in the entire world [. . .]. In the end, Moulvi Imdād ʿAli Ṣahib of Lahore did marṣiya khwanī (recitation of elegies commemorating Ḥusayn b. Ali’s martyrdom). He stood up and said that today, I will recite a marṣiya in Urdu, because Sayyid Hemayun Mīrzā Ṣahib who has arrived in Kashmir from Hyderabad is present with us in majlis.

 References 

Category:Kashmiri language
Category:Kashmiri literature