Ahad Anhad: Reviving Azimabad And Bihar's Glorious History In Contemporary Times

Till about 30 years ago, Bihar used to be the centre of Sher-o-Adab and Raks-o-Mausiki. Patna would immerse itself in the colour of classical music for the 10 days of Dussehra. Bhimsen Joshi would sing in Langer Toli, while Mallikarjun Mansur in G.M. road. Melodies of Ustad Vilayat Khan and Nikhil Banerjee's Sitar could be heard in Station Road and Tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj's beats mesmerised the listeners laced in the fusion of Mumtaz Raqqasa Sitara Devi's ghungroo, lightening the Gandhi Maidan. In those days, those who were not invited to the land of Patliputra to showcase their performances thought there was still something missing in their riyaz (practice). The visuals narrated by Dr Ajit Pradhan of erstwhile Azimabad from three decades ago painted a nostalgic picture in our heads and in front of our eyes in which not only the VIPs but even the commoners were aware of art and performances and took interest in it. As Pradhan revisits and compels his audience to look at the legacy of Bihar, he says, "This was our Patna, our Azimabad."

The Bihar museum amphitheatre came to life as Ahad Anhad, the first-ever Bihar Literature Festival, and commenced on the beautiful spring evening of 17 March 2023. At dusk, birds flew over the venue and headed to their homes while Bihar's literature and culture connoisseurs came together for the celebration of art, poetry, music, and literature.

The first literary festival witnessed by the state was first held in 2013 as the Patna literature festival, an independent event. Later, it was adopted by the Bihar government in its second leg in 2014, taking it a notch higher. An organiser of the previous and current festival, Dr Ajit Pradhan while speaking with Outlook says, "The 2013 edition was entirely our creation. It was later that the Bihar government was kind enough to offer their support to the festival and make it bigger." However, for four years thereafter, the festival was discontinued, resuming in 2019 again. Sources revealed that unprecedented conflicts, interference, and censorship at the government's end led to the long halt. Organised by Sujata Prasad and supported by Institute for Human Development, Navras School of Performing Arts, and the Bihar Museum, Ahad Anhad has once again attempted to restore and expand the horizons of performance and literature in the state, despite being stalled again due to covid and lockdowns.

Ahad Anhad director, Sujata Prasad, who also conceived the event's name, says that the event is a celebration of words and performances. Talking about Ahad Anhad, Prasad says that such festivals and their incredible capacity to create alternative cosmologies, in the words of an acclaimed writer "should be offering an indestructible refuge to artists. A fragile place too, where authors live in exile from a hardening world." The name ‘Ahad Anhad’ is a fusion of Farsi and Sanskrit. Ahad, derived from Farsi, means one and Anhad, Sanskrit, means multiple. She emphasizes that the biggest need for such festivals in contemporary times is to promote love and humanistic values and to rise above shallow differences.

Vaani Prakashan executive director Aditi Maheshwari spoke to Outlook in detail about her experiences in Patna and Bihar, and what it is to be a woman in the publication sector. Aditi recalls her earliest memories of Bihar, laden with inhibitions and prejudices against the state that's popular outside for all the wrong reasons. "I first thought of it as some sort of punishment that I was being sent to Patna. However, the city and the state have accepted me as their own." Maheshwari also noted what moved her the most in the state of Buddha and Nalanda. "It was Bihar that acknowledged me as a publisher without marking me with the tag of being a female publisher." 

Maheshwari adds that the misconceptions about the state come from a time when things were certainly strained and darker, however, the reality has changed now and the same must be communicated to the outside world. 

Organisers and audience greeted each other with folded hands while the younger generations bowed down to their seniors in respect to touch their feet and seek their blessings. The culture of Bihar lies in this essence of Adab and Tehzeeb, undefined by one's stature but rather by respect and love. Authors, writers, journalists, doctors and artists came together to celebrate historic and contemporary performances and work while debating and discussing polarization and the need for a collective festive experience to question self-certitudes in times of ideological polarization. 

Dr Ajit Pradhan in his fluent Hindi and breathtaking Urdu charms the audience as he talks about his undying love and faith for Shayari and music. When he dives deep into the history of erstwhile Azimabad (now Patna), he took his audiences back to the lanes of Langer Toli and Station Road. Though Pradhan's love represented an urge to revive the past, audiences from across generations also reflected a hope to go forward towards a future that respects and preserves art, literature, culture and also modernity. Pradhan says that the festival is not a mere literature festival but, at its core, it aims to turn the nation's route towards love and humanity.

On his love for music, Urdu and literature Pradhan talks about the injustices he has found in his ishq (love) and kaam (work) in his signature manner of poetic justice. His love for Urdu and reading is not new, he tells Outlook. Pradhan, who is a surgeon by profession, shares that at a very young age when kids his age played outside, he would recite verses from the Ramayana and read Amar Kathayein. He wanted to learn classical Hindustani music when young, but as his family and circumstances had it, he became a surgeon. Interestingly, music plays in his Operation Theatre where he performs surgeries. 

On his unrequited love, Dr Pradhan quotes:

Wo log bahut khush qismat the jo ishq ko kaam samjhte the aur kaam se ashiqui karte the, 
Hum jeete jee mashroof rahe, kuch ishq kiya kuch kaam kiya,
Kaam ishq ke aage aata raha aur ishq se kaam bigadta raha, 
Fir aakhir tang aa kar humne dono ko adhoora chhod diya.

Remembered for its glorious past and as a centre of knowledge, the Bihar Literature Festival, Ahad Anhad, has unfailingly shown glimpses of Bihar's rich cultural heritage. The plethora of scholars, ace artists, students and young writers and performers who are attempting to revive Bihar as a centre of knowledge with their consistent efforts can be observed at every juncture of the three-day event.

Syeda Hameed, Rene Singh, and Manu Sikander celebrated the works of the great Amir Khusrau, Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz with their spell bounding performance. The Bihar Museum amphitheatre echoed with claps and waah-waahs in appreciation of the artists and the renowned work they paid tribute to. As veteran photojournalist Raghu Rai in his inaugural speech quoted, "History of India is woven in the fabric of Bihar." Rightly, there could not be a better time for Bihar to reclaim all it has lost to popular culture and politics.