Biographies of Famous Jokers
by Nawabzada Taj-ood-Deen Khan Lakhnavi "Chota Lund Gora Londa"
Mulla Do-Pyaza or Mulla Do-Piaza
________________________________
# S.R.Bakshi et al.
"Mulla Do-pyaza was a very sharp and outspoken man of whims, who
could recite the whole Koran by heart. At the age of 15 he left his
native country Persia, reached India in the entourage of Humayun and
started teaching the Koran to disciples at Delhi. His humorous ways,
caustic speech and deep learning soon made him famous, being adept in
reading aright the character of a man from his looks. Faizi
introduced him to the emperor who highly enjoyed the intellectual tug
of war between the Mulla and Birbal, both possessing surpassing wit
and a caustic tongue. The Mulla accompanied Akbar to the Deccan and
died at Handya on the Narmada in 1600. How he had earned the nickname
the "Mulla of the two onions" is narrated by Pairamall in the July
(1910) number of the Modern Review, where the Mulla's picture is
given which certainly bespeaks the whimsical character of the
original."
- "Early Aryans to Swaraj". Ed. by S.R.Bakshi, S.Gajrani, Hari
Singh. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons: Vol. 5 (Medieval India), p.261.
Sheikh Chillie or Sheikh Chilli
_______________________________
# India Today 2009
He was said to be the spiritual teacher of Dara Shikoh.
"Everybody in North India and Pakistan enjoys humorous stories
attributed to Sheikh Chilli. He is venerated as the saint of laughter
and wit but is also loved by children for his stupidity. His tomb on
the G.T. Road in Haryana is different in architecture and considered
next only to the Taj Mahal. Many believe that Sheikh Chilli (Sheikh
Chehli) was Sufi saint Abdur Rahim alias Abdul Razzak. He was also
considered guru of Dara Shikoh. The shrine, a protected one, is
located 163 km north-west of Delhi (between Ambala and Karnal) is
replete with its Persian influence. However, nobody is sure about the
origin of Sheikh Chilli."
- "Strange tales behind mazars". Farzand Ahmed. India Today,
Lucknow, December 14, 2009
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/74949/India/Strange+tales+behind+mazars.html
# Wikipedia Chilli
Originally, the Hindustani word "Chilli" meant blockhead. But with the arrival of Portuguese
pirates on the Concan, the word "Chilli" then also became the name of a spice. On account of
the resemblance of its shape to a small penis, the name "Sheikh Chilli" came to have the
double meaning of "Sheikh Chilli-Penis". That the spice chilli was brought from the Americas
and Brazil by the Portuguese is stated by Collingham:
"An alternate sequence for chili peppers' spread has the Portuguese getting the pepper from
Spain, and thence to India, as described by Lizzie Collingham in her book Curry. Collingham
states in her book that the chili pepper figures heavily in the cuisine of the Goan region of
India, which was the site of a Portuguese colony (e.g. vindaloo, an Indian interpretation of a
Portuguese dish). Collingham also describes the journey of chili peppers from India, through
Central Asia and Turkey, to Hungary, where it became the national spice in the form of
paprika." - wikipedia, chilli.
# Toheed Ahmad, "Tracking down Shaikh Chilli"
"Sometimes the line between a fictional character and a real person can be a blurred one
In my 11 years spent on the trail of Shaikh Chilli, I have come across two personalities who
carry this name. One is said to have been a Sufi saint who lived in the age of Emperor Akbar.
The other is the legendary character known for his stupidity and foolishness. Succeeding
generations of South Asians have been brought up remembering the delightful fool best known
for his khayali pulao a fantastic daydreamer who could think up the wildest plans. Nothing
much is known of the Sufi saint of the same name expect for a couple of pointers to a
gravesite in places around Delhi. Was there a real person in history called Shaikh Chilli? Is
our most famous fool just a fictional character?
Let me begin with the Shaikh Chilli entry in Volume 12 of the monumental Urdu Lughat
produced by the Urdu Dictionary Board, Karachi: A saint who was so called because of his love
for performing chillas and lies buried in a mausoleum at Thanesser in Karnal District of
India. Then comes a couplet by Mir, written in 1810:
Aik chappar hay shehar dilli ka Jaisay rauza ho Shaikh Chillia ka
(This shack in the city of Delhi resembles the mausoleum of Shaikh Chilli).
The second meaning given is: A traditional fool to whose stupidity many tales have been
invented. Three illustrative quotes from Urdu literature follow; one of the two prose quotes
is from an 1884 book called Tazkyira-i-Ghausia: The world is like the pitcher of Shaikh Chilli
once the load is thrown off your head, nothing remains. A figurative meaning follows: Stupid,
joker, daydreamer. This is illustrated by a couplet from Nazir Akbarabadi (composed in 1830):
Jo hum ko janey boorha so wo hai Shaikh Chilli Hum chaire dalayein ab bhi khooban ko kar kay
khulli
(Whoever thinks that I am gone old is a Shaikh Chilli; I am still not afraid of teasing
pretty faces).
Then comes Shaikh Chillis Plan which is described as being a metaphor for khayali pulao (a
daydream), building castles in the air or an imaginary plane. One of the two quotes given here
is from the 1877 novel Taubat-un-Nasooh of Deputy Nazeer Ahmad: Kaleem Shaikh reached his
friend Mirzas house while thinking up Shaikh Chilli plans along the way.
In my search for the Shaikh I have often travelled into the cyberspace. The Internet has
often thrown up startling results. Like this 1913 book called Folk Tales of Hindustan by
Shaikh Chilli published in Calcutta. I read of this book being available at a second-hand
bookseller outside London. I ordered it and received the packet within a month. The book has
11 stories in the English language; its 34 delightful illustrations are attributed to U. Ray &
Sons. Its preface says: These stories originally appeared in their present form in The Modern
Review with the introduction printed in this book. They are given as narrated by village folk,
with slight omissions and alterations to suit the needs of juvenile readers.
Their wide appreciation is the reason why they are now presented to the public in the form
of a book. That they appeal even to the taste of foreign roods is clear from the following
remarks which appeared in The Review of Reviews for October 1907: The Modern Review contains,
month by month, stories of a type that recall the delightful romances of the Arabian Nights.
In the September Number Shaikh Chilli tells the story of Princes Mahbub which vies with the
stories of Princes Sheherzadi.
In the introduction, the author who is supposedly the unnamed editor of The Modern Review
says: However puerile or absurd a folk tale may at first appear, it is really a fit subject
for scientific investigation and capable of yielding scientific results. We in India, however,
have left even the collection of folk tales to be done by foreigners for the most part,
considering these stories to be unworthy of the attention of so metaphysical a race as
ourselves. But we must, if we want to survive, take our place by the side of the progressive
races of the world in all departments of scientific study and research.
This was just an example of how the Shaikh Chilli industry was developing in modern times in
the subcontinent. But my search carried on till one day I rang the doorbell of this house in
Nazimabad where a young man opened the door and led me up into the first floor sitting room of
Dr Mushfiq Khawaja. All along the walls were bookshelves overflowing with books. On the floor
were stacks of more books. I asked the soft-spoken and eager Dr Khawaja as to how many books
would he have in collection. He said his house had three floors full of books may be some
40,000. That should put our National Library to shame. He was kind enough the lend me the 1920
edition of Hayat-i-Shaikh Chilli, written by Munshi Sajjad Hussain and published in Lucknow.
Dr Khwaja had indeed given me a goldmine.
For the present I quote a couple of paragraphs from the authors introduction to the book:
When I thought of writing Shaikh Chillis biography I wondered that if we the Asians have been
so niggardly with the Shaikh, the Europeans must surely have written about him because the
Shaikh was more akin to them; his experiences, innovativeness, flights of fancy, quick wit,
sharpness of mind, subtlety of soul and physical endurance were more likely to benefit all of
Europe. This thought wrenched me. I couldnt find this out for myself, as I dont known the
English language. So I asked an English-knowing friend and was greatly relieved to be told
that no European had written about the life of Shaikh chilli.
I believe that people have been unjust in neglecting to write about the life of this
streetwise and creative personality. However, some fake stories attributing falsehoods to
Shaikh Chilli have become famous, although he ranked higher than what these tales depict.
Indeed the Shaikhs exploits are worthy of being prescribed for emulation by everybody.
According to Munshi Sajjad Hussain, Shaikh Chilli was born in 1555, and was named by his
father Shaikh Malhoo after his sons birthplace called Chilla. He lived to the ripe old age of
61. Although the had a normal maktab education, the Shaikhs childhood was marked by
questioning and rebellion. He wouldnt easily accept the received wisdom of his elders. Yet a
teenager, the way he stumbled into Emperor Akbars court is recounted in some detail. The
Shaikh had heard of the emperors generosity towards the wise and the learned. One day he left
home and after wondering around for weeks, walked into Akbarabad, the capital of Emperor
Akbar. There he ran into Maulana Abdul Qadir Badayoni, who was impressed by the Shaikhs wit
and humour. Though opposed to the freethinking emperor, Maulana Abdul Qadir gave him an
introductory letter for Mulla Dopiaza. From then on Shaikh Chilli spent several years in
attendance at the royal court battling his wit against Birbals and keeping the emperor and his
court amused.
From here on Shaikh Chills story becomes simple to follow. On a recent rainy day in Lahore,
I happened to be at the Lahore Gymkhana and spent the morning in their surprisingly
well-stocked reading room. There I picked up Dr Tabassum Kashmirs History of Urdu Literature.
Leafing through it, my imagination was caught by its chapter on the Gujri language, a Gujarati
variant of Urdu, which predated the Dakhani language. Frankly I had never heard of it. I read
on. Lo and behold, there I cam across the missing link. Mian Khoob Muhammad Chishti wrote a
masnavi, called Khoob Tarang. Written in the anecdotal style of Rumis masnavi, it was
published in 1575, three years after Akbars conquest of Gujarat. It was an account of a
spiritual journey rich in instruction and moral elevation. Here is his tale of Shaikh Chilli:
Shaikh Chilli owned four houses built around a single courtyard. One monsoon season, because
of heavy rain, the roof of one of the houses began to leak. To inspect the damage, he climbed
on to its roof. Once on top, he found that there were just three houses around his courtyard;
he couldnt see the house under his feet. The Shaikh was upset and worried that because of his
delay in getting it fixed, in protest, the fourth house had moved away. He decided to go out
and search for the house and persuade it to come back. He climbed down from the roof, stepped
out into the street and seeing some passersby, describes his house to them and asked if they
had seen it move around in any of the streets. Amused, they replied that actually they had
seen such a house move southwards not far from where they stood. Run along quickly, and may be
you can still catch it, they advised the shaken Shaikh. He started to run around in the narrow
streets. When he would return to his guides they would egg him on to go looking for his lost
house in another direction. Soon exhausted the poor Shaikh Chilli walked into a mosque and
slunk into a corner to get his breath back.
A group of Sufi saints were also sitting around in the mosque. Having recovered, Shaikh
Chilli shared with them his travail of searching of his lost house. Though amused, they could
not offer him any advice. They exchanged meaningful glances and continued to sit in silence.
Soon the exhausted Shaikh dozed off. Two of the Sufis got up and shaved off his beard,
moustache and the eyebrows. Next morning, Shaikh Chilli woke up and walked over to the water
pond for his wuzoo. He was stunned to see his reflection. How could this be? Now Shaikh Chilli
forgot about his annoyed house and set out in search of himself. He pored over every nook and
corner of his town but could not find himself.
Hafiz Mahmood Sheerani in his article on the Gujri literature quotes the original of this
tale in verse composed by Khoob Mohammad Chishtis as an example of Sufi absorption and
effacement. I believe here Sheerani missed the essential link that this tale provides between
Shaikh Chilli the Sufi and Shaikh Chilli the delectable fool of Urdu literature. They were one
and the same person. So we now finally know who was the real Shaikh Chilli. Let us resuscitate
him in the spirit of Munshi Sajjad Hussain. We need him, as noted above, to be able to take
our place with the advanced literate societies of the world."
- "Tracking down Shaikh Chilli" By Toheed Ahmad, Dawn Magazine, August 21, 2005
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/archive/050821/dmag18.htm
Mulla Nasr-ood-Deen
___________________
Famed throughout the world.
"Nasreddin is a fictional legendary satirical Sufi figure who is believed by some[who?] to
have existed during the Middle Ages (around 13th century), in Aksehir, and later in Konya,
under the Seljuq rule. Nasreddin was a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his
funny stories and anecdotes." - wikipedia.
Many nations of the Near, Middle East and Central Asia claim the Nasreddin as their own (i.e.
Turks,[1][5][6][7] Afghans,[5] Iranians,[1][8] and Uzbeks)[9], and his name is spelled
differently in various cultures-and often preceded or followed by titles "Hodja", "Mullah", or
"Effendi".
There was a Khwaja Nasrudden in India:
"There are also a couple of mazars of rival Sufis in the spiritual
town of Amroha, the administrative headquarters of Jyotiba Phule
Nagar district. One is dominated by scorpions while another is the
playground of donkeys. But neither do the scorpions harm any devotee
nor do the donkeys' desecrate the mazar or its campus. Both the
mazars are situated a few furlongs apart and have a strange tale
behind them each. One of them is the mazar of revered Sufi-saint
Shah Wilyat Amrohi, popularly known as "Dada Shahwilayat", which is
guarded by scorpions. According to Z. A. Najmi, a local
writer-journalist, who has been researching the history of these
mazars, the poisonous scorpions never sting devotees or visitors.
The history has it that Shahwilayat migrated from Wasti (Basra in
Iraq) in 653 Hijri to India to spread the message of God. He had a
desire of finally settling in a place where mango and rohu fish
could be found. He finally reached this place where he found mango
and rohu in abundance. The place was thus called Aam (mango)-Roha
(rohu fish).
However, his decision to settle down there was objected to by Khwaja
Nasruddin or Hazrat Khwaja Geso Daraaz. He sent a bowl overflowing
with water. The message was clear: this place was already
spiritually full and there was no scope for another Sufi.
Shahwilayat smiled, put a rose in the bowl and sent it back to
Khwaja Nasruddin
indicating his presence would be as light as the rose. In anger,
Khwaja Nasruddin said stay here but your shrine would be dominated
by scorpions. Shahwilayat said, "Yes, but they wouldn't hurt my
devotees." On the other hand, the Sufi told Khwaja Nasruddin that
his shrine would be a playground of donkeys. Khwaja replied, "Yes,
but they wouldn't desecrate the shrine."
- "Strange tales behind mazars". Farzand Ahmed. India Today,
Lucknow, December 14, 2009
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/74949/India/Strange+tales+behind+mazars.html
The End