AN UNKNOWN DIWAN OF NAWAB WAZEER KHAN TAKHALLUS WAZEERI; SOME CONFUSION PREVAILS AS TO THE IDENTITY OF THE SAID PERSON.

AN UNKNOWN DIWAN OF NAWAB WAZEER KHAN TAKHALLUS WAZEERI;
SOME CONFUSION PREVAILS AS TO THE IDENTITY OF THE SAID PERSON.

On 5 May 1738 Nadir Shah began his march into Northern Afghanistan. Kabul was taken on 19 June 1738. One month later he left Kabul for Lahore, where he received the keys of the city on 12 January 1739. On 26 January he continued his invasion of India. That actually means he was in Lahore from 12th to 26th January, 1739. An invading army with nothing else on mind except literal looting of all resources. Surely, he besieged Lahore and defeated the Mughal governor Nawab Zakaria Khan for same reasons. It is reported by an eye witness that the Qizilbash and the Georgians made a great slaughter while taking the city in early January 1739. But certainly, they looted what they could. But administration of Lahore, knew the best way to handle them. Give them whatever they want. We can only imagine what they took. And certainly, a manuscript with a record of Nadir Shah on it, must be part of the loot. It was the Diwan of Nawab Wazeer Khan. And the uncertainty in Afghanistan decades back, brought these manuscripts back to the region, particularly Lahore. Scholar Khalil ur Rahman Daoudi was acquiring them from the Pathans.

It was 2001 that Daoudi Sahib consulted a Persian language expert, who obviously knew the language well, but history less. After studying same, he made the following points into consideration. It is known that Daoudi Sahib did not agree with him and told persons about his misgivings, and same were communicated to me too. The manuscript was of a poet with valuable information:

  1. The takhallus of the poet was WAZEERI.
  2. No poet of this takhallus was known from any source. It was a unique manuscript. 
  3. The poet was supposedly of Mughal origin and had migrated from China to the Mughal Court.
  4. Qasidas present in the Diwan related to Emperor Akbar, Khan e Khanan, Prince Saleem; etc.
  5. A number of historical personalities of past were mentioned too.
  6. The poet himself asserts us that he is Nawab Wazeer Khan.
  7. Mention is also made by him of his profession of being Hakeem and tahbeeb, as well as an astrologer. The chart made is of last days of Emperor Akbar. Then Emperor Saleem is mentioned. That is 1605 AD. Wazeer Khan died in 1640 AD. He fell from his horse as the Governor of Akbarabad.

Wazeer Khan was attached to Prince Saleem. It is possible that this Diwan is Part one. Part two may be missing. The script is clear. Corrected at times. Number of seals. Re-written colophon with change of names and date. The owner stresses his link with Nadir Shah. In fact, he draws his ancestral tree on the manuscript itself. It seems that the manuscript landed as a waqf in some collection of Habib ullah. From its repaired looks, it is clear that it has passed through tough times.

Confusion starts with the assertion that the poet belonged to China and migrated here from there. A person working in China and finding an excuse to come here is not only doubtful, but no solid evidence exists of the same. The title “Nawab” also belongs to our region, and nowhere else. Wazeer Khan is not a name but a title is obviously understood by us. Why this confusion? Not many references are there. I saw one with reference to “Cheen”, but it is forgotten that the short term for Chiniot was Cheen. In fact, travelers referred Chiniot as Little China, or Chota Cheen. I have seen this in a manuscript on Chiniot. Otherwise, traditional reference is of the place being named after a Princess by the name of “Chandniot”. On the bank of river Chenab, it was a famous trading post for travelers. Old name which was still in use even in 1862. It gained international importance when on 20th September, 1948, the Ahmadiyya’s migrated from Qadian, India, and leased opposite place from the Government of Pakistan. From a security point of view a long travel on a bridge makes this place a perfect hide out from prying eyes.

The changed date on the manuscript (changed to hide identity of owner and manuscript, usual for stolen things) is 1186 AH, and amusingly a note on the first page is dated as 1152 AH. There are other dates too. 1152 AH means 1739 AD. 1186 AH means 1773 AD. The interesting part is that in 1739 AD, Nadir Shah was very well in Lahore. It clarifies the source of the manuscript as to have originated from Lahore. Later the colophon is changed to 1773 AD, which is totally wrong. The manuscript very much looks like 17th century and it certainly belongs to Wazeer Khan era, and possibly is an autograph of the man. The manuscript requires serious research. Persian language expert can do the job to an extent. Even more the requirement is of a qualified historian of the period. If time permits, we will try to get more done. I was getting research done on a manuscript of Nur Jahan, and mentioned the scholar from Quetta. Malignancy surrounded a person who approached the Quetta person and got the work stalled, due to threat of commercial sanctions on that poor man. There is ruthless dictatorship in research work. No one interested in research but making their own name famous. My job is to open things, not close things due to some megalomaniac tendency. Often research is stalled due to petty self-aggrandizement. We are all happy with new information. 

M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI OBSESSED WITH REGIONAL PICTORIAL HISTORY; RESEARCHED ON “DABISTAN MUSSAWARI” OF LAHORE AND ITS OFF-SHOOTS.

M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI OBSESSED WITH REGIONAL PICTORIAL HISTORY;
RESEARCHED ON “DABISTAN MUSSAWARI” OF LAHORE AND ITS OFF-SHOOTS.

An article on the background of pictorial history generated by both artists of Lahore as well as other artists of the Punjab. The pitfall was that as in other ways of life, the two-nation theory came here in this aspect of life. Hindus kept on generating their point of view. Muslims were not even interested in this aspect of writing. The result a myth was created and the truth driven out lost in the woods of anarchy. Talking of Punjab, it was forgotten that Lahore was a Mughal city, governed by Mughal Kings and Governors. In this particularly important period, by the son of Wazeer Qamaruddin, that Mir Muin ul Mulk, that is Mir Mannu. Mir Mannu was Governor of both Mughals as well as Ahmad Shah Abdali, and all the Hindu Rajas paid homage to him. In fact, pictures exist with reign of Mir Mannu as inscriptions. And not only those miniatures of Mir Mannu are there too. Scattered in museums all over the world, some are published, some remain unpublished. Berlin Museum has a most interesting miniature done by the famous Nainsukh himself.

M.A. Rahman Chughtai had great plans for pictorial history. An article appeared in a local literary magazine. Then after his death, Chughtai Museum published his research to that date. The book was a block buster. Very soon we ran out of print. We published a second edition too. This was distributed free of cost by Chughtai Museum. It generated upheaval in research work. Students and scholars borrowed information from it. In fact, a few PHD thesis written owed their debt to this little booklet. An English edition was made but has not been printed yet. It reveals to the world a plethora of artists of Lahore, unknown and unresearched. It even revealed that there were streets named after artists in Lahore itself. We even had reference of a mohalla and gali of Sheikh Basawan the Mughal mussawar. Our finances are meagre, but our ideas are unlimited in scope. We will continue work on same.

Gaur Suhai were the first signed miniatures of a Punjab artist. M.A. Rahman Chughtai collected signed works as an obsession. We published a book on Gaur Suhai, who signed his works in Persian language as “saqt Gaur Suhai”, with his links to Muslim courts. Two works were with N.C. Metha, a collector of Bombay. A few works by Lahore based painters, who migrated from Lahore, and were ancestors of Chughtai’s first wife, Wazeer un nisa, of Chowk Nawab Wazeer Khan. One of them was ELIA NAQASH, and his work is in a museum too. We are working on these features ourselves. Our collection was noticed by Dr Karl Khandalavalla. Scholars like Bautze as well as B.N. Goswamy went through our book.Excellent work these people are doing on their own. Surely no one is free of bias. Truth is inevitable! 

TWELVTH SERIES EXPLORATION OF CHUGHTAI ART: STORY OF OPPORTUNITIES OF AN ADVERTISING AGENCY; EXPLOITATION OF TALENT GENERATION OF RESOURCES.

TWELVTH SERIES EXPLORATION OF CHUGHTAI ART:
STORY OF OPPORTUNITIES OF AN ADVERTISING AGENCY;
EXPLOITATION OF TALENT GENERATION OF RESOURCES.

Unless you have seen Chughtai art in original, you are in no position to even make a judgment. The observation skill of most people is limited. Look at the whole, never in parts. No time to observe the details, which tell everything. When you look at the whole, you are bound to hide many things. The paper used by the fake makers is nothing short of being ridiculous. Not only do they have no access to original Whatmann, they ae not in a position to buy expensive drawing paper. Handmade paper is beyond them. Where 300 gms is required, you cannot do much with 100 gms cheap paper meant for struggling students. And instead of pigment colours, cheap chemical paints. No ability to mix paints and take out original tinge of Chughtai art. Lines cannot be drawn by them, so they print a weak image of a standard work on paper. Size unknown to them. Compositional size also not known. Chughtai used to cut his paper to suit his composition. That is why fakers shorten or extend works to meet size of paper. Afraid of cutting an 18 by 22 size student paper to size required for an original Chughtai. Imagine some reduce sizes from 26 by 36 inches to 14 by 19 inches. The best fake makers raise their hands in their lack of ability to copy a Master.

STORY OF A FAKE MASTERA very famous head of an Advertising agency, in 1950s, used to buy works from Chughtai himself, to sell in Karachi, as well as other clients. He had a lot of original work, believed to be stuck in a police custody now. But he was a gambling addict. He stopped paying people their due amount. Due to these lapses, the artist Chughtai stopped giving him his works for sale. It was then that he asked am artist in his advertising studio, if he can make Chughtais. The poor man volunteered to try his best, and he innovated things. A faint image of a Chughtai was printed on paper, and on same English photo-colours were used to finish a painting. No technique, no washes. Nothing but cheap copies. A person in Islamabad got the idea. This faker used to sell his works for Ten thousand Rs, the man in Islamabad used to sell the work to a party in London for Rs One lakh. From there it went to auction houses, who had absolutely no knowledge of original or fake enterprises. A lot of money got generated in this way. Everybody felt happy. No consequences. The funny part is that Pakistani moronic analysts and critics had no mood to even look into this matter. Perhaps the spoils were divided amongst various people. Only I remained the Socratic gad-fly.

It has been an arduous work. Going through these series of exploration. Just look at the three Karachi fakes presented in a separate way. The fakes are about 14 by 19 inches. Laugh your heart off. The originals are huge works. Look at the faded textures. Karachi fakers become zero when you see the original side by side. All this must come in a book. But at the present it is out of financial reach for us. We will try in the future to expose the hideous faces of both sellers and buyers. We are alays available. Seek our opinion on everything related to Chughtai art. We will give you the facts and figures.

WHEN A CHUGHTAI WORK IS IN OUR ARCHIVES, IN A POSITION TO COMPARE SAME WITH FAKE.

WHEN A CHUGHTAI WORK IS IN OUR ARCHIVES,
IN A POSITION TO COMPARE SAME WITH FAKE.

Our archives include many works not in our possession. We are in a position to compare the, with fakes. But many are there with originals. Just one look and literally even a blind person can see the difference between the two. One can tune one’s observation skills to the extent where even one look can tell you same. So just look at some of the examples. Everything is obvious! We have no longer access to some fake, as they have been removed from the internet, for fear of exposure.

The name of the fake artists one thing, there is a VIP list of those who get fakes made, to boast their collection, or make money out of same. We are not in a position to name such VIPS as they are plenty, and well-known people. The list includes Presidents, Prime Ministers, as well as Governors. Greed touches the heart of such people all the time. Our job is to give information, We are not the people who can execute such drastic orders. Enjoy our information!

ART EXPLORATIONS TEN OF FAKE INDUSTRY OF CHUGHTAI ART, DELHI SCHOOL: THE INTERNET IS FULL OF CHUGHTAI FAKES, AND IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT TRUTH; IS NOT KNOWN. IT IS INTEREST OF ART BUSINESS TO CLOSE EYES AS REQUIRED.

ART EXPLORATIONS TEN OF FAKE INDUSTRY OF CHUGHTAI ART, DELHI SCHOOL:
THE INTERNET IS FULL OF CHUGHTAI FAKES, AND IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT TRUTH;
IS NOT KNOWN. IT IS INTEREST OF ART BUSINESS TO CLOSE EYES AS REQUIRED.

The fake industry has many issues. Faking Chughtai is not even possible, but starting from a scratch, people do keep on trying. I receive all sort of enquiries from Delhi School, making a fake, and asking me its pro and cons. I really realize offering to much information to such sources is nothing short of a sin. So, my best advice is to bring the original to me. Without same I am not in a position to make hundred percent sure remote judgement. Stories are spun that it is too far away, binging same not possible at all. But asking ques from me to better their product.

Few things must be kept in mind. Hardly anyone has the capacity to make a new Chughtai drawing and composition. The creativity is really lacking in these people. Now what happens. They get their hands on copies of Murraqqa e Chughtai or Naqash e Chughtai. Many times, Amal e Chughtai is out of their reach. But some has that too. Next problems for them are that they have the image at times in colour but many times in black and white. Then they have no idea of its colour. They have no idea of its size. No idea of how the work is cut. Deliberately at times a torn or mutilated paper is used. They have no idea of the process with which the work is made or processed by the artist. No idea of the handmade paper used by the artist, or the pigment colours. Not familiar with Whatmann or even Winsor and Newton or Japanese Kyoto brushes. I can see all that in seconds myself. That is why I insist on seeing the back side of the work and some have got it pasted it on board to hide their nefarious work.

However, much people try, the feeling of the work cannot be duplicated by them or the luminosity of the work. Faded colours are hallmarks of fake makers. Obviously so much can be said, but the few renarks I have made should open the eyes of both fake makers as well as fake buyers. Get authentication from those who know authentication! Ready to help people from my decades of experience and knowledge.

HUMAN NATURE IS FOR ORDINARY ARTISTS TO IMITATE MASTERS; A POSITIVE STEP IS ONLY TO INNOVATE AND LEARN PICTORIAL ART; ON OTHER HAND, A NEGATIVE STEP IS TO SEEK MARKET FOR SAME. EXPLORATIONS IN ART LOOKS AT CHUGHTAI FAKE MARKET IN CHINA

HUMAN NATURE IS FOR ORDINARY ARTISTS TO IMITATE MASTERS;
A POSITIVE STEP IS ONLY TO INNOVATE AND LEARN PICTORIAL ART;
ON OTHER HAND, A NEGATIVE STEP IS TO SEEK MARKET FOR SAME.
EXPLORATIONS IN ART LOOKS AT CHUGHTAI FAKE MARKET IN CHINA

Every great Master is copied with time. You name it, copy makers exist for doing same. But many copy to learn and move into innovative techniques. Improving skills is not wrong. Others to make money. Obviously, the ordinary copy makers are no good and are caught in seconds. Exceptional talent preys on people.

Some remarks from fake Chinese market:


“A so-called Chinese “urban village,” Dafen once produced an estimated 60 percent of all the world’s oil paintings. During its heyday—when the village’s reputation as an art factory rang truer than today—it almost exclusively cranked out copies of paintings in the Western art canon. These canvases found their way into hotel rooms, show homes, and furniture outlets all around the world. Not bad for somewhere that until the late 1980s was a largely overlooked and decidedly rural backwater on the periphery of Shenzhen. “

“Meanwhile, cheaper and more efficient production methods have been developed. Many copies are now first printed onto canvases in high-definition, after which art workers apply just enough paint to make it appear as if they were painted by hand, a process which requires significantly less skill and produces a more consistent result.” 

“The idea of replicating the work of top painters is nothing new. In the time of Rubens, “if you wanted a copy of his beautiful Venus and Mars, you would just contact his studio … and order one,” Bray noted.

“What we’re doing here is just showing that the practice has now moved to China,” he said.

Millions of replicas are produced every year in China for a global and also domestic market, focused around the studios and workshops in the southern village of Dafen.”

This Chinese market is still a very secretive market as far as Chughtai art is concerned. Mention is made of four possible works. We are giving pictorial of one work. There are others. The funny part is that CHUGHTAI hated the OIL technique. Some pseudo analysts and experts have looked at Chughtai fakes and made conjecture that perhaps Chughtai also did oils in his works. Mere hullabaloo, nothing else. But the Chinese claim that they can also do same in water colour. Is it not time to trust the greatest Chughtai art expert in the world! That is of course me, Arif Rahman Chughtai, son of the artist and Director of Chughtai Museum in Lahore. Chinese have the highest marks in making fakes but there are still give away signs. Ask me!

Price list for even water colours