Bait Bazi
Encyclopedia
Bait Bazi is a verbal game and a genre of Urdu poetry
played by composing verses of Urdu
poems. The game is common among Urdu speakers in Pakistan
and India
. It resembles the Malayalam Aksharaslokam
and, more generally, the British Crambo
.
(bait) of a poem. For example:
The next player has to reply with another verse starting with the last letter of the verse used by the previous player. In this case it was m.
Now, the next player has to reply with a verse starting with y.
The next player has to reply with a verse starting with n, and so on.
A verse that has already been used in a game may not be repeated. The rules used by experienced players can be more stringent, such as allowing the use of only one poet's verses or of one theme.
of PTV
. In this weekly entertainment show, partcipants, usually from various colleges take part in the game and compete for attractive prize. The show produces a lot of enthusiasm for young Urdu lovers because selection of couplets is regarded as an important factor for determining the winner in case of a tie.
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
played by composing verses of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poems. The game is common among Urdu speakers in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It resembles the Malayalam Aksharaslokam
Aksharaslokam
Akshara Slokam is a traditional way of Sloka chanting, a poetic entertainment developed in the Malayalam language of Kerala, India. It is in a classical format with strict rules on the meter of quatrains called slokas or mukthaka. A number of scholars sit to recite either Sanskrit or Malayalm...
and, more generally, the British Crambo
Crambo
Crambo is an old rhyming game which, according to Strutt, was played as early as the fourteenth century under the name of the ABC of Aristotle. It is also known as Capping the rhyme...
.
Rules
The game starts with the first person reciting a stanzaStanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
(bait) of a poem. For example:
- ab key baras phir wo aiay ga
- ab key baras phir milain giay ham
The next player has to reply with another verse starting with the last letter of the verse used by the previous player. In this case it was m.
- Meri shaeri sey shaaed kuch tum bhi seekh jaao
- ye mohabbatoN ke qissey heiN jaa'ezey wafaa key
Now, the next player has to reply with a verse starting with y.
- yea waqat key tamashay bee hain ajab tamashay
- jo kal tak apnay thay aaj wo paraiay hian
The next player has to reply with a verse starting with n, and so on.
A verse that has already been used in a game may not be repeated. The rules used by experienced players can be more stringent, such as allowing the use of only one poet's verses or of one theme.
History
The Urdu language has a very rich poetic tradition, and the game is very popular among women and poetry enthusiasts particularly in Pakistan. Schools and colleges regularly organize Bait Bazi competitions. Bait Bazi competitions are also held using radio, television and now the Internet. A very popular example is frequently played Bait Bazi of popular television show "Tariq Aziz Show" a.k.a "Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz" formerly known as Neelam GharNeelam Ghar
Neelam Ghar was a talk show and a general-knowledge quiz show hosted by Tariq Aziz on Pakistan Television from the 1970's to the 1990's. It was renamed the Tariq Aziz Show in 1997. It is currently called Bazm e Tariq Aziz. The name literally means "the Auction House" in Urdu. The show celebrated...
of PTV
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
. In this weekly entertainment show, partcipants, usually from various colleges take part in the game and compete for attractive prize. The show produces a lot of enthusiasm for young Urdu lovers because selection of couplets is regarded as an important factor for determining the winner in case of a tie.