Steering the Yacht—The Naat Rang
A Literary Movement in Naat Criticism
Having learnt methodology of developing contacts with the contemporary brains while diligently shaping Lailat-un-Naat into a journal of meditative nature, contemplating upon literary character of Naat writings, Sabih Rehmani explored probabilities of shaping a Naat world based on modern criticism techniques, research works, heading towards literary globalization of Naat aesthetics. The dynamism of this creative endeavor predicated upon the following methods that earned him unparalleled results.
Key Methods & Approaches
- Editorial technique
- Letters to the editor
- Expanding team of literary intellectuals writing on Naat
- Contacts with seats of learning
- Promotion of Naat criticism and research work
- Educating readers, spreading Naat vision and stabilizing writers' team through compiling books on major aspects of Naat poetry comprising scholarly writings by literary intellectuals
Sabih Rehmani would employ all means to spread awareness, conviction about the veracity of his cause, educating even scholars on new dimensions of Naat aesthetics and creative expression of divine poetry, producing disquisitions by masters of criticism and insight engaged in creative venture both in Pakistan and India and bringing into existence a reservoir of research works on Naat literary criticism besides the revival of historical poetic traditions of Naat set by legends of lyrical poetry of Urdu like Ghalib, Ameer Minai, Mohsin Kakorvi and later stalwarts of Naat world like Hali, Iqbal, Ahmed Raza Khan and Zafar Ali Khan.
He has also successfully endeavoured to discover and bring into the creative circle fresh talent of youth currently serving the cause of modernism in Naat in the academic cadre and the world of literary education.
Launching the multiple literary grapples in the light of his mentor's advice and guidance, he decided to bring out the book serial journal Naat Rang to achieve these laid down objectives. Both theoretical as well as practical criticism was attempted to elucidate to the readers what he actually wanted to do. Through Naat Rang, the readers first time learnt about types and aspects of literary criticism such as:
Types of Literary Criticism
- Classical criticism
- Romantic criticism
- Practical criticism
- Historical criticism
- Analytical criticism
- Structural criticism
- Comparative criticism
- Descriptive criticism
- Aesthetical criticism
- Reformatory criticism
- Theoretical criticism
- Sociological criticism
- Impressionistic criticism
- Judicial/legislative criticism
- Semantic/lexical/linguistic Analysis
Declaring Naat Rang a Movement
The response was so encouraging that Sabih Rehmani, just 8 months after the first issue, declared Naat Rang a movement in his editorial to the 2nd issue in December, 1995. By 2004, Sabih Rehmani had published 20 issues of Naat Rang in only nine years. In this short span of time, the Naat Rang revolution had transpired. Sabih had earned great victory in gathering a large and effective team of literary intellectual and writers who would prove the case of Naat as a literary genre providing evidence in aesthetics, artistic evaluation, critical analyses, theoretical, practical, descriptive and structural criticism and producing useful articles and theses in hundreds on variety of subjects concerning diverse aspects of Naat poetry.
Towards Global Naat Foundation
Through Naat Rang, we are presenting to our overseas readers living in all the continents of the world to put forth their valuable opinions towards establishing a "Global Naat Foundation" that will achieve the laid down goals explained in the preceding pages.