Bait Bazi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bait Bazi (Urdu: بیت بازی) 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.

[edit] Rules

The game starts with the first person reciting a stanza 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.

[edit] 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 Ghar 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.

[edit] External links