Indra Sabha - A Story of eternal love

This story, Indra Sabha, was originally written in 1853 by Agha Hasan Amanat, a renowned poet from Lucknow, during the final years of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s reign.

It is considered the first full-fledged Urdu drama, marking a significant moment in South Asian literary and theatrical history.

Significance in Lucknow’s Composite Culture

Lucknow, the heart of Awadhi culture, was a center of artistic fusion where Persian, Mughal, and Indian traditions intertwined harmoniously. Indra Sabha exemplifies this cultural synthesis by blending:

• Persianate courtly aesthetics,

• Hindu mythological motifs,

• Urdu-Persian poetic traditions, and

• Hindustani classical music (Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Kathak).

The play was staged in Kesarbagh, Lucknow, and performed with elaborate costumes, dance sequences, and musical interludes. It became immensely popular in Parsi theatre, inspiring later Nautanki performances and influencing early Bollywood musicals.

Role of Newal Kishore Press

The dissemination of Indra Sabha beyond the courts and elite literary circles was made possible by Newal Kishore Press, established in Lucknow in 1858 by Munshi Newal Kishore. Recognized as the "Caxton of India," the press played a pivotal role in the preservation and expansion of Urdu, Persian, and Hindi literature. Thanks to its efforts, Indra Sabha was printed in both Urdu and Hindi, allowing it to reach a much wider audience, from courtly circles to common folk performers.

Even today, Indra Sabha remains a symbol of Lucknow’s grandeur, where love, poetry, and music defied even the gods.

The Enchanted Court of Indra Sabha

(A Tale of Love, Fate, and Divine Defiance)

A Realm of Celestial Wonders

Once upon a time, beyond the mortal world, in the celestial kingdom of Swargalok, golden palaces floated among the clouds, suspended in the embrace of the stars. Rivers of molten silver wove through lush gardens where trees bore gemstones in place of fruit, and the air shimmered with the delicate strains of Gandharvas' veenas. This was Indra Sabha, the most resplendent of divine courts, where gods, fairies, and mystical beings gathered in eternal revelry.

At its heart sat Indra, the King of the Gods, draped in robes of thunderclouds and a crown adorned with the fire of a thousand suns. At his command, celestial dancers, the Apsaras, performed in flowing silks that changed colors with every beat of the tabla. Their anklets chimed in harmony with the rhythm of the cosmos itself.

But that evening, amid the swirling ecstasy of the dance, one fairy stood apart.

Her name was Sabz Pari—the Emerald Fairy, radiant in hues of green like the first breath of spring. While her sisters delighted in the endless music and mirth, Sabz Pari’s heart was restless. She longed for something beyond this paradise. Not fleeting pleasures, nor songs of praise, but something real, something eternal.

A Forbidden Love

One fateful night, as the heavens twinkled like a celestial tapestry, Sabz Pari, defying the unspoken law of Swargalok, spread her shimmering wings and descended to Prithvilok (Earth). A gust of wind carried her like a whisper through the mortal world, a place of fleeting time and endless longing.

As she glided over a moonlit garden, she saw something that made her heart pause—a man sleeping beneath the ancient arms of a grand banyan tree. His face was serene, untouched by the weight of power or immortality. His breaths rose and fell with the rhythm of the night.

Gulfaam, the prince of a forgotten land.

Sabz Pari hovered above him, enchanted by the innocence on his face. Unable to resist, she leaned closer and whispered a celestial melody, a song sung only in dreams. The prince stirred. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, reflecting the light of the stars. And as he beheld the fairy before him, he drew a sharp breath.

"Who are you?" he murmured, half-convinced he was still dreaming.

Sabz Pari smiled, her voice as soft as the night breeze."I am but a shadow of the stars."

Thus began the most forbidden love ever to grace the heavens and the earth. But the heavens have eyes everywhere.

Indra’s Wrath

The whispers of the wind are loyal to no one, and soon, word of Sabz Pari’s love reached Indra’s ears.

The king of the gods rose in fury, his golden court trembling with his rage. Thunder roared, lightning crackled, and the once-peaceful skies turned a deep, furious red.

"A fairy of my court dares to love a mere mortal?" his voice shook the cosmos.

Summoning Sabz Pari before his throne, he looked down upon her, his gaze filled with divine fury.

"You have broken the sacred laws of the heavens," Indra thundered. "For this treachery, you are banished from Swargalok forever!"

With a wave of his hand, he cast her down to Earth, severing her wings.

Gulfaam, who had just awakened beneath the banyan tree, looked up to see a streak of emerald light falling from the heavens, like a shattered dream.

"SABZ PARI!" he screamed, running toward the fading glow.

But she was gone.

The Trials of Time & The Final Test

Sabz Pari and Gulfaam were placed at opposite ends of the world, separated by mountains of illusion and rivers that whispered lies.

"You have one night," Kaal, the Spirit of Time, declared. "If you find each other before dawn, your love shall live for eternity. If not, your souls will be lost forever."

Through forests of mirages, across oceans of forgotten voices, they ran.

As dawn neared, with only moments left, they saw each other at the edges of the horizon.

They ran—faster than the wind, defying the will of the gods—their hands reaching out.

And just as the first ray of the sun kissed the sky, their fingers touched.

Indra, watching from above, saw the truth. His anger melted into admiration.

"Love has won," Indra declared.

With a wave of his hand, he lifted the curse, and allowed Gulfaam to ascend to Swargalok as Sabz Pari’s eternal consort.

The Eternal Dance

To this day, it is said that on cloudless nights, lovers who listen carefully can hear the distant echoes of their song. For in Indra Sabha, beneath a sky of gold and fire, the Emerald Fairy and her Mortal Prince dance, forever lost in their eternal melody.