Abdullah Avlânî, Cedidist, from Turkestan - Life and Poems

This study is about Abdullah Avlânî?s life, his works and his activities who was a Cedidist/innovator an intellectual educator, journalist, interpreter, actor, intellectual, poet and writer from Turkestan. At the beginning of this study, first, a general appraise has been made about Cedit movement which has first emerged in Turkestan towards the end of 19the Century and the beginning of 20th Century and the plan, program, aim and activities of its members. And later, in an order, Abdullah Avlânî?s poetry, education, publishing, newspaper and theatre activities have been taken into consideration in a comparative way by using many different works. Additionally, some duties and assignments of Avlânî in times of Tsarist and Bolshevik Russia at public institutions at domestic and international levels. Abdullah Avlânî has aimed to educate his nation which has been far away of contemporary education, according to the western education system. In order to reach this aim he has conducted activities in education, newspaper publishing and theater in addition to poetry. Abdullah Avlânî is one of the first intellectuals who has opened Cedit schools of İsmail Bey Gaspirali first in Turkestan. Avlânî has opened Cedit schools in 1904 in Mirâbâd province of Taşkent and in 1909 in Degrez neighborhood of Şeyhantâhur province. Meanwhile, he has realized that there is a need for new education books and prepared new and contemporary education books. Some of his books such as ?Birinçi Muallim?, ?İkkinçi Muallim?, ?Türkî Gülistan yahut Ahlâk?, ?Mektep Gülistanı? ?Üçinçi Muallim?, ?Mektep Coğrafiyası?, ?Hesap Meseleleri?; and the magazine named as ?Edebiyat yahut Millî Şiirler? have been used as textbook in Cedit schools. Abdullah Avlânî has founded a charity association in 1909 in Taşkent with the name of ?Cemiyet-i Hayriye? and collected money and distributed amongst the schools in order to educate the children of local people. But, some of the members of the clergy and their followers who have criticized any kind of modernization as ?Russianization?, ?Westernization? and ?Christianization? have inhibited the educational activities of Cedits. Thus, the Cedit schools opened by Avlânî have been closed with common activities of illiterate people and pressure of Tsarist Russia that never wanted Turkestan and Turkestan people to develop. Avlânî has published the newspapers named Terakkî, Şühret and Asya in order to enlighten and direct the Turkestan Muslims to Western civilization by way of publication. Besides, in order to serve the aims stated above he has pioneered for the establishment of the enterprises in 1910s such as ?Neşriyat? (19 September 1914) and ?Mektep? (18 March 1916). Abdullah Avlânî, after February 1917 happenings, has started to publish Turan newspaper under the principle of ?Yaşasın Halk Cumhuriyeti/Long Live People?s Republic?. The aim of this newspaper has been declared as ?To end the problems, hardships and the superstitions amongst the Muslims going on for years and to prepare the people for the oncoming republican administration?. Avlânî has continued his literary and publishing life in 1918 at the newspaper of İştirakiyyun and the magazine of Kasabaçılık Hareketi, and in 1920 at the newspaper of Kızıl Bayrak. Under the leadership of Abdullah Avlânî, in 1913, a theater group has been established with the name of ?Turan?. The number one aim of these theater groups was to develop and introduce theater to Turkestan people and to increase the cultural and educational level of the people. ?Turan? group of Avlânî has first time brought the game of Pederküş of Behbûdî? in Tashkent in 1914 and received high level of interest of the people. Sadâ-yı Türkistan newspaper has published an article about ?Turan? group and named it as ?National Theater?. Turan theater group has respectively has conducted tours in some big cities of Turkestan like Taşkent, Semerkant, Hokand, Kettekorgan, Buhara, Andican and Nemengan As a consequence of these tours, theater groups have been founded in these cities. Abdullah Avlânî has written some plays and dramas to bring to the stage such as Portugaliya İnkılâbı, Pinek, Biz ve Siz, Advokatlık Âsanmı? and İkki Sevgi. Additionally, by translating some plays from Azerbaijani Turkish language he has introduced the works of friendly countries to Turkestan people. In addition to these translations, he has cooperated with friendly Azeri and Tatar producers in theater works. The poems of Abdullah Avlânî get their themes and subjects from the social, political, economic, civil and cultural changes and developments in Europe, Russia and Turkestan. Avlânî?s poems possess a social content and in these poems he mentions about the problems of Turkestan and Turkestan people. Some of these can be summarized as; the invasion of Turkestan and internalize it as a colony by Tsarist Russia; the illiteracy, impoverishment and laziness of Turkestan people; the opposition of the people to modern education under the influence of some unprogressive clergy, the indifference of Turkestan intellectuals and wealthy towards the education of their own children; the struggle between Kadimci-Ceditçi groups; harmful and false traditions; developments in social, educational and industrial areas in Turkestan and abroad. Avlânî addresses to his homeland in his poems as ?mother?. In his mind, his motherland Turkestan was a source of education, and the cradle of civilization and a universal state. But, Turkestani people?s keeping away from positive science and innovations in this respect has resulted in the invasion of Turkestan by foreign powers. The poet is very much sorry for his people?s quietness in front of their independence. So that, he tries to wake up his nation from the sleep of illiteracy and reunite and proceed in contemporary science. Under these thoughts, Avlânî has written 33 poems directly related to motherland, 52 poems about his nation, 57 poems about illiteracy and scientific poverty, 53 poems about school and education. Avlânî has written these poems in traditional classic and anonyms form. When we look at the language character of Abdullah Avlânî?s poems, we see the language of Turkestani people of his term. For example, the poet has expressed his hatred to colonial and invader Tsarist Russia in his poems by using some expressions in a covert way such as ?tikan/thorn?, ?zalim felek/cruel fate?, ?kara bulut/black cloud?, ?soğuk kara kış/cold bitter winter?, ?yılan/snake?, ?tülki/fox?, ?şeytan/devil? ?mekkâr/deceitful? ?küz/autumn? ?zalim/cruel?, ?zulüm/cruelty?, ?kara küç/devil power?. His very often usage of some other expressions such as ?Millet/nation?, ?ilimsizlik/lack of knowledge/?, ?cehalet/illiteracy?, ?gaflet/negligence?, ?gaflet uykusu/sleep of negligence?, ?fayda ve zarar/profit and loss?, ?ibretsizlik/lack of lessons learned?, ?tembellik/lazyness?, ?kin/hate?, ?nefret/hatred?, ?ittifaksızlık/lack of unity?? point out his reaction to illiteracy and ignorance of his nation, and his apprehension to the future of his people. The most important feature of Avlânî?s poems is that he very often uses the linguistic elements of Turkey?s Turkish. Under this attitude we see an aim to create a common communication language for Turkish World. When merging these two dialects, though less, he has also used some words and suffixes from Azerbaijani Turkish. Thus, by enriching his word repertory, he has proved his affection towards other Turkish dialects. Avlânî has tried to realize this aim by using inflexional suffixes and time and mode suffixes used for the verbs. Avlânî has also adopted some of the suffixes in Turkish to some words used in Persian, Arabic and Uzbek Turkish such as present continuous tense suffix -yor, direction suffixes of -e, -a and present tense suffix -maz. Additionally, he has transferred some of the linguistic features of Turkey Turkish (connector vowels and consonants as -n) to Uzbek Turkish. Key Words 1. Abdullah Avlânî 2. Education 3. Journalism 4. Theatre 5.Tsarism and Bolshevic periods