Introduction of Urdu Poetry

VO aaye ghar me.n hamaare Khudaa kii qudrat hai
kabhi ham un ko kabhii apane ghar ko dekhate hai.n

Welcome to the Urdu Poetry Archive! Urdu poetry is like a vast ocean. Walking along its shores on the sands of time, I have gathered a few gems that I would like to share with you.

The ghazals and nazms in the Urdu poetry archive have been indexed alphabetically as well as by poet. As of 31st December, 2005 there are 1826 ghazals and nazms by 343 poets in the archive. The Index of Singers has been revamped and is now available under Ghazal Singers. This is a relatively new section and covers only a few singers at the moment.

The ghazals and nazms are written in transliterated Urdu (Urdu written in the English script). I recommend that you spend a few minutes getting to know the transliteration scheme that I use. This will make it easier for you to find and read the ghazals and nazms in Romanized Urdu. These search tips may also prove helpful in finding what you are looking for.

 

Unwaan - Theme Based Sher-o-Shaayari As some of you may know, the Urdu Poetry website recently moved to a new web host and the process of redesigning and restructuring the website has been started. As part of this effort, I am pleased to announce the completion of our newly designed site for theme based Urdu poetry. It is titled Unwaan and lists couplets by popular topics in Urdu poetry. Please feel free to contact us with your comments, suggestions and feedback after you have had a chance to visit the new site. Enjoy!

Bah'r: The Backbone of Shaayari

Before I started writing this article, I thought several times if I had the knowledge and expertise to dwell on a subject as vast and complex as 'shaayari'. After all, I have taken only the first step towards learning this great art. But then I thought that my experience might help those who are yet to take that first step. So here I am, with my explanation of 'bah'r', the most important technical aspect of shaayari.

The purpose of this article is to give the readers a general idea of what bah'r means and how it is used to construct a misra (line) of Urdu shaayari. I am sharing with you some of my limited knowledge of shaayari that my Ustaad 'Mazaq' Charkhariwi has graciously given to me. He belongs to Ustaad Daag Dehlvi's school of shaayari. Everything written here conforms to that school and its teachings. There are areas where schools differ in opinion but that happens only in the case of very fine details. The scope covered here is very basic and should not pose any such issue. However, I wanted to post the disclaimer, just in case.

'Bah'r or 'Meter' is the structure over which the words of a misra (line) of a sher (verse) are arranged. Bah'r itself is made of 'arkaan' (plural of 'rukn' which means 'pillar' or 'important part'). Arkaan are also referred to as 'feet'. Whosoever coined this term was perhaps trying to relate it to the bigger unit 'meter', without realizing that 'meter' and 'foot' are units of length in two different systems of measurement. However, the 'meter' and 'feet' combination may be justified by the fact that one meter is roughly equal to three and a quarter feet and most of the bah'rs do have three or four arkaan in one misra. Arkaan are meaningless dummy words, the basic purpose of which is to specify the places of long and short syllables in an actual word. The eight arkaan, broken down into syllables, used in Urdu shaayari are as follows:

'fa-uu-lun', 'faa-i-lun', 'ma-faa-ii-lun', 'mus-taf-i-lun', 'faa-i-laa-tun', 'mu-ta-faa-i-lun', 'ma-faa-i-la-tun' and 'maf-uu-laat'

Perhaps this is a good place to add a note on transliteration, that is the process of writing Urdu words in Roman script, so that they are pronounced correctly. We will treat 'a' as in 'akbar', 'i' as in 'ishq', 'u' as in 'uljhan', 'e' as in 'ek' ('ai' and 'ei' should be treated as 'e'), 'o' as in 'bahaaro', 'aa' as in 'aaraam', 'ii' as in 'merii' and 'uu' as in 'juutaa'. Other Roman letters used are self explanatory and are not as important as these vowels.

• An 'a', 'i' or 'u' by itself or after a consonant will produce a short syllable (weight '1').
• An 'e', 'o', 'aa', 'ii' or 'uu' by itself or after a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight '2').
• An 'a', 'i' or 'u' between two consonants or before a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight '2').
• An 'e', 'o', 'aa', 'ii' or 'uu' between two consonants or before a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight '3').
• The syllable with weight '3' can be subdivided into two syllables, with weights '1' and '2' respectively, but let us keep it as it is for now.

Given this description, the eight arkaan mentioned above can be written respectively in terms of weights as
'1-2-2', '2-1-2', '1-2-2-2', '2-2-1-2', '2-1-2-2', '1-1-2-1-2', '1-2-1-1-2' and '2-2-3'

The arkaan mentioned above are in their 'saalim' (pure) form. With slight modification, each can be turned into one of its 'muzaahif' (modified) forms (These forms may be seen in the bah'rs given at the end of this article). Accordingly, a bah'r may be a 'saalim' or a 'muzaahif' one. Bah'rs are also classified according to the mix of their arkaan. If a bah'r is made by the repetition of the same rukn, it is a 'mufarrid' (made of a single ingredient) bah'r. If it uses a combination of more than one rukn, it is a 'murakkab' (composite) bah'r. Bah'rs given at the end of this article have examples of both.

The arkaan and bah'rs were developed by the masters of literature and music. That is why shaayari written in proper bah'r is fluent to recite and easy to compose into a tune. However, not all the bah'rs have the same ease of flow and spontaneity of rhythm. As a result, few became more popular than others. In this article, we will cover only the most popular ones. Most of the Urdu shaayari has been written using these bah'rs. Please note that in addition to the traditional bah'rs that I was taught, I have seen shaayars (poets) using other bah'rs that they have devised themselves. In my opinion, one can write poetry in any format as long as it follows some 'rule' and is enjoyable when recited. However, in the beginning, it is advisable to stick to the traditional bah'rs.

After you decide which bah'r to use, the next thing is to arrange your words on that bah'r. This is the real art in shaayari. If possible, the words should start and end where the arkaans do, but this is not necessary. A word can be spread over two adjacent arkaan. Moreover, a syllable in a word that is normally considered a long syllable, can be treated as a short one, if it does not fit into the arkaan and the bah'r. In other words, the 'weight' of the syllables can be reduced or the pronunciation of the syllables can be hastened to fit the bah'r. Where and how one can do it is a complex issue in Urdu shaayari. There are elaborate rules for doing so which are beyond the scope of this article. For now, all I can suggest is to look at the shaayari by the ustaads and see how they have used a particular word in a particular situation. A glimpse of this feature may be seen in the ashaar given with the bah'rs in this article. You may notice that certain words have been placed against a relatively small portion (or syllable) of a rukn. These are the words whose pronunciation is altered to fit the bah'r.

The bah'rs being discussed here are used for the most popular forms of Urdu shaayari (like ghazal, nazm, qit'aa and geet/naghma etc.), but not for all forms. Rubaayii, for instance, has its own set of bah'rs.

Following are some very frequently used bah'rs. You may find the names difficult to remember. But what's in a name! Pay attention to the structure because that is what matters. Each bah'r is accompanied by a sher on it, broken down according to the structure of the bah'r. If a word happens to be spread across more than one part of a rukn or across more than one rukn, its pieces are joined by a hyphen (-). I have used my own ashaar to illustrate the bah'rs, but I am also giving a classic sher for each bah'r. You may have heard the classic many times, may have memorized it and thus may find it easier to capture the structure of the bah'r. Try to break these classic ash'aar down according to the bah'r.

Bah'r Hazaj Saalim
 
bharii duniyaa sahii lekin Thikaanaa ham bhii paa leNge
jahaaN do gaz zamiiN hogii wahiiN ham ghar banaa leNge

Ma - faa - ii - lun Ma - faa - ii - lun  Ma - faa - ii - lun  Ma - faa - ii - lun

bha - rii  duni - yaa             sa - hii le - kin       Thi- kaa - naa ham              bhii paa leN - ge

ja - haaN  do  gaz                za - miiN ho - gii   wa - hiiN ham ghar             ba-naa leN - ge

Classic Sher by Allama 'Iqbal':
mitaa de apnii hastii ko agar kuchh martabaa chaahe
ki daanaa Khaak meiN mil kar gul-e-gulzaar hotaa hai
 
Bah'r Hazaj Musamman Akhrab
 
KhwaaboN meiN banaaii thii aaNkhoN meiN sajaa lii hai
tasviir tirii ham ne is dil meiN basaa lii hai

Maf - uu - lu                        Ma - faa - ii - lun  Maf - uu - lu         Ma - faa - ii - lun

Khwaa - boN meiN             ba - naa - ii thii     aaN - khoN meiN sa - jaa lii hai

tas - vii - r                             ti - rii ham ne                       is dil meiN             ba - saa lii hai

Classic by 'Jigar' Moradabadi:
kyaa husn ne samjhaa hai kya ishq ne jaanaa hai
ham khaak-nashiinoN kii thokar meiN zamaanaa hai
 
Bah'r Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Mahzuuf
 
tuufaan meiN tinke kaa sahaaraa bhii bahut hai
zulmat meiN to bas ek sharaaraa bhii bahut hai

Maf - uu - lu         Ma - faa - ii - lu    Ma - faa - ii - lu    Fa - uu - lun

tuu - faa - n           meiN tin - ke kaa  sa - haa - raa bhii ba - hut hai

zul - mat meiN      to    bas  e - k        sha - raa - raa bhii               ba - hut hai

Classic by Mirza Ghalib:
baaziicha-e-atfaal hai duniyaa mire aage
hota hai shab-o-roz tamaashaa mire aage
 
Bah'r Hazaj Musaddas Mahzuuf
 
tamannaaoN se aye dil kyaa milegaa
jo qismat meiN likhaa hogaa milegaa

Ma - faa - ii - lun  Ma - faa - ii - lun  Fa - uu - lun

ta - man - naa - oN              se  aye  dil    kyaa mi - le - gaa

jo qis - mat meiN  li - khaa ho -  gaa mi - le - gaa

Classic by 'Firaq' Gorakhpuri:
sitaaroN se ulajhtaa jaa rahaa huuN
shab-e-furqat bahut ghabraa rahaa huuN
 
Bah'r Ramal Musamman Mahzuuf
 
dil kii bechainii ne apnaa kaam aakhir kar diyaa
tujh se mere raabte ko aam aakhir kar diyaa

Faa - i - laa - tun   Faa - i - laa - tun   Faa - i - laa - tun   Faa - i - lun*

dil  kii  be - chai -  nii   ne  ap - naa    kaa - m   aa - khir                kar di - yaa

tujh se   me - re     raa - b - te   ko      aa -  m   aa - khir  kar di - yaa

* Faa - i - laan  is acceptable here.

Classic by 'Hasrat' Mohani:
sab ghalat kahte hain lutf-e-yaar ko wajh-e-sukuuN
dard-e-dil usne tau 'Hasrat' aur duunaa kar diyaa
 
Bah'r Ramal Musaddas Mahzuuf
 
ishq kaa haasil hai kyaa mat puuchhiye
kyaa milaa kyaa kho gayaa mat puuchhiye

Faa - i - laa - tun   Faa - i - laa - tun   Faa - i - lun*

ish - q   kaa  haa- sil  hai  kyaa  mat puu - chhi - ye

kyaa mi - laa  kyaa              kho  ga - yaa         mat         puu - chhi - ye

* Faa - i - laan  is acceptable here.

Classic by Meer Taqi 'Meer':
ibtidaa-e-ishq hai rotaa hai kyaa
aage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kyaa
 
Bah'r Mutaqaarib Saalim
 
muhabbat burii hai na nafrat burii hai
burii hai tau har shai kii kasrat burii hai

Fa - uu - lun          Fa - uu - lun          Fa - uu - lun          Fa - uu - lun

mu - hab - bat       bu - rii  hai            na  naf - rat          bu - rii hai

bu - rii   hai           tau  har  shai        kii kas - rat           bu - rii hai

Classic by 'Bekhud' Dehlvi:
na dekhaa thaa jo bazm-e-dushman meiN dekhaa
muhabbat tamaashe dikhaatii hai kya kya
 
Bah'r Mutaqaarib Musamman Maqbuuz Aslam (16 Ruknii)
 
ho shaam-e-gham jis qadar bhii lambii dhalegii yeh bhii zaruur yaaro
kabhii to utregaa mere ghar meiN Khushii kii kirnoN kaa nuur yaaro

Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun               Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun

ho shaa - m-e-       gham  jis               qa - dar   bhi         lam - bii

Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun               Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun

dha - le - gii           yeh  bhii za - ruu - r            yaa - ro

Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun               Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun

ka - bhii to            ut - re-    gaa  me - re           ghar meiN

Fa - uu - lu            Faa - lun               Fa - uu -  lu           Faa - lun

Khu - shii kii         kir - noN               kaa  nuu - r           yaa - ro

Classic by 'Daag' Dehlvi:
sitam hii karnaa jafaa hii karnaa nigaah-e-ulfat kabhii na karnaa
tumheN qasam hai hamaare sar kii hamaare haq meN kamii na karnaa
 
Bah'r Kaamil Saalim
 
ki gaNwaa diye maine hosh bhii mujhe chain aa na sakaa kabhii
terii yaad yuuN hii jawaaN rahii tujhe dil bhulaa na sakaa kabhii

Mu - ta - faa - i - lun                           Mu -  ta - faa -  i - lun

ki   gaN - waa  di - ye                         mai - ne   ho - sh  bhii

Mu - ta  - faa - i - lun           Mu - ta - faa - i - lun

mu - jhe  chai - n   aa                          na   sa - kaa  ka - bhii

Mu - ta - faa - i - lun                           Mu - ta - faa - i - lun

te - rii    yaa - d    yuN         hii  ja - waaN  ra - hii

Mu - ta  - faa - i - lun           Mu - ta - faa - i - lun

tu - jhe   dil  bhu - laa          na   sa - kaa  ka - bhii

Classic by Hakeem 'Momin':
wo jo ham meN tum meN qaraar thaa tumheN yaad ho ke na yaad ho
wahii yaanii waadaa nibaah kaa tumheN yaad ho ke na yaad ho
 
Bah'r Mutadaarik Saalim
 
gul chiraaghoN ko kar ham sare shaam deN
kyon bhalaa aatish-e-dil ko aaraam deN

Faa - i - lun           Faa - i - lun           Faa - i - lun           Faa - i - lun

gul chi - raa -        ghoN ko  kar        ham sa - re            shaa -  m deN

kyoN bha - laa      aa - ti - sh-e -dil ko   aa -     raa -  m  deN

Classic by Nida Fazli:
har taraf har jagah be-shumaar aadmii
phir bhii tanhaaiyoN kaa shikaar aadmii
 
Bah'r Mazaar'a Musamman Akhrab
 
maiN beqaraar kyoN huuN dil beqaraar kyoN hai
us bewafaa se ab tak aakhir yeh pyaar kyoN hai

Maf - uu - lu         Faa - i - laa - tun   Maf - uu - lu         Faa - i - laa - tun

maiN be - qa -       raa - r  kyoN huuN             dil be - qa -            raa - r kyoN hai

us  be - wa -          faa  se  ab   tak     aa - khir yeh         pyaa - r kyoN hai

Classic by Allama 'Iqbal':
saare jahaaN se achchhaa HindostaaN hamaaraa
ham bulbuleN haiN iskii yeh gulsitaaN hamaaraa
 
Bah'r Mazaar'a Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Maqsuur
 
kaise kahuuN maiN apnii kahaanii ko baar baar
kyoN kar piyuuNgaa aaNkh ke paanii ko baar baar

Maf - uu - lu         Faa - i - laa - tu*   ma - faa - ii - lu** Faa - i - laan***

kai - se  ka -          huuN maiN ap - nii             ka - haa - nii  ko   baa - r baar

kyoN kar  pi -       yuuN - gaa aa - Nkh           ke   paa - nii  ko    baa - r baar

*   Faa-i-laa-tun is acceptable here.

**  Maf-uu-lu is acceptable here.

*** Faa-i-lun is acceptable here.

Classic by Daag Dehlvi (with Faa-i-lun as the last rukn):
Khaatir se yaa lihaaz se main maan tau gayaa
jhuuti qasam se aap ka iimaan tau gayaa
 
Bah'r Mujtas Musamman Makhbuun Maqsuur
 
wafaa ke qaul se ham tau mukar nahiiN sakte
ki dushmanii meiN bhii had se guzar nahiiN sakte

Ma - faa - i - lun   Fa - i - laa - tun     Ma - faa - i - lun   Fa - i - lun

wa - faa  ke  qau -               l  se   ham   tau     mu - kar na - hiiN                sa - k - te

ki dush - ma - nii  meiN bhii had  se gu - zar na - hiiN  sa - k - te

Classic by Faiz Ahmed 'Faiz':
guloN meiN rang bhare baad-e-nau-bahaar chale
chale bhii aao ki gulshan ka kaar-o-baar chale
 

If this article helps you in any way, it will be my pleasure. If you are really serious about shaayari, find a ustaad near you and be his shaagird (student). There is no substitute for the guidance and teaching of a ustaad. Please let me know if you have anything to add to or correct in this article. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Courtesans of Lucknow and Urdu Poetry

As Mughal rule in Delhi declined, the Nawabs of Avadh came into their own, of course with the help of English, who were more than eager to help. Many courtesans moved from Delhi and surrounding areas to Lucknow, and Urdu poets and the seat of Urdu poetry went with them, to Lucknow where easy money was available in abundance, thanks to the poor farmers, who, as usual, were unaware of the doings of their masters.

The close association of the court, the courtesans, and Urdu can not be denied. The services provided by the courtesans used Urdu as their medium, the services provided by the courts used Persian as their medium. The impact of courtesans on Lucknow's poetry can be judged from the fact that under their influence of the poets of Lucknow gave a new direction to the ghazals. They chose a female sweet-heart in place of the hitherto universally popular male, or at best without gender, as the object of their love. Their expressions amply prove that their sweet-heart is usually an accomplished courtesan. This itself was a landmark in Urdu poetry in as much as it imparted genuineness and sincerity to the expression of Urdu poets who, for the first time, presented a clear and distinct concept and picture of `women', the desired women, in Urdu poetry, which was an accomplished courtesan.

As the courtesan was center of their thoughts, they freely gave an expression to their ideas and feelings on different parts of the body of their sweet-heart especially the breasts, belly, waist, thighs and ankles unheard of earlier. It is understandable that most schools completely ignore this poetry in their teaching of Urdu or its history. Unlike a respectable female sweet-heart in whose love the poet had to pine and was prepared to die, the courtesan was easily available. That is why in the Urdu ghazal, Masnavi, and Vasokht of those days, we come across allusions to sex-act itself. True, some of the verses written in those days can be considered risque and even vulgar but let us not forget that they represented the general state of morals of that time.

These women also formed the central theme of a peculiar type of poetry called Rekhti in which the male poet used feminine language of courtesans and the like to give expression to their suppressed thoughts.

Insha and Jurrat

Once the poet Insha came to see Jurrat. Jurrat was deep in thought. Insha asked him as to what he was thinking about. Jurrat replied, "I have composed a misra (a line) and I am thinking of the second one to complete the couplet. Insha asked him what the misra was but Jurrat would not say. When Insha insisted, Jurrat recited the line:

               us zulf pe phabatii shab-e-dejuur kii suujhii

               [shab-e-dejuur = dark night]

Insha immediately supplied the second line:

               andhe ko andhere me.n ba.Dii duur kii suujhii

Jurrat laughed, picked up his walking stick and ran after Insha to hit him. You see, Jurrat was blind.

Maulana Mohammad Hussain Azad and 'qalam'

The author of Aab-e-Hayaat, Maulana Mohammad Hussain Azad was teaching in Government College Lahore. Some one asked him as to why the word "qalam" was masculine in Urdu. (In Punjabi, it is feminine.) Azad lifted a pen from his desk, plunged it into the inkpot and said: "That is why."

Nasikh and Khwaja Vazir

Shaikh Imam Bakhsh Nasikh once went to a businessman's house. A handsome boy was lying there, half asleep. Nasikh saw him and composed the line:

               hai chashm niim_baaz ajab Khvaab-e-naaz hai

               [niim_baaz = half open] 

But he could not find the second line to complete the sher. He came home and was still trying to find the second line when Khwaja Vazir came to visit him. When the visitor found out the reason for Naasikh's silence, he helped compose the second line. The sher then became:

               hai chashm niim_baaz ajab Khvaab-e-naaz hai

               fitanaa to so rahaa hai dar-e-fitanaa baaz hai

               [fitanaa = mischief; dar = door]

Album Review: Portrait of a Genius

This is from an album �Portrait of a Genius� , a Ghalib cenetenary presentation. I wanted to share with you all the enormous pleasure that I received from this album. I hope you�ll also find it useful and enjoyable. Corrections/additions/comments welcome. Printed notes on the cover were given by Ali Sardar Jafri for this release. The album contains eight ghazals interpersed with prose. The prose as well as the ghazals, are of course by Ghalib.

PORTRAIT OF A GENIUS - The prose and poetry of Ghalib


Some excerpts from the printed notes by Sardar Ali Jafri:

"Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) who has been compared 

with Goethe is one of the most beloved and endearing of Indian 

poets."

"Ghalib was endowed with a rare intellect, transcendental vision 

and an outstanding and ingenious artistry."

"Of an astonishingly catholic bent of mind, Ghalib did not 

differentiate between Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews. He 

never said his prayers, did not fast during the month of Ramzan 

and continued his love for drinking to the end of his days."

"He loved good food, good wine, good music and pretty faces. 

Whenever he was in possesion of some of these, he fancied 

himself to be happier than kings."

"Ghalib�s popularity is due to the fact that apart from other 

qualities his poetic mood and temper is that of a modern man... 

Ghalib�s greatness lies in th fact that he not only encompassed 

the inner turmoil of his age, but also created new urges, inner 

agitations and demands. Breaking through the bonds of time his 

poetry reaches out into the past and in the future."

*****************

And now some words of the Genius himself - the prose was 

compiled and narrated for this album by none other than Kaifi 

Azmi in his sonorous voice. The narrations are interpersed 

between the eight marvellous ghazals which were rendered by 

Mohammed Rafi and Begum Akhtar under the baton of Khayyam:

****************

"mai.n ne shaayarii khud nahii.n ikhatiyaar kii, balake 

shaayarii ne khud mujhe majabuur kiyaa ke mai.n us ko apanaa fan 

qarraar duu.n."

               zikar us pariivash kaa... (Rafi)

"mughal bachche bhi ghazab hote hai.n.  jis par marte hai.n, 

usko maar rakhte hai.n.  mai.n bhii mughal bachchaa huu.n. umr 

bhar me.n ek ba.Dii  sitampeshaa do.nganii ko mai.n ne bhii maar 

rakkhaa hai. us kaa maranaa umr bhar na bhuuluu.n gaa."

               ye naa thii hamaarii qismat...(Begum Akhtar)

"tamaam umr me.n ek din sharaab na pii ho to kaafir. ek din 

namaaz pa.Dii ho to gunaahgaar. pachaas baras aalame ra.ng-o-buu 

kii sair ke tarah tarah ke muaamalaat, mehar-o-muhabbat darpesh 

aaye, baaqii ye kuuchaa chhuuT gayaa. is fan se mai.n bedaane 

mehaz ho gayaa huu.n. lekin ab bhii kabhii kabhii vo adaaye.n 

yaad aatii hai.n."

               muddat huii hai...(Rafi)

"mushaayaraa yahaa.n shahar me.n kahii.n nahii.n hotaa. qile me.n

shazaadgaane taimuuriyaa jamaa ho kar kuchh ghazal khaanii kar 

lete hai.n. mai.n bhii kabhii is mefil me.n jaataa huu.n, kabhii 

nahii.n jaataa. ye sohabat khud kuchh cha.nd rozaa hai, is ko 

damaam kahaa.n. kyaa maluum ki ab ke naa ho aur ab ke ho, to 

aya.ndaa na ho."

               ae taazaa vaaridaan-e-bisaat-e-hawa-e-dil...(Rafi)

"11 mayii 1857 ko mairaTh chhaavanii se kuchh baGhii sipaahii 

bhaag kar dehlii aaye. shahar panaah ke muhaafzo.n ne, jo 

unhii.n ke hampesha aur bhaaii band the aur qudartan un se ham 

dardii rakhate the, shahar ke darvaaze khaul diye. bahut se 

lashakar, sardaaro.n ke baGair, tayyaar ho gaye. bahut sii 

fauje.n afasaro.n baGair la.Daaii ke liye uTh kha.Diihu.nii."

               qad-o-gaisuu...(Rafi)

"mai.n, banii aadam ke musalmman ho yaa hinduu yaa nasaraanii, 

aziiz rakhataa huu.n aur apanaa bhaaii gintaa huu.n. duusara 

maane ya na maane, a.ngarezo.n ke qaum me.n, jo un ruu-siyaah 

kaalo.n ke haatho.n qatal huye, un me.n koii meraa ummiidvaar 

thaa aur koii meraa shafiiq, koii meraa daust thaa aur koii 

meraa shaaGird. hindustaaniyo.n me.n kuchh daust, kuchh aziiz, 

kuchh shaaGird, kuchh maashuuq. sog, vo sab ke sab khaak me.n 

mil gaye."

               sab kahaa.n kuchh...(Begum Akhtar)

"18 sitambar ko delhii aur qile par a.nGarezo.n kaa qabazaa ho 

gayaa. goro.n ne, shahar me.n daakhil hote hii, begunaaho.n aur 

benavaaho.n ko qatal karnaa shuruu kiyaa. haaye, itane yaar mare 

ke ab jo mai.n maruu.n gaa to meraa koii rone vaalaa bhii na 

hogaa. bichha.De huye, qiyaamat hii ko jamaa ho.n to ho.n, 

vahaa.n kyaa khaak jamaa ho.nge, sunnii alag, shiyaa alag, nahav 

judaa, bad-judaa."

               bas ke dushvaar hai...(Rafi)

"5 aktuubar ko cha.nd gore, chhat se chhalaa.ng lagaa ke, mere 

ghar me.n utare. mujh ko, mere dono.n bachcho.n, do tii.n 

mulaazimiin aur kuchh naik kardaar pa.Dosiyo.n ko, karnal Brown 

ke saamane le chale. raaste me.n puuchhaa, �tum musalmaan ho�, 

mai.n ne kahaa �aadhaa musalmaan huu.n.� usne puuchhaa �aadhaa 

musalmaan kaisaa.� mai.n ne kahaa �sharaab piitaa huu.n suuar 

nahii.n khaataa.�"

               nukataa chii.n hai...(Rafi)

"dehlii kii hastii munahasir kayii ha.ngaamo.n par hai. qilaa,

chaa.ndanii chauk, har roz majamaa jaamaa masjid, har hafte sair 

jamunaa ke pul kii, har saal melaa phuul vaalo.n kaa - ye 

paa.nch baate.n ab nahii.n, phir dillii kahaa.n."

               bazeechaa-e-itfaal hai...(Rafi)

Progressive Movement and Urdu Poetry

The Progressive Movement widened the horizon of Urdu poetry; liberated it from the classical cliche, and added fresh modern imagery structure to the poem; used the rhyming scheme with fresh vigour and introduced and developed new forms like free verse, dramatic and allegorical poems, with experiments in meters; gave it an ideological content and used it as a weapon in the freedom struggle fo India; denounced decadence and cynicism, yet discovered in this attitude also an element of protest against existing conditions; enriched the treasury of poetic diction by using ordinary and common words which the older classical poets had banished form the realm of poetry, and thus came closer to the people.

Many progressive poets actually prticipated in the freedom struggle with their poetry on their lips, and wrote very good poetry in prison as well. They were the poets of a country where great patriots had mounted the gallows reciting poetry with proud defiance, like Ram Prasad Bismil who immortalized these lines of a poet from Bihar of the same pen name:

               sar_faroshi kii tamannaa ab hamaare dil me.n hai

               dekhanaa hai zor kitanaa baazuu-e-qaatil me.n hai

               rah_rav-e-raah-e-muhabaat rah na jaana raah me.n

               lazzat-e-saharaa_navardii duurii-e-manzil me.n hai

                                                                                                           - Bismil Azimabadi

               (We are prepared to sacrifice our head,

                Let us see the power of the executioner's arm

                Do not linger behind, O traveller of the path of love

                The pleasure of wandering in the desert lies in it's distance)

They had identified themselves with a partiotic movement whose slogan was Inquilab Zindabad (Long live the revolution) given from the height of the gallows by another martyr, Bhagat Singh, who used to quote poetry freely in his letters that he wrote from his death cell. And this slogan Inquilab Zindabad was used by all freedom-fighters including Nehru and Gandhi. Their meetings, attended by thousands of people, at times by hundreds sof thousands, resounded with this slogan, and the word Inquilab became a household word in India.

This Progressive Movement was a spectrum of different shades of political and literary opinions with Prem Chand, a confirmed believer in Gandhism at one end, and Sajjad Zaheer, a confirmed marxist, at the other end. In between them were various other shades including non-conformists, but every one of them interested in the freedom of the country and glory of literature.

The basic and fundamental postulate of the Progressive Writers Movement is the unity of art, use and beauty. It is not a violent departure from the past or an angry revolt against tradition as such, although we did reject certain unhealthy and obscurantist trends. And that is how our path was new. What we tried to do was a reiteration of the values getting lost in modern commercial age, or distorted under the weight of the decaying social systems. It is a rediscovery with a new experience and consciousness, and new artistic additions giving fresh vigour to Urdu poetry and literature as a whole. The false notion should be discarded that a few hot-headed men can get together and launch a literary and artistic movement of such a dimension as the Progressive Movement. Poets and writers are like the seeds holding the heart; the movement provides them the good soil and the right climate to blossom.

Poetry is song as well as declamation; whispering of the breeze in a rose garden, and the rage of the storm that uproots the trees; the soft fall of dew on the freen grass, and the torrential rain with thunder and lightning; a sweet smile on a pair of lips, and the shriek of a martyr tortured in prison; the slogan of the nation breaking the chains of slavery, and the symphony of the march of history. It is wrong to presume that poetry is only this and not that. Yet a categorical statement can be made. Poetry is not absurd.

The theme of poetry is neither religion nor politics nor recording of events. It embraces all aspects of human life, because the basic and the only theme of poetry, as that of all literature and art, is Man. But the emphasis changes from age to age, and the flavour of language and the beauty and style of images accoriding to the country and its people. The people is Man and Man is people in all its aspects, colours, races, names, professions, running into millions. In the words of the great American poet, Carl Sandburg:

               The people is the great canyon of humanity

                               and many many miles across.

               The people is pandora's box, humpty dumpty, a clock of doom and an

                               avalanche when it turns loose.

               The people rest on land and weather, on time and the changing winds.

               The people have come far and can look back and say

                               "We will go farther yet".

               The people is a plucked goose and a shorn sheep of legalised fraud.

               And the people is one of those mountain slopes

                               holding a volcano of retribution.

               Slow in all things, slow in its gathered wrath,

                               slow in its onward heave.

               slow in its asking: 'Where are we now? what time is it?'

                                                                            -The People, Yes; by Carl Sandburg

A terrible question that could be put to the poets also: "Where are we now? What time is it?" Poetry is an autonomous Republic of Letters within the sovereign State of Human Civillisation but not a law unto itself.

Since the dawn of civilisation the poet has been considered as some kind of a prophet as expressed in Persian: "Shairi juzwest az paighambari". And prophets as founders of religions always spoke in a poetic language and changed the course of history and destiny of Man. And we in the East are the inheritors of the great traditions of the Vedas, the Gospels and the Quran.

When mankind had just started lisping, in the so-called black Yajurveda the highest principle was manifesting itself as food(Annam). Here are three awe-inspiring stanzas from the Taittirya Brahmana:

               I am the first born of the divine essence.

               Before the Gods sprang into existince, I was.

               I am the naval(the centre and source) of immortality.

               Whoever bestows me on others-therby keeps me to himself.

               I am Food. I feed on food and on its feeder.

               The foolish man obatins useless food.             

               I declare the truth: it will be his death.

               Because he does not feed either friend or companion.

               By keeping his food to himself, he becomes guilty when eating it.

               I the food am the cloud, thundering, and raining

               They(the beings) feed on ME -- I feed on everything

               I am the real esscence of the universe, immortal.

               By my force all the suns in heaven are aglow.

                               -from Heinrich Zimmer in Philosophies of India

The German Orientalist, Heinrich Zimmer has called this hymn the Cosmic Communist Manifesto. Tit is not difficult to discover the echo of this humn in Mahatama Gandhi's utterance: "Even God dare not reveal Himself to the hungry except in the form of bread"

Krishan Chander's famous short story, Anna Daata(Food Giver) which influenced the fictonal trends of many Indian languages in the continuation of the same thought, as old as the Vedas and as new as the progressive fiction. The terrible experience of the Bengal famine in the wake of the Second World War gave it new poignancy. It was also the turning point in the creative life of a romantic who had started with Tilism-e-Khayaal published in 1938. Surendra Prakash's "Bajuka"(The Scarecrow), although inspired by Prem Chand's "Godan", has vauge reflections of the same thought. Both, the progressive Krishan Chander and 'jadid' Surendra Prakash, have depicted reality through symbolic images.

No great poet has ever forgotten his mission as a prophet, the denunciator of evil and upholder of virtue. Every one of them is a nightingale in a garden not yet created (andalib-e-gulshan-e-naafrida). Every one of them is the voice of today as well as the voice of coming tomorrow. His poetic mission has a message, and there is no dichotomy between the message and the word, between the content and the form. Use and beauty are not diverced from each other. Many poets have been treated as sages, and even tyrants bowed before them with reverance, and listened to them with awe. Yet there are poets who have been hounded, imprisoned, tortured and executed for speaking the Truth. They did not recant, and went on murmuring like Galileo, "But the earth does not revolve around the sun".

No poet of any worth in the past ages could have said what a modern professor at a university who is also an Urdu poet and ciritic, has written:

"Real poet does not pursue meaning and sense. He cannot become so low and stoop to this non-poetic level. He opens his inner eye and sees the unconcious happenings within his soul in a state of trance. His job is only to give words-images to these happenings...As such poetry has nothing to do with clear meaning and sense. Therefore it is not necessarily understandable" -Dr. Hamdi Kashmiri in Kargah-e-sheeshagaran

The very idea of enjoyment of meaningless poetry is the reflection of a state of mind created by the decline of civilisation and vulgarisation of culture. The situation is not new. Some fifty years afo a well-known art critic, Ananda K. Coaraswami, wrote in his Introduction to The Art of Eastern Asia:

If we are to make any approach whatever to an understanding of Asiatic Art as something made by man, and not to regard it as a mere curiosity, we must first of all abandon the whole current view of Art and Artists. We must realise and perhaps remind ourselves again and again that that condition is abnormal in which a distinciton is drawn between workmen and artists, and that this distinction has only been drawn during relatively short periods of the world's history. Of the two propositions following, each explains the other: viz, those whom we now call artists were once artisans; and objects we now preserve in museums were once the common objects of the market place.

Here I would like to add a footnote to Ananda Comaraswami's statement that even today in the villages of Bhihar, Uttar Pardesh, and Gujarat in India the most artistic things of daily use are very common, and that they are the work of ordinary peasant women who do not know that their craft can decorate the museums of the world. To come back to Comaraswami again:

"During greater parts of the worlds history, every product of human workmanship, whether icon, platter, or shirt button, as been at once beautiful and useful. This normal condition has persisted in Asia longer than anywhere else. If it no longer exists in Europe and America, this is by no means the fault of invention or machinery as such; man has always been inventive. The art of the potter was not destroyed by the invention of the potters wheel...If beauty and use are not generally seen together in household utensils and businesman's costumes, nor generally in factory made objects, this is not the fault of machinery employed by us; it is incidental to our lower conception of human dignity and consequent insensibility to real values."

Ananda Comaraswani drew this conclusion after a deep study of five thousand years of Indian sculpture and well-defined principles of Hindu iconography. Without having read this celebrated art critic Majrooh Sultanpuri also came to the same conclusion. When he came to Bombay in 1944 he was writing traditional style ghazals. But after a visit to Ajanta and Ellora he was transformed and he joined the Progressive Writers' Association. He was no more in serach of eternal themes which used to be generally traditional.

He found subjects of poetry scattered all around:

               Dehr mein Majrooh koie javidan mazmoon kahan,

               main jise chhoota gaya woh javidan banta gaya

               (Where can you find, Majrooh, and eternal theme in this world of flux

                Whatever has been touched by my poetry has become eternal)

And Faiz who is one of the founders of the Progressive Movement wrote from prison in the early fifties:

               Hum ne jo tarz-e-fughan ki hai qafas mein iijad,

               Aaj gulshan mein wohi terz-e-bayan therhri hai

               (The style of wailing that we have created in the cage

                Has been accepted as te style of song in the garden today)

And Majaz, a contemporary of Faiz said:

               Iss mehfi-e-kaif-o-masti mein, iss anjuman-e-irfani mein,

               sub jaam bakaf baithe hi rahe, hum pee bhi gaye chhalka bhi gaye

               (In this assembly of ecstacy and intoxication, in this gathering of

                                                             intellectual understanding.

               The revellers kept sitting with full cups in their hands, we spilled

                                                             a little and drank to the last drop)

And Jazbi, another contemporary progressive poet, sang:

               ghamon ki dunya ko raund daalen nishat-e-dil paaimaal kar lein

               naaii muhabbat naya junoon hai khudaya kya apna haal kar lein

               (we feel like trampling upon the life of sorrow

                               and the ecstacy of the heart

                Our love is new, our madness new,

                               we know not what to do with ourselves)

This was the poetry with a new temper, with a new ecstacy born out of the turmoil of the freedom struggle of India. Earlier poets had admired the cresent beauty of the curve of the sword hanging on the head; here the progressive poet also held a sword in his hand. Here matyrdom was part of the glory of the struggle. The poet deals with mental and emotional experiences reflecting the climate of mind and the seasons of heart. It is within his power to create gardens or produce deserts of the soul. That is the reason why some of the greatest and most beautiful poetry has been written in the worst periods of history. Tulips and roses have bloomed in the blood-stained landscape.

               rung pairahan ka kushboo zulf lehrane ka naam,

               mausam-e-gul hai tumhare baam par aane ka naam

                                                                                            - Faiz

               (What is color but your garment,

                               what is fragrance but your scattered stresses

                We call it the season of spring when you appear on the balcony)

               mujhe sehl ho gaiN manzilen who hawa ke rukh bhi badal gaye

               tera haath haath mein aa gaya ke charagh raah mein jal gaye

                                                                                                           - Majrooh

               (It has become easier to reach the destination now,

               the stormy winds have changeed their direction

                With your hand in my hand, the long path

               is illuminated with lighted lamps)

The asthetic sensibility of progressive poets is not constricted, it has a much wider range:

               dast-e-sayyad bhi aajiz hai, kaf-e-gulchin bhi

               boo-e-gul thehri na bulbul ki zaban thehri hai

                                                                                                                          - Faiz

               Powerless is the hand of the hunter,

               helpless the hand of the plundrer of the flowers

               The fragrance of the rose cannot remain imprisoned,

               the sweet song of the nightingale cannot be stopped

               Sutoon-e-daar pe rakhte chalo saron ke charagh

               jahan talak yeh sitam ki siyah raat chale

                                                                                                           - Majrooh

               go on puttin on the top of the gallows the lamps of martyred heads

               As long as this night of injustice and tyranny lasts

               koh-e-gham aur giran aur giran aur giran

               ghamzado teshe ko chamkao ke kuchh raat kate

                                                                                                           -Makhdoom

               The mountain of sorrow becomes heaavier and heavier

                O Comrades of sorrow, take up your shining axes

                                                             to cut the rocks of the night.

               jab kashti saabit-o-salim thi, saahil ki tamanna kiso thi

               ab aisi shikasta kasti par sahil ki tamanna kaun kare

                                                                                                                                                         - Jazbi

               Who cared for the shore when the boat was unbroken and intact?

               Now with this broken boat why should there be any desire to reach the shore

Here I would like to point out that the progressive poets have changed the connotations of old illusions and gave them new meanings according to the temper of the times. Tesha(Axe) in Makhdoom's couplet is an example. It is no more an instrument of suicide as in the old classical poetry. Now it is the symbol of the triumphant working class. Actually this process was intiated by Iqbal. Kohkan (The Mountian Cutter) comes with Tesha (Axe)in his ahnd and demands the throne of Parvez, the King. The progressive poets inherited this tradition and carried it forward. They also created new symbols and poetic images that run into thousands, but no research work has been done on them so far.

Once in Bombay, Faiz was surprised to see in the house of a young progressive poet and journalist a picture of Lenin side by side with and image of Christ on the corss. Both are symbols of progressive poetry. Faiz has used Saleeb and Daar most effectively and beautifully. Once again Karbala is emerging as a powerful symbol of revolutionalry poetry. Two years back I wrote my epic poem Karbala and a bunch of other poems with the same symbols. The caption of the recent poems of Faiz is From Karbala-e-Beriut. A younger progressive, Iftikar Arif's poems are full of allusions of Karbala. Hindu mythology and its great epics are also part of our treasury. Kaifi Azmi has a special fascination for them. Earlier Josh Malihabadi combined the two Islamic and Hindu traditions in his revolutionalry poetry. Heralding the dawn of freeedom just a few years before 1947, the year of Indian and Pakistani independence, Josh said:

               ban raha hai sarsar-0-sailab khoone-e-Hashmi

               aaj Abu Sufian ke ghar mein charaghan hai to kya?

               jaa rahi hai aag Lanka ki taraf baDti hui

               aaj agar Ravan ka ghar Sita ka zindan hai to kya?

               (The blood of Mohammad's family,

                               the Hashmi blood is turing into hurricanes and floods

                How does it matter if the house of Abu Sufian(Yazid's Grandfather)

                               is bright with dazzling  lights?

                The flames of fire are rushing towards Lanka

                How does it matter if the courtyard of Ravan is the prison of Sita?

Sahir - A Timeless Treat

Here's an article by Balpreet on Sahir that appeared 

in Indian Express of October 25, 1998 - exactly 18 

years after "the social conscience of Hindi cinema took 

its final blow." My comments are enclosed in "< >".

Duniya ne tajurbaat-o-havadis ki shakl mein
jo kuchh mujhe diya hai, wo lauta raha hun main
(I am returing whatever the world has granted me by way of experiences).

He did. Compulsively. He couldn't have lived otherwise for, as filmmaker B.R.Chopra says, Sahir Ludhianvi(even his first name literally means a poet ) was "poetry itself".

Eighteen years ago, when he breathed his last, Sahir, born Abdul Hayee, may have lost the battle to mortality but this stubborn Punjabi, as his friend and Professor of Urdu, Punjab University, Madhukar Arya, affirms, "never gave in to time".

Sahir may have related with various people at various levels but there's a common strain of fond association with the poet that runs through all of them. Actor-director Sunil Dutt, for instance, talks nostalgically about this "fine human being with an unusual sense of humour". Poet-filmmaker Sardar Anjum remembers this "man with a bouncy exterior but inside whom grappled a soul with the non-creative undercurrents of the film world ". And Vijay Vashishth, senior announcer at AIR, Chandigarh, is completely enamoured with his poetry which he calls "serious-light". Vashishth explains: "If on one hand, it was the bittersweet 'Ik shehanshah ne daulat ka sahara lekar, hum ghareebon ki mohabbat ka udaya hai mazaaq (Tajmahal)', there was also a light sprinkling of 'Sar jo tera Chakraaye, ya dil dooba jaaye' or 'Khaali dabba, khaali botal'."

Primarily, though, Sahir Ludhianvi stands tall in the annals of Hindi cinema as its social conscience. Much before he took to writing lyrics, he had already won reknown as the heart-rendering poet of social protest. He may have carried on to write meaningful and memorable lyrics in other genres but his hallmark remained his haunting expression of relentless lament. Recalls poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar: "There was a certain hypnotic quality, a youthfulness about Sahir's poetry that made it popular, even before he came to films. It wasn't academic. It was his life, in first person, which coupled with social consciousness made him stand out, besides Faiz Ahmed Faiz, among the literary giants of his time." Director Yash Chopra, with whom the poet worked for Daag and Kabhi-Kabhi, says it all when he claims that "Sahir's lyricism lent a distinct respectability to films."

So, if Shailendra remains the greatest lyricist of Hindi Cinema, Sahir stands out as the greatest poet who wrote poetry in the garb of lyrics. He could communicate with the masses simply because he gave voice to their concerns. As Khayyam, the music director with whom Sahir created musical masterpeieces like Shagun, Phir Subah Hogi and Kabhi-Kabhi, says: "Sahir bared problems of farmers, the youth, the unemployed. 'Majboor budhaapa sooni galiyon ki raakh na phaankega, maasoom ladakpan bheekh na maangega' - film lyrics could rarely achieve such depth ever again."

For Gopichand Narang, Urdu scholar and retired professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Milia Islamia, Sahir was a "highly creative fireband poet who spoke up for the marginalised sections of the society, including women." The song that immediately springs to the mind is his 'Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko, mardon ne use baazaar diya'.

Poet-lyricist Kaifi Azmi, however, is more direct in his assessment: "Sahir was essentially a protest poet. His progressive perspective could never take a backseat. For example, Parchhaaiyaan has a dash of romance swelling into a magnifying glass on war and violence."

But sometimes, just sometimes, the revolutionary sat back and the romantic took over. Says Yash Chopra: "Who can match his vivid imagery melting into limitlessness and yet such proximity to actuality?" Or, as Khayyam asks: "Can we ever have lyrics like 'Main dekhoon to sahi duniya tumhein kaise satati hai, koi din ke liye apni nigehbaani mujhe de do' (Let me see how the world dares to make you suffer, just allow me to guard you for a few days)."

Why is then that Sahir came in for criticism for writing for films? Why is it that the 'serious' poets said he had stopped growing as a poet once he began to pen lyrics? Narang speaks for the scholars when he says that Sahir could have risen higher had he not drifted towards films, "for they sap your blood. The audience, aesthetic levels, lyricism ...are all different from the literary world".

But, says Javed Akhtar who has seen both sides of the fence: "Sahir's language became simpler for films, but never at the cost of intensity. And what about the heavy Urdu in 'Na to karvaan ki talaash hai...mere shauq-e-khaana kharaab ko...'?" B.R. Chopra also feels Sahir set new standards in poetry instead of succumbing to formulaic writing. "Sahir, with his wisp of Urdu, handed down romantic poetry that never let vulgarity touch it." he recalls. Not without reason then that 'Choo lene do naazuk hoton ko' or 'Maine shaayad tumhen pehle bhi kahin dekha hai' still tug at the heart-strings of an entire ethos. And with good reason. As Sunil Dutt points out: "Isn't there war today? Aren't women ill-treated? Isn't there romance?"

The void Sahir left remains, though. It gapes when you listen to his 'Aage bhi jaane na tu', or 'Aadmi ko chaahiye waqt se dar ke rahe', or .... The list is endless. And even though the poet is no more, his dirge can infuse life within us and even acquaint us with its vagaries time and again.

Sahir's stuff: Socialistic or Sufiyaa?

Sorry, guys, for coming around here less often than I've wanted to...been engulfed in a production ...I had started this post in the days of RJGK 22, when I think it was Ashok who said the article on Sahir's life talked about 'Universal Love' in his shaayari but not about his 'socialistic' tendencies...here's what methinks :))

The guy who wrote:

               zindagHi sirf mohabbat nahiN kuchh aur bhi hai

               zulf-o-rukhsaar ki jannat nahiN kuchh aur bhi hai

               bhookh aur pyaas ki maari huyi is duniyaa meiN

               ishq hi ek haqeeqat nahiN kuchh aur bhi hai

found it quite natural, at one time, to get immersed in a 'revolution' of his own design...a war against injustice of 'all' kinds as he perceived it, be it the injustice done to him by people like his father/his beloved's father, or that perpetrated by other perceived oppressors against the man on the street. Sometime in the early sixties, Sahir's pen seemed to become his sword in this war, and he wrote:

               ham amn chaahte haiN magar zulm ke khilaaf

               gar jang laazmee hai to phir jang hi sahi

               zaalim ko jo na rokay vo shaamil hai zulm meiN

               qaatil ko jo na Tokay vo qaatil ke saath hai

               ham sar-ba-kaf uTThay haiN ke haq fatehyaab ho

               keh do usay jo lashkar-e-baatil ke saath hai

               is Dhang par hai zor to ye Dhang hi sahi

               [sar-ba-kaf=hatHeli par sar lekar

               haq=truth

               fatehyaab=victorious

               lashkar-e-baatil=jhooTh ki senaa]

Very quickly, of course, these 'socially-conscious' pieces brought the poet himself a label of 'the socialist'...all kinds of movements of a similar nature readily owned Sahir as their spokesman, and Sahir wrote more:

               zulm phir zulm hai, baDtaa hai to miT jaataa hai

               khoon phir khoon hai, Tapkegaa to jam jaayegaa

               zulm ki baat hi kyaa, zulm ki auqaat hi kyaa

               zulm bas zulm hai, aagaaz se anjaam talak

               khoon phir khoon hai, sau shaql badal saktaa hai

               aesee shaqleN ke miTaao to miTaaye na bane

               aese sholay ke bujhaao to bujhaaye na bane

               aese naaray ke dabaao to dabaaye na bane!

kuchh din tak chaltaa rahaa ye pravaah 'zulm' ke khilaaf 'jang' ke jazbaat ka...Pdt. Nehru died...1965 ki Indo-Pak conflict apnay saath jang ki us bhayaanak shaql ko lekar saamne aayi jisme apnay roobaroo apnay khoon ko bemaqsad behtay dekh kar Sahir ko apni hi likhi huyi usi ghazal ki akhri do laayineN jaise yaad aa gayiN

               tum agar aaNkh churaao to ye haq hai tumko

               maine tumse hi nahiN, sabse mohabbat ki hai

                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

baat to vohi mohabbat se shuroo huyi tHi, jang-0-khooN meiN kaise aTak kar reh saktee tHi? He wrote:

               khoon apnaa ho ya paraayaa ho

               nasl-e-aadam ka khoon hai aakhir

               jang mashriq meiN ho ke magHrib meiN

               amn-e-aalam ka khoon hai aakhir

               jang  to khud hi ek mas_alaa hai

               jang kyaa mas_aloN ka hal degee

               aag aur khoon aaj bakhshegee

               bhookh aur ehtiyaaj kal degee

               [mas_alaa=samasyaa

               ehtiyaaj=needs]

               isliye ae shareef insaano

               jang Taltee rahe to behtar hai

               aap aur ham sabhi ke aaNgan meiN

               shammaa jaltee rahe to behtar hai

              

               bartaree ke suboot kee khaatir

               khooN bahaanaa hi kyaa zarooree hai?

               ghar ki taareeqiyaan miTaane ko

               ghar jalaanaa hi kyaa zarooree hai?

               [bartaree=baDappan]

Sufi-poets usually equate ISHQ with IBAADAT, and many a time therefore, oppose organised religion and organised conflict (war) of all kinds. They also talk about love with the beloved being the same as love with God as well as with all of His creation. They consider this kind of love to be, sometimes, a difficult, yet the only way to 'get there'. Previous sufi-poets who have left a huge treasure of kalaam (usually sung, not recited...a lot of it in the form of Qawwalis / KaafiyaaN / Dohay / Rang) etc. They express a close affinity to all the popular love-ballads: Heer-Ranjha, Laila-Majnu, Sassi-Punnu, Dhola-Maaru, Shirin-Farhaad, even Radha-Krishna and Seeta-Ram.

Sahir was never very far from this preoccupation with ishq...he had written earlier in 'TalkhiyaaN':

mere sarkash taraane sun ke duniyaa ye samajhtee hai

ke shaayad mere dil ko ishq ke nagHmoN se nafrat hai

[sarkash=revolutionary]

magHar ae kaash dekheN vo meree pursoz raatoN ko

main jab taaroN pe nazreN gaaDkar aaNsoo bahaataa hooN

maiN shaayar hooN mujhe fitrat ke nazzaaroN se ulfat hai

meraa dil dushman-e-nagHmaa-saraayi ho nahiN saktaa

[fitrat=nature

nagHmaa-saraayi=geet gaanaa]

mujhe insaaniyat ka dard bhi bakhshaa hai qudrat ne

meraa maqsad faqat sholaa-nawaayi ho nahiN saktaa

[faqat=sirf

sholaa-nawaayi=aag barsaanaa]

The late-sixties saw a number of sufiyaanaa stuff from Sahir in the movies. When he talked about the fundamentals of sufism in... Barsaat Ki Raat / Roshan:

               ishq aazaad hai, hindu na musalmaan hai ishq

               aap hi dharm hai, aur aap hi imaan hai ishq

               Allah aur Rasool ka farmaan ishq hai

               yaani Hadees ishq hai, Quraan ishq hai

               Gautam ka aur Maseeh ka armaan ishq hai

               Ye qaaynaat jism hai, aur jaan ishq hai

               ishq Sarmad, Ishq hi Mansoor hai

               ishq Moosaa, Ishq Koh-e-toor hai

               khaq ko but, aur but ko devtaa kartaa ishq

               intehaa ye hai ke banday ko Khudaa kartaa hai ishq!

And, BTW, the following couplet in this qawwali is 'inspired' by the famous Sufi Amir Khusrau :)

Sahir:

               bahut kaThin hai dagar panghaT ki

               (ab) kyaa bhar laaooN maiN jamunaa se maTakee

               maiN jo chali jal jamunaa bharaN ko

               (dekho ri sakhi ri)

               maiN jo chali jal jamunaa bharaN ko

               Nand ko chhoro mohe rok-ke chhaaRo

               (to) kyaa bhar laooN maiN jamunaa se maTakee

               (ab) laaj raakho mere ghooNghaT-paT kee

Khusrau:

               bahut kaThin hai dagar panghaT ki

               kaise maiN bhar laaooN madhwaa se maTakee

               paniyaa bharan ko maiN jo gayi tHee

               dauR jhapaT moree maTakee paTakee

               Khusrau nizaam ke bal-bal jaayiae

               laaj raakho mere ghooNghaT paT kee

Back to Sahir...he talked about the khokhlaapan of organised religion and man-made divisions of this planet in ...Dhool Ka Phool / N. Dutta:

               achhaa hai abhi tak teraa kuchh naam nahiN hai

               tujhko kisi mazhab se koyi kaam nahiN hai

               jis ilm ne insaan ko taqseem kiyaa hai

               us ilm ka tujh pe koyi ilzaam nahiN hai !                      

               maaliq ne har inssan ko insaan banaayaa

               hamne usay hindu ya musalmaan banaayaa

               qudrat ne to bakhshee tHee hameN ek hi dhartee

               hamne kahiN Bharat kahiN Iran banaayaa

               nafrat jo sikhaaye vo dharam teraa nahiN hai

               insaan ko roNday vo qadam teraa nahiN hai

               Quraan na ho jisme vo mandir nahiN teraa

               Geeta na ho jisme vo haram teraa nahiN hai

And he put ishq-o-mohabbat above takht-o-taaj in... Tal Mahal / Roshan:

               aap daulat ke taraazoo meiN diloN ko toleN

               ham mohabbat se mahabbat ka silaa dete haiN

               takht kyaa cheez hai aur laal-o-jawaahar kyaa hai

               ishq waale to khudaayi bhi luTaa dete haiN

And he questioned the sin-virtue concept pushed by organised religion in...Chitralekha / Roshan:

               ye paap hai kyaa, ye punya hai kyaa ?

               reetoN par dharm ki mohreN haiN

               har yug meiN badalte dharmoN ko

               kaise aadarsh banaaoge ?

And when he came back to the love with khudaayi, this time he compared God with baabul in...Dil Hi To Hai / Roshan:

               bhool gayi sab bachan bidaa ke

               kho gayi maiN sasuraal meiN aake

               koree chunariyaa aatmaa moree

               mael hai maayaa jaal

               vo duniyaa more baabul ka ghar

               ye duniyaa sasuraal

               jaa ke babul se nazareN milaaooN kaise,

               ghar jaaoN kaise

               laagaa chunaree meiN daag chhupaaooN kaise

He wrote plenty of love-songs, plenty of zamaanaa-khilaaf songs, plenty of insaan-ki-insaan-se-mohabbat songs...most of this stuff had couplets that relate to the concept of sufism (which may comment on 'pre-occupation' with material things, and may disagree with putting 'daulat' ahead of 'dil' but does not have an 'unconditional' problem with the use/enjoyment of material things as such) a lot more than to the narrower concept of anti-capitalism...understandably I guess, because when he found himself in the midst of success and 'capital' the guy did not abstain from an extravagant personal life-style himself ! He supported it thus:

               ye bhog bhi ek tapasyaa hai

               tum tyaag ke maare kyaa jaano

               ham janm bitaa kar jaayenge

               tum janm gaNvaa kar jaaoge !

Urdu Ghazal: An Introduction

Ghazal originated in Iran in the 10th century A.D. It grew from the Persian qasida, which verse form had come to Iran from Arabia. The qasida was a panegyric written in praise of the emperor or his noblemen. The part of the qasida called tashbib got detached and developed in due course of time into the ghazal. Whereas the qasida sometimes ran into as many as 100 couplets or more in monorhyme, the ghazal seldom exceeded twelve, and settled down to an average of seven. Because of its comparative brevity and concentration, its thematic variety and rich suggestiveness, the ghazal soon eclipsed the qasida and became the most popular form of poetry in Iran.

The ghazal came to India with the advent and extension of the Muslim influence from the 12th century onwards. The Moghuls brought along with them Iranian culture and civilization, including Iranian poetry and literature. When Persian gave way to Urdu as the language of poetry and culture in India, the ghazal, the fruit of Indo-Iranian culture, found its opportunity to grow and develop. Although the ghazal is said to have begun with Amir Khusro (1253-1325) in Northern India, Deccan in the South was its real home in the early stages. It was nursed and trained in the courts of Golconda and Bijapur under the patronage of Muslim rulers. Mohd. Quli Qutab Shah, Wajhi, Hashmi, Nusrati and Wali may be counted among its pioneers. Of these, Wali Deccany (1667-1707) may be called the Chaucer of Urdu poetry. Wali's visit to Delhi made in 1700 acquires a historic significance. This visit was instrumental in synthesizing the poetic streams of the South and the North. Wali's poetry awakened the minds of the Persian-loving North to the beauty and richness of Urdu language, and introduced them to the true flavor of ghazal, thus encouraging its rapid growth and popularity.

In its form, the ghazal is a short poem rarely of more than a dozen couplets in the same metre. It always opens with a rhyming couplet called matla. The rhyme of the opening couplet is repeated at the end of second line in each succeeding verse, so that the rhyming pattern may be represented as AA, BA, CA, DA, and so on. In addition to the restriction of rhyme, the ghazal also observes the convention of radif. Radif demands that a portion of the first line -- comprising not more than two or three words -- immediately preceding the rhyme-word at the end, should rhyme with its counterpart in the second line of the opening couplet, and afterwards alternately throughout the poem. The opening couplet of the ghazal is always a representative couplet: it sets the mood and tone of the poem and prepares us for its proper appreciation. The last couplet of the ghazal called makta often includes the pen-name of the poet, and is more personal than general in its tone and intent. Here the poet may express his own state of mind, or describe his religious faith, or pray for his beloved, or indulge in poetic self-praise. The different couplets of the ghazal are not bound by the unity and consistency of thought. Each couplet is a self-sufficient unit, detachable and quotable, generally containing the complete expression of an idea.

Some poets including Hasrat, Iqbal and Josh have written ghazals in the style of a nazm, based on a single theme, properly developed and concluded. But such ghazals are an exception rather than a rule, and the traditional ghazal still holds sway. However, we do come across, off and on, even in the works of classical poets, ghazals exhibiting continuity of theme or, more often, a set of verses connected in theme and thought. Such a thematic group is called a qita, and is presumably resorted to when a poet is confronted with an elaborate thought difficult to be condensed in a single verse. Although the ghazal deals with the whole spectrum of human experience, its central concern is love. Ghazal is an Arabic word which literally means talking to women.

Urdu Nazm: An Introduction

The ghazal in Urdu represents the most popular form of subjective poetry, while the nazm exemplifies the objective kind, often reserved for narrative, descriptive, didactic or satirical purposes. Under the broad head of the nazm we may also include the classical forms of poems known by specific names such as masnavi (a long narrative poem in rhyming couplets on any theme: romantic, religious, or didactic), marsia (an elegy traditionally meant to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala fame), or qasida (a panegyric written in praise of a king or a nobleman), for all these poems have a single presiding subject, logically developed and concluded. However, these poetic species have an old world aura about their subject and style, and are different from the modern nazm, supposed to have come into vogue in the later part of the nineteenth century.

In order to understand the distinguishing features of the nazm it will be helpful to place it by the side of the ghazal and mark the point of contrast and resemblance between the two. The ghazal, as is well-known, is a short poem, generally of seven, nine or at most, of a dozen couplets in the same metre. It always opens with a rhyming couplet called "matla", and ends with the "maqta", which often includes the pen-name of the poet. It follows a set rhyming pattern: aa, ba, ca, da, and so on. The nazm is not bound by any such considerations of length or rhyme scheme. There could be a long nazm like Iqbal's "Shikwa", which contains as many as 186 lines, or a short one like Iqbal's "Ram", with only twelve lines. Further, the poet of the nazm is free to adopt any metrical arrangement that suits his subject or mood. A large number of nazms, such as Mir's "Khwab-O-Khayal", or Josh Malihabadi's "Kissan", are written in separately rhyming couplets which, however, observe the discipline of a uniform metre throughout the poem. Some nazms like Chakbast's "Ramayan ka ek scene", or Mehroom's "Noor Jahan ka Mazaar", use another popular poetic measure called "musaddas", a unit of six lines, consisting of a rhyming quatrain and a couplet on a different rhyme. Iqbal's poem, "Ram", follows the rhyming pattern of the ghazal in all the couplets but the last, which, to give the effect of finality, makes use of a new and different rhyme.

A group of progressive writers of the early decades of the 20th century have successfully exploited the freedom and flexibility of the nazm. Taking a cue from English poets like T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, they reject the rigidity of the regular rhyme, dispense with "radif" and "qafia", and opt for the medium of blank verse or free verse. A poem written in blank verse is called "nazm-e-muarra" in Urdu. Such a poem breaks with the tradition of "radif" and "qafia", but observes the sanctity of metre, and sticks to lines of equal length. The free-verse poem called "Azad Nazm" goes a step further, for it not only discards the rhyme, but also feels free to use lines of unequal length in the same poem, or even in the same stanza. With the skilful manipulation of the internal pause, and by avoiding the frequent use of end-stopped lines, the practitioner of this form can give a greater degree of flexibility and naturalness to his lines, so as to bring them as close as possible to the intonation and rhythms of natural speech. However, even the poet of the "Azad Nazm" is careful to preserve the inner rhythm and cadence of his verse and obeys the laws of metre, without which his poem may forfeit its claim to be classed as poetry. It may not be out of place to mention that despite the outstanding achievement of "free verse" poems in the hands of poets like N. M. Rahid and Meeraji, the traditional kind of nazm continues to delight the readers with the incantation of its musical measures.

The nazm differs from the ghazal in another important way. The ghazal prides itself, among other things, on the detachability and completeness of its individual verses, which retain their sense and effectiveness even when divorced from their context in the poem. The verses are not bound by the law of unity and consistency. The poet of the ghazal is at liberty to talk about love in the first verse, death in the second, envy in the third, mysticism in the fourth, and so on. Such is not the case with the nazm which owes its strength and identity to the logical evolution of thought and theme. A nazm must have a controlling thought or idea, discussed, developed and concluded, with due regard to the laws of poetic composition. That's why a nazm, as against the ghazal, always carries a title summing up its central theme. The various units of the nazm, besides subserving the need of the central thought, must be mutually interlinked, so as to contribute to the forward movement of narration which should culminate in an aesthetically satisfying close. And this reminds us of the etymological meaning of nazm, an Arabic term implying a stringing together of pearls, or an artistic ordering of words and lines.

Although the nazm, in the aforesaid sense of a specific theme logically developed and metrically presented, has existed in Urdu poetry since the very early times, as can be evidenced by the nazms of Quli Qutab Shah (1565-1611) or of Nazir Akbarabadi (1732-1830), the nazm in its modern form may be said to have begun in the later part of the 19th century. One cause for the revival and popularisation of the nazm was the growing realization among the poets and readers that the traditional ghazal was too narrow and restrictive to serve the larger interests of life and society. No doubt, the ghazal, in the hands of the master-poets like Mir, Sauda, Zauq or Ghalib, has demonstrated its capacity to deal with the whole range of human experience, its one staple subject has been love: love, earthy or ethereal, which it treats, because of the exigencies of its form, in a characteristically condensed and suggestive manner, with the aid of images and allusions, without stating its case directly or in detail.

The foundation of the modern nazm was formally laid on 30 June, 1874, when, under the aegis of the "Anjuman-e-Urdu", a new kind of "mushaira", called "Munazama" (literally, a symposium of nazms), was organized at Lahore (Pakistan). This was a unique symposium for the reason that it gave to the participating poets not a "tarah misra" (a line of poetry which was to serve them as a model for their poetical exertions, in terms of mood, metre, and rhyme), but a specific topic to build their poems upon. In fact, the "munazama" extended the freedom of the poets not only in the choice of the size and shape of the poems, but also in the matter of subject and theme. The poet of the nazm could now write on any subject under the sun, provided it stirred his imagination, and contained the potential for striking a responsive chord in the hearts of the readers. The first topic prescribed for this poetical gathering was "Zamistan" (Winter Season), which shows a turning towards the poetry of nature from an age-long obsession with amatory themes. Mohammed Hussain Azad read his poem, "Shab-e-Qadar", on this occasion, which was highly acclaimed.

But it was Altaf Hussain Hali, who in his poems like "Hub-e-Watan", "Barkha Rut", "Chup ki Daad", and "Bewa ki Munajaat", as also in his masterpiece, "Musaddis-a-Hali", blazed a new train and used the long Urdu nazm as an instrument of social and moral reform. Hali also used the nazm for interpreting the beauties of nature - a theme which was more or less neglected, or treated marginally by the poets of classical ghazal. It was he again who in his prose treatise, "Muqaddama-e-Shair-o-Shairi", underscored the limitations of the classical ghazal and pointed out the hollowness of its hackneyed themes, thus putting the nazm on a surer path of progress.

Hali's poems draw into focus an important feature of the nazm. While the ghazal has been primarily used as an instrument of aesthetic and intellectual pleasure, and a source of courtly entertainment, the nazm combines pleasure with purpose, and expends its resources in the service of society. It is more useful, more pragmatic, more earth-bound form of poetry, loaded generally with a moral and a message. It believes in the dictum of art for life sake, as against the aesthetic creed of art for art sake. This as true of the poems of Hali, as of Akbar Allahabadi, Chakbast, Mohammed Iqbal, Josh Malihabadi, or, for that matter, of the poems of Nazir Akbarabadi, which, though written long before the revival of the nazm in the modern form, are all addressed to the needs of the common man, and deal with issues of universal import, in a language that may truly be called the language of every-day speech.

There is another relevant point to be noted. The nazm which began as a reaction against the domination of the ghazal gives precedence to reason over imagination, and not vice versa, as was done heretofore. Instead of taking the reader into the intricate depths of the human mind, or on flights of fancy beyond this world, the nazm prefers to keep its feet planted on this earth, which is the earth of all of us, and is content to portray real life in a relatively realistic way.

A peculiar beauty of the ghazal lies in its brevity and suggestiveness, in its ability to express in just two lines what will need a much longer space if stated directly and in detail. As the nazm is not bound by the restriction of length, or by the discipline of the rhyming order, it can afford a more discursive, and a more detailed exploration of its essential subject than the ghazal. The availability of a larger canvas enables the poet of the nazm to survey and record the vast panorama of life including the sights and scenes of nature, oddities and jealousies of man, vagaries of time and fate, atrocities of the strong and the sufferings of the poor, besides, of course, the all-important affairs of the heart. It is significant that Faiz Ahmed Faiz, when he turns to take stock of "problems other than those of love" (dukh aur bhi hain zamaane mein mahabbat ke siva), chooses the mould of the nazm in preference to that of the ghazal, though he is equally at home in both these genres. The capaciousness of the nazm makes it specially relevant to the modern world, riddled as it is with ever-new problems of social, cultural, or political sort.

That the form of the nazm is capable of responding to the changing needs of the times, is borne out by the works of several poets contained in this volume. When the movement for Home Rule was at its height, it found its voice in the poems of Chakbast, when Hindu Muslim unity was the need of the hour, poets like Hali and Iqbal came out with patriotic songs such as "Hub-e-Watan" and "Tarana-e-Hind"; when, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the flag of rebellion was unfurled against the British regime, Josh Malihabadi came to the fore with his stirring poems like "Baghawat", and "Zawal-e-Jahanbani", and when socialistic ideas gained currency among the Indian intelligensia, a group of progressive poets such as Faiz, Sahir and N. M. Rashid emerged on the scene to defend the proletariat against the bourgeoisie, and to glorify the Red Revolution. The nazm as such has always measured up to the needs of the people, something which the ghazal alone could not have so successfully done.

Lest we overstate the useful and hortatory role of the nazm, we should read the poems of Akhtar Sheerani and Majaz Lucknavi, both of whom return with a vengeance to the world of love and lyricism, though this lyricism, in the case of Majaz at least, is mingled with a strong note of protest against the inequities of the social order. The romantic note insistently heard in their poems is meant to remind us that, despite our preoccupation with social and political issues, love will continue to play a pivotal role in the arena of art and life. And then there are poems like "be karan raat ke sannaate mein" (N. M. Rashid), and "samunder ka bulawa" (Meeraji), which demonstrate that the poet of the nazm has not surrendered his right to be introvert or introspective. He can, if his subject demands, take the reader into the interior realm of his mind and thought, and back again to the world of physical and social realities. All this speaks volumes for the sweep and scope of the nazm.

I would conclude this note with a word of caution. Despite the multiple merits of the nazm, and despite its relevance to the drama of real life, it holds no threat to the power and popularity of the ghazal, which in the hands of such consummate artists as Jigar, Asghar, Faiz, Fani or Firaq, has amply proved its worth as an imperishable art form, fully equipped to fathom the mysteries of the human mind, or tap the complexities of love and life. As a matter of fact, the ghazal and the nazm are complementary rather than mutually exclusive poetic forms and their areas of artistic functioning have a tendency to overlap. The two together enable us to make the two essential voyages: the voyage within, to strange countries not visible to the actual senses, and the voyage without, in the external world of social, religious, natural, or political phenomenon.

Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh was born in 1831 in Delhi. He lost his father at the tender age of six and was brought up by his step-father, Mirza Muhammed Fakhroo, who was heir to Bahadur Shah Zafar. On Fakhroo's death in 1865, Daag left Delhi for Rampur where he went into government service and lived comfortably for 24 years. There followed a period of wandering and discomfort which ended when he was invited to Hyderabad in 1891. There he won honour and prestige and lived a life of luxury.

Daag started reciting poetry at the age of ten. His forte was the ghazal. His poetry does not wallow in despair. The tone of his poems is exuberant. He was a self-acknowledged romantic but contrary to the impression one gets from his poetry, he eschewed wine. He had innumerable disciples. Usage of common words and phrases was distinctive of his style. His work comprises of four volumes consisting of 16,000 couplets.

Daag Dehlvi passed away in 1905

Hasrat Jaipuri's real name was Iqbal Husain. Till 1939, he lived in hometown Jaipur where he studied English till 'medium level' and then acquired his 'taalim' in Urdu and Persian from his learned grandfather, Fida Husain. He began writing verse as late as the age of 20, and around that time, he fell in love with a neighborhood girl called Radha. “Love knows no mazhab or dharam,” he told me. “It is not at all necessary that a Muslim boy must fall in love only with a Muslim girl. My love was silent, but I wrote a poem for her, `Yeh mera prem patra padh kar, ke tum naaraaz na hona.’” And that 'letter' may never have been delivered to Radha, but Raj Kapoor was to later deliver it to the world as the perennial mantra for lovers of all generations in his Sangam (1964).

In Mumbai, Hasrat Jaipuri took the secure job of a bus conductor and satiated his creative urges by participating in mushairas. The late Prithviraj Kapoor heard his verse and recommended him to his son Raj Kapoor who was planning a musical love story with two new composers, Shanker - Jaikishan. "We met at the canteen of the Royal Opera House where Prithvirajji used to stage his plays, and Rajji signed me for Barsaat. My first recorded song was "Jiya beqaraar hai" tuned by Shanker. The second was "Chhod gaye baalam", my first song with Jaikishan, and my first duet.”

This association continued till 1971. “After Jai's death and the failures of Mera Naam Joker and Kal Aaj Aur Kal, Rajsaab changed his music team. I was happy that he left us to go to the only other great team in our films - Laxmikant Pyarelal and Anand Bakshi. But he wanted to call me back for Prem Rog. That did not work out because someone recommended Amir Qazalbash to Rajsaab. But I was back with "Sun sahiba sun" which Rajsaab told me to write to one of his own tunes which he had used as the English song "I love you" in Sangam. He then called me for three songs for Henna, but after Rajsaab's death, the music director conspired to scrap them and replace them with his own lyrics.” This was the only time I found Hasrat Jaipuri bitter: “They were my last link with Raj Kapoor and RK,” he said, his voice brimming with a queer mix of anger, grief and resignation.

The eternal realist, Hasrat Jaipuri told me how lucky he was to have married a woman who advised him to invest his earnings in property. “Today, the rents that come in from my tenants keep me comfortable so that I am not forced to work for my rozi-roti and my family. I accept assignments that are offered and don't have to run after films, music directors and music companies for work. I am very proud of my children - two sons and a daughter - but the art of poetry is God-gifted and cannot be learnt, and they have not been gifted with it.”

He won innumerable awards, honours and mementos. Among them were two Filmfare trophies (for `Baharon phool barsao’ from Suraj and `Zindagi ek safar hai suhana’ from Andaz) and two awards - the Doctorate from the World University Round-Table and the Josh Mahilabadi award from the Urdu Conference for his literary work as a poet. Also the Dr Ambedkar award for a film song, `Jhanak jhanak tori baaje payaliya’ from Mere Huzoor, which was written with a blend of Hindi and Brij Bhasha. Apropos that, the poet once said, "Hindi and Urdu are like two great and inseparable sisters. Even my books on poetry are in Hindi as well as Urdu." His latest published compilation was "Abshaar-E-Ghazal."

About 350 films and 2000 recorded songs old, Hasrat Jaipuri's last releases were Saazish with Jatin-Lalit and Sher Khan (with Bappi Lahiri) last year, and at the time of his death he was working on a few small films and a book of shaayari. “I never discriminated between small and big films and composers. I have the biggest list of music directors among any lyricist - from SJ and Sajjad down to Anand-Milind, Nadeem-Shravan and Jatin-Lalit,” says the man who was master of romance even amidst his versatility. And without being arrogant about it, Hasrat Jaipuri did realize his own worth. 'Humne who naqsh chhod hai that mywork will always be remembered even after I have gone,”he told me once with the honest precision of a scientist stating a proven fact. And even if you consider only the crème-de-la-crème of his work, like "Zindagi ek safar hai suhana" (Andaz), "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko" (Sasural), "Pankh hote to ud aati re" (Sehra), "Tere khayalon meinhum" (Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne), " Tu kahan yeh bataa" (Tere Ghar KeSaamne), "Muhabbat aisi dhadkan hai" (Anarkali), "Tu mere saamne hai,teri zulfein hai khuli" (Suhagan), "Nain se nain" (Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje), "Ehsan tera hoga mujh par" (Junglee), "Teri zulfon se" (Jab PyarKisise Hota Hai) and "Tum mujhe yoon bhula na paaoge" (Pagla Kahin Ka) and add a whole range of songs like "Sayonara sayonara" (Love In Tokyo)," Aao twist karen" (Bhoot Bungla)." Ajhoon na aaye baalma" (Sanjh AurSavera) and "Duniya bananewale" (from his friend and closest associate Shailendra's production Teesri Kasam), one cannot but accept that the maestro was right. As he wrote once, "Tum mujhe yoon bhula na paaoge/ Jab kabhi bhi sunogegeet mere/ Sang sang tum bhi gungunaaoge/ Haan, tum mujhe yoon bhula na paaoge."

Hasrat Jaipuri's Film Songs

Jaun Eliya was born on 14th September, 1930 in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh in India. He migrated to Pakistan in 1957. He currently resides in Karachi. He has a master's degree in Urdu, Persian and Arabic.

He is considered a unique poet of his era. he is a scholar of Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit and Urdu. He has, to his credit, a large number of translated works. His first poetry collection was published in 1990 under the name "Shaayad". The second one, titled "Yaani" is currently under print.

Josh Malihabadi was born as Shabbir Hasan Khan on 5th December, 1898 at Malihabad. He did his senior Cambridge from St. Peter's College, Agra in 1914. In 1918, he spent about six months at Shantiniketan. He studied Arabic and Persian. Due to the death of his father, Bashir Ahmed Khan, in 1916, Josh was unable to avail of a college education.

In 1925, Josh started work at the Osmania University, supervising translation work. He was exiled from the state of Hyderabad for writing a nazm against the Nizam. He then started the newsletter/magazine called the 'Kaleem' in which he openly wrote articles in favour of independence and against the British. Soon, he was being called "shaayar-e-inquilaab". He also got actively involved in the freedom struggle and became close to quite a few of the political leaders of that era, specially Jawahar Lal Nehru.

On the advice of director W.Z.Ahmed, he also wrote songs for Shalimar Pictures. During this time, he was staying in Pune. After independence, he became the editor of 'Aajkal'. He was later honoured with the Padmabhushan. Josh spent the latter part of his years in Pakistan.He passed away on 22nd February, 1982 in Islamabad. Some of Josh's important works are: Shola-o-Shabnam, Junoon-o-Hikmat, Fikr-o-Nishaat, Sunbal-o-Salaasal, Harf-o-Hikaayat, Sarod-o-Kharosh. His autobiography is titled "Yaadon ki Baarat".

Asrar ul Hasan Khan (Majrooh's real name) was born in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh in India in 1919. After an education in Urdu, Persian and Arabic, he formally studied the Unani system of medicine and graduated in 1938 as a 'hakim'.

He practised medicine for a year before he started his career as a full-time poet. His mentor, or 'ustad'was Jigar Moradabadi. In 1945, he wrote his first film song "Gam diye mushtaqil...", which was sung by K.L.Saigal and catapulted him to the forefront of film lyricists, a career which spanned more than five decades. His contributions to films and to the world of Urdu poetry were recognized and rewarded with the Dadasahib Phalke award (1994) and the Iqbal Sammaan (1993) respectively.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was among the foremost poets of modern progressive poetry. He believed that no great art was possible without social content. Ali Sardar Jafri in his foreword for Majrooh's book "Never Mind Your Chains" calls him "younger brother in poetry and struggle". Majrooh was not always pleased with the association of his poetry with his film work. However, this was more a reaction to society's hypocritical attitude of looking down on anything connected with the film world, than with any basis in fact.

Momin Khan Momin was born in respectable Delhi family in 1801. He studied Arabic and Persian. He had a multifaceted personality. Not only was he a renowned physician, he was also well-versed in music, astronomy and astrology. He was also reported to be an oustanding chess player.

Momin's poetry is free of allusions to mystical love and philosophical thoughts. It is steeped in praise of love and beauty. He used Persian words without making his work cumbersome and difficult to understand. He passed away in 1852.

A rather well-known anecdote related to Momin is that Ghalib supposedly said he would exchange his entire 'deewan' for one of Momin's sher. The sher in question:

tum mere paas hote ho goyaa
ko_ii duusaraa nahii.n hotaa

Knowing Ghalib's estimate of his self-worth, I take this with a pinch of salt. :-)

The above sher has been used in a film "Love in Tokyo" for the song:

o mere shaah-e-Khubaa.N, o merii jaan-e-jaanaanaa.N
tum mere paas hote ho, ko_ii duusaraa nahii.n hotaa

Considering that the beauty of the sher lies in 'goyaa', the lyricist really massacred the sher.

Parveen Shakir was born on 24th November, 1952 in Karachi, Pakistan. She was highly educated with two masters degrees, one in English literature and one in linguistics. She also held a Ph.D and another masters degree in Bank Administration.

She was a teacher for nine years before she joined the Civil Service and worked in the Customs department. In 1986 she was appointed the second secretary, CBR in Islamabad.

A number of books of her poetry have been published. In chronological order, they are Khushboo (1976), Sad-barg (1980), Khud-kalaami (1990), Inkaar (1990) and Maah-e-Tamaam (1994). Her first book, Khushboo, won the Adamjee award. Later she was awarded the Pride of Performance award, which is the highest award given by the Pakistan government.

On 26th December, 1994, on her way to work, her car collided with a truck and the world of modern Urdu poetry lost one of its brightest stars.

Parveen Shakir initially wrote under the pen-name of 'Beena'. She considered Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi her 'ustad' and used to called him 'Ammujaan'. She was married to Dr. Nasir Ahmed but got divorced from him sometime before her untimely demise in 1994. They had one son - Murad Ali.

Qateel Shifai was born on 24th December, 1919. His actual name is Aurangzeb Khan. Qateel Shifai is his nom de plume, the pen-name under which he is known in the world of Urdu poetry. "Qateel" is his "takhallus" and "Shifai" is in honour of his ustaad Hakim Mohammed 'Shifa' whom he considered his mentor.

His father's death at an early age, forced Qateel to quit his education and start his own sporting goods shop. Success eluded him and he moved to Rawalpindi, where he worked at a transport company for a monthly salary of Rs.60. Finally in 1946, Nazir Ahmed called him to Lahore and made him the assistant editor of the monthly 'Adab-e-Latif'.

Qayeel Shifai's first ghazal was printed in the Lahore weekly 'Star', whose editor was Qamar Jalalabadi. In January 1947, a Lahore based film producer asked Qateel to pen the songs for his forthcoming film. His first film as a lyricist was "Teri Yaad". Since then he has won numerous awards as a lyricist. He has had quite a few of his poem collections published, one of which being "Mutriba" which was awarded the highest literature award in Pakistan.

Qateel's primary contribution to Urdu poetry has been to raise the standards of ghazals in films. Though this work was started by Tanvir Alvi and Sahir Ludhianvi,it has been brought to its natural conclusion by Qateel Shifai. His work brought a certain standard to ghazals in films and gave it a certain respectability. His work also brought Urdu poetry closer to the masses by using simple words, quite often words taken from Hindi.

Qateel Shifai has also been known for his collaborations with Jagjit and Chitra Singh on numerous ghazal albums.

1921: Abdul Hayie (later known by his takhallus 'Sahir Ludhianvi') is born to a Jagirdar family in Ludhiana, Punjab. He has several step-mothers, but he is the only child of his father who is one big *aiyaash*.

1934: He is in his early teens when his mother takes the bold step of getting away from that man, forfeiting all claims to the financial assets. Dad sues for child-custody and loses. There are threats that he will make sure Sahir does not live with his mother very long, even if that means taking the child's life. Mom finds friends who keep a close watch on Sahir and don't let him out of sight. Fear and financial deprivation surround the formative years of this young man who did okay in school.

1939: He goes to college, is popular for his *extra-curricular* talents, falls in love with one of his admirers - the daughter of another rich man of Ludhiana's bourgeois society. Poverty and lack of the courage to fight another man-like-his-father bring this affair to it's inevitable sad end, made sadder by the fact that the girl's father pulls strings to get him expelled from college.

1943: Out of college, and by now having finished writing his first serious work *TalkhiyaaN*, Sahir leaves Ludhiana and goes to Lahore to find a publisher who would take it. He does, after two years of getting shuttled here and there.

1945: *TalkhiyaaN* gets published, and now starts a fairly good period for the Shayar Sahir. He is made the editor of Adab-e-Lateef, Shaahkaar, and later Savera - successful urdu magazines.

1949: Sahir leaves Lahore...basically because he has written stuff in *Savera* that the new Pakistan Govt. decides is too inflammatory, and therefore there is a warrant out for his arrest! He comes to Delhi, leaves Delhi in another few months because, as he tells a friend, *Bombay needs me*! And thus starts a most memorable career for one of Bollywood's darling poets - a career that spans 31 years and gives Indian films over 200 Golden Greats - songs, ghazals, nazms that will be hummed to, identified with, and *fought over* :) by generations to come!

Sahir is considered a *romantic*: personal romance and the resultant disillusionment, followed by universal romance and the resultant frustration with *the way it is*. He does not mince words, does not sublimate emotions, expresses thoughts clearly and directly. He gets angry and sarcastic, and at the same time he dreams. It is the dreamer in Sahir that gives him his characteristic style: *narm-o-naazuk swar, shabdoN ki sundar taraash-kharaash aur neeNd mein doobaa huaa vaataavaran*:

Shahid Kabir was born on 1st May, 1932 in Nagpur in India. His contribution to the world of Urdu poetry took many forms. In 1957 he was the screenwriter for the drama “MIRZA GHALIB” presented in the Fine Arts Drama Competition at Rastrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. He was an active writer since 1952, writing articles, short stories and ghazals for most leading periodicals of India. He gained recognition as a lyricist in Indian films (Hindi/Urdu) and wrote some memorable ghazals for leading singers in the country like Jagjit Singh, Lata Mangeshkar, Hariharan, Chandan Dass, Anwar, Aziz Nazan, etc.

His collection of modern ghazals "Charon Aour" was included in the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Marathwada University Graduation Course. His poems have been included in the Urdu texbooks for the XIIth standard as prescribed by the Maharashtra State Board of Education. He was also a member of the Nagpur University Board of Studies (Urdu) from 1991-1995.

In his lifetime, he published a number of books and received many awards, some of which are listed below:

KACHCHI-DEEWAREN (Novel)
Published in 1958 by Ahuluwalia Bookdepot, Karol Bagh, New Delhi
CHARON-AOUR (Collection of Modern Ghazal)
Published in 1968
MATTI-KA MAKAN (Ghazals)
Published in 1979 (Awarded first prize by Maharashtra State Urdu Academy)
PAHCHAAN (Ghazals)
Published in 2000 (Awarded first prize by Maharashtra State Urdu Academy)
PAHCHAAN (In Devnagri script)
Published in 2002 Complied by Sameer Kabir
Shahid Kabir passed away on 11th May, 2001.

Wali Mohammed Wali (also known as Wali Deccani) was born in 1667 in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. He loved travelling, which he regarded as a means of education. His visit to Delhi in 1700 is considered to be of great significance for Urdu Gazals. His simple, sensuous and melodious poems in Urdu, awakened the Persian loving poets of Delhi to the beauty and capability of "Rekhta" (the old name for Urdu) as a medium of poetic expression. His visit thus stimulated the growth and development of Urdu Gazal in Delhi.

However, Wali was not immune or ignorant of the vigour and verve of Persian diction and imagery, and combined both into the body of his verse. He thus became the architect of the modern poetic language, which is a skilful blend of Persian and Urdu vocabulary.

Though Wali wrote in different types of verse forms - masnavi, qasida, etc., he specialized in ghazals. He wrote a total of 473 Gazals, comprising of 3225 couplets (ashaar). He was also the first poet to start expressing love from a man's point of view as against the prevailing convention of impersonating as a woman.

Wali died in Ahmedabad in 1707, and is buried there.