Tashreeh-I
Raj Kumar Pathria
jo tarhi ghazal main ne 24 august ko yahaan post ki thi, us ke baare
mein jo taareefi
jumle aap ne kahe, un ke liye be-had shukriya. saath hi saath aap ne
chand sawaal bhi poochhe; un sawaalon ke jawaab main aaj de rahaa hoon.
taakheer ke liye maa'zrat chaahata hoon.
> 2. ilm-o-fan, mashq-e-sukhan, aur aag'hee kaafi nahin
> she'r kehne ke liye kuchh aur bhi darkaar hai
(aag'hee = aagaahi, understanding, general knowledge, --- ). The
interesting thing in this couplet is that "whatever else is needed for
creating good poetry" is left unsaid. Coincidently, another poet, who
recited later than myself, referred to this couplet of mine because he
had one that (partially) supplied the missing elements:
dard-e-dil ho ya gham-e-jaan, tab kaheen banta hai she'r
is haqeeqat se bhalaa kis shakhsh ko inkaar hai
This indeed was a welcome coincidence, but some essential elements were
still missing --- notably, inspiration and intuition!
> 3. kis binaa par bazm-e-Athar mein chale aaye hain hum
> na qaseeda hai koi na lehja-e-darbaar hai
bazm-e-Athar refers to the fact that the mehfil was held at Athar
Sahib's place. The point Kashif Sahib has made, viz. that this was a
nice way to give importance to the host, was indeed the first thing in
my mind. And I am glad that the host took it precisely that way.
However, the other element here is a 'sort of a satire on the custom
prevailing in Ghalib's time when poets would go to royal courts, recite
heavily-worded qaseedas in a highly khushaamdi style and thus try to win
favour of the kings or the nawaabs'. I had that in mind too, and most
listeners got that message and truly enjoyed it. By the way, this
couplet was inspired by the following one by Iqbal:
main ghazl-go hoon, qaseeda to naheen keh sakta
kya karoon, lehja-e-darbaar kahaan se laaon
> 4. bazm-e-hasti ke mu'amme kaun samjhaaye kise?
> yeh koi maktab nahin, yeh aalam-e-asraar hai
Umang Sahib has asked me to explain the word 'mu'amme'. Well, this is
the Hindustani plural of 'mu'amma', which means a 'paheli, bujhaarat,
etc.'. Moreover, maktab = dars-gaah, school, etc., while aalam-e-asraar
= the world of secrets. [Please note that the word asraar is very
different from israar. While the latter means zid, the former is the
plural of sirr --- meanig a secret]. Now, the meaning of the couplet
should be clear.
The first line here was inspired by the famous she'r of Faani:
yeh mu'amma hai samajhne ka na samjhaane ka
zindgi kaahe ko hai, kh(w)aab hai deewaane ka
The philosophical, yet beautiful, phrase 'aalam-e-asraar' I first read
in Firaq's masterpiece "husn ki devi se", which consists of about 60
she'rs; I read it some thirty years ago, and used it for the first time
here. The word 'maktab' came readily to me because of my profession.
> 13. sun ke meri she'r-kh(w)aani us paree-vash ne kahaa
> shaairi achhi hai lekin aadmi be-kaar hai
is she'r par Kashif Sahib ne kahaa hai "yeh to sitam hai". Huzoor! jab
interval mein aek hazrat ne hamaari Begum Sahiba se poochha ke "kya yeh
baat jo inhon ne aakhiri she'r mein kahi hai sach hai", to woh boleen ke
" saari ghazal mein yihi to aek she'r tha jis mei kuchh sachchaai thi".
I think I have covered all the queries that were raised. If anyone has
further queries, please let me know.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
ahm...@noka.ub.bw
>
> > 4. bazm-e-hasti ke mu'amme kaun samjhaaye kise?
> > yeh koi maktab nahin, yeh aalam-e-asraar hai
>
> Umang Sahib has asked me to explain the word 'mu'amme'. Well, this is
> the Hindustani plural of 'mu'amma', which means a 'paheli, bujhaarat,
> etc.'. Moreover, maktab = dars-gaah, school, etc., while aalam-e-asraar
> = the world of secrets. [Please note that the word asraar is very
> different from israar. While the latter means zid, the former is the
> plural of sirr --- meanig a secret]. Now, the meaning of the couplet
> should be clear.
>
> Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
>
Another she'r with "asraar" and one with "sirr" come to mind readily. Iqbal
has written about Shakespeare:
Hifz-e-asraar ka fitrat ko hai sauda aisa
Raazdaan phir na kare gi koi paida aisa
[Nature is so obsessed with keeping its secrets, that it will never produce
another person (like Shakespeare) who knows all its secrets.] Among hundreds
of tributes paid to Shakepeare in many languages, this she'r must be the most
outstanding.
Then there is a she'r by Hafez Shirazi:
Sirr-e-Khuda keh aarif-e-saalik ba-kas na guft
Dar hairat-am keh baada farosh az kuja shunid
[Khuda ka raaz keh aarif-e-saalik ne kisi se nahin kaha, main hairat men hoon
keh baada farosh ne kahaan se sun liya.]
[The secret of God that the wise and sagacious (sufi) didn't reveal to anyone,
I am surprised where the wine-seller learned it from.]
Jamil Ahmad
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Padmanabhan Srinagesh
>
> I think I have covered all the queries that were raised. If anyone has
> further queries, please let me know.
>
> Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar Sahib:
The shers were excellent, and I found the explanations extremely
valuable. In particular, I found that the references to the earlier
poets increased my appreciation of your work. Good poetry resonates
with the traditions it draws upon, but some of us lack the intimate
knowledge of these traditions that you possess, and benefit greatly from
your willingness to share them with us.
Nagesj
Umang Bali
aap ki tashreeh ka bahot bahot shukria...ye aap ki zarra-nawazi hai
jo aap baraha ALUP ke is gulshan ko ilm ki Os se shadaab rakhte hain...
Janab Raj Kumar Pathria sahib wrote:
>
> > 2. ilm-o-fan, mashq-e-sukhan, aur aag'hee kaafi nahin
> > she'r kehne ke liye kuchh aur bhi darkaar hai
>
> (aag'hee = aagaahi, understanding, general knowledge, --- ). The
> interesting thing in this couplet is that "whatever else is needed for
> creating good poetry" is left unsaid. Coincidently, another poet, who
> recited later than myself, referred to this couplet of mine because he
> had one that (partially) supplied the missing elements:
>
> dard-e-dil ho ya gham-e-jaan, tab kaheen banta hai she'r
> is haqeeqat se bhalaa kis shakhsh ko inkaar hai
>
> This indeed was a welcome coincidence, but some essential elements were
> still missing --- notably, inspiration and intuition!
Yes! indeed...Your sher has far more weight than the one quoted by the
second
poet. The second sher, if I may dare comment, is very dry...i.e. it's
too plain
and lacks the elegance, of your original...The beauty of the
original(your sher)
is in "kuchh aur bhi darkaar hai"...Because this leaves readers to think
on their
own as to what else is necessary. And I'm sure that it will differ from
person to
person...with this the person will also be thinking what is the poet
trying to
imply himself as well...So there you go so many secrects hidden in two
lines, trying
to explain the secret behind the birth of a couplet.
Khair achh.chhi aur baDi shayri ki pehchaan yahi hai...As I said earlier
I was
enchanted by this sher then and am still quite mesmerised by it now...
>
> > 3. kis binaa par bazm-e-Athar mein chale aaye hain hum
> > na qaseeda hai koi na lehja-e-darbaar hai
>
> bazm-e-Athar refers to the fact that the mehfil was held at Athar
> Sahib's place. The point Kashif Sahib has made, viz. that this was a
> nice way to give importance to the host, was indeed the first thing in
> my mind. And I am glad that the host took it precisely that way.
> However, the other element here is a 'sort of a satire on the custom
> prevailing in Ghalib's time when poets would go to royal courts, recite
> heavily-worded qaseedas in a highly khushaamdi style and thus try to win
> favour of the kings or the nawaabs'. I had that in mind too, and most
> listeners got that message and truly enjoyed it. By the way, this
> couplet was inspired by the following one by Iqbal:
>
the bazm-e-Athar part I figured out...I was a little too hasty in my
reply to
your earlier post...Actually Raj Sahib, I have a habit of reading your
posts
about 4-5 times over a couple of days...This way I usually catch what I
miss
in my first reading...So as I read over your original post I got the
meaning
of the bazm-e-Athar part, but I would not have been able to link it with
the
additional bit of info you provided on it being a satire on an old
custom.
>
> > 4. bazm-e-hasti ke mu'amme kaun samjhaaye kise?
> > yeh koi maktab nahin, yeh aalam-e-asraar hai
>
> Umang Sahib has asked me to explain the word 'mu'amme'. Well, this is
> the Hindustani plural of 'mu'amma', which means a 'paheli, bujhaarat,
> etc.'. Moreover, maktab = dars-gaah, school, etc., while aalam-e-asraar
> = the world of secrets. [Please note that the word asraar is very
> different from israar. While the latter means zid, the former is the
> plural of sirr --- meanig a secret]. Now, the meaning of the couplet
> should be clear.
>
A commentary on life in the world we live in. Huzuur, ab khula hai ye
raaz ham par...Magar aik khyaal ubharta hai, vo ye, ki agar
aalam-e-asraar
mein zindagi ki guzar hai to phir aadmi apni zindagi ke dauran seekhta
kam
hai aur hairaan ziyada hota hai, vo is liye ke jise seekhna kahte hain
vo
kain kisi raaz ya paheli ka khulna hi na ho....Kya khyaal hai aap ka?
> The first line here was inspired by the famous she'r of Faani:
>
> yeh mu'amma hai samajhne ka na samjhaane ka
> zindgi kaahe ko hai, kh(w)aab hai deewaane ka
>
> The philosophical, yet beautiful, phrase 'aalam-e-asraar' I first read
> in Firaq's masterpiece "husn ki devi se", which consists of about 60
> she'rs; I read it some thirty years ago, and used it for the first time
> here. The word 'maktab' came readily to me because of my profession.
>
>
> Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
Once again thank you for taking the time to respond to my request.
Regards,
Umang
Raj Kumar Pathria
> Raj Kumar Sahib:
>
> The shers were excellent, and I found the explanations extremely
> valuable. In particular, I found that the references to the earlier
> poets increased my appreciation of your work. Good poetry resonates
> with the traditions it draws upon, but some of us lack the intimate
> knowledge of these traditions that you possess, and benefit greatly from
> your willingness to share them with us.
Thanks, Nagesh Sahib, for your comments on my tashreeh of myself(!). I
hope I continue to arouse your interst in my work:
zaraa saadagi dekhna aihl-e-dil ki
yeh apne liye khud du'aa maangte hain!
I am glad that you found my references to earlier poets rewarding. I
have no hesitation in detailing my sources of inspiration (which are
many); my only hesitation is that by throwing in big names I may be
accused of creating an aura around myself. In that sense, your words are
very re-assuring. In fact, on an earlier occasion, I expressed similar
concern to Janaab Hari Khanna Sahib and, interestingly enough, his
response was precisely the same as yours. Several other members of the
ALUP-priwaar have also expressed similar feelings and, in fact, want me
to do something again along the lines of the Seemab-session. I think I
have no choice left but to do as I am told to do; it seems that this
pariwaar is no different from my own! :) But that venture must wait for
a while.
Nagesh Sahib, I must tell you something personal that resonates so well
with what you have written in your note. The day after that mushaaira in
Toronto, I received a call from Janaab Saleem Aazar Sahib, who is a very
good poet and who has been attending these meets for years. He wanted to
set up a get-together with me to 'dicuss all three ghazals of mine (one
tarhi and two regular ones) that I had recited over there,
couplet-by-couplet, for a better understanding of ----- '. Quite
naively, I said, "yes, why not? I'll be pleased to explain to you
anything that you find unclear there". He laughed and said, "naheen
Sahib, aise koi baat naheen. aap ne jo kuchh farmaaya, woh to
sau-fee-sadi hamaari samajh mein aa gaya. main to aap se har she'r ke
baare mein yeh poochhna chaahata hoon ke yeh khayaal kaise paida hua aur
yeh alfaaz kahaan se aaye, yaani-ke woh kaun se sources the jin par aap
ne apne ashaar ki asaas rakhkhi, etc.". I was dumb-founded, but still
agreed to meet him sometime in the near future. I can now see that he is
looking precisely for answers of the type that you found so rewarding.
Nevertheless, coming from a fellow poet who has been writing good Urdu
poetry for over 20 years was, to say the least, very sobering.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar Pathria
> Another she'r with "asraar" and one with "sirr" come to mind readily. Iqbal
> has written about Shakespeare:
>
> Hifz-e-asraar ka fitrat ko hai sauda aisa
> Raazdaan phir na kare gi koi paida aisa
>
> [Nature is so obsessed with keeping its secrets, that it will never produce
> another person (like Shakespeare) who knows all its secrets.] Among hundreds
> of tributes paid to Shakepeare in many languages, this she'r must be the most
> outstanding.
>
> Then there is a she'r by Hafez Shirazi:
>
> Sirr-e-Khuda keh aarif-e-saalik ba-kas na guft
> Dar hairat-am keh baada farosh az kuja shunid
>
> [Khuda ka raaz keh aarif-e-saalik ne kisi se nahin kaha, main hairat men hoon
> keh baada farosh ne kahaan se sun liya.]
> [The secret of God that the wise and sagacious (sufi) didn't reveal to anyone,
> I am surprised where the wine-seller learned it from.]
---------------------
Thank you, Jamil Sahib, for quoting two 'excellent' couplets that help
ALUPers appreciate the use of the words 'asraar' and 'sirr'. I have a
few comments on these couplets, which some of our readers will find
interesting.
Firstly, I must say that the couplet by Haafiz is so well conceived and
so well executed. But I thought I should point out to you that this
couplet is another (superb) example of poetic exaggeration (of which you
have made mention in your recent posts). Personally, I find this aspect
of our poetry as simply charming!
Secondly, I want to emphasize that Iqbal's couplet is just astounding.
The phrase 'hifz-e-asraar' is priceless and to accuse Nature of being
obsessed with it is highly imaginative. And then the tribute (to
Shakespeare) as being the 'raazdaan' of Nature is, of course,
outstanding. But I was most struck by the latter part of the second
line; instead of saying 'ke aisaa raazdaan phir kahaan paida hoga', to
say 'ke qudrat aisaa raazdaan phir kabhi paida naheen kare gi' puts
Nature on the defensive (for being somewhat regretful to have produced
such a raazdaan in the first place and then being determined not to make
that mistake ever again). I feel lucky that you dug this gem for us to
savour.
I, however, intend to take you on a rather unexpected course --- a
course that will teach us all a lesson or two. We know that, while Urdu
poetry has been enriched by a large number of first-rate poets, it is
only Ghalib and Iqbal who, by all standards, have been regarded as
'great Urdu poets'. Moreover, no other Urdu poet has been researched as
thoroughly as these two. Having said that, I ask you to imagine the
following scenario:
You go to someone like Mirza Yaas Yagana Changezi Marhoom (who regarded
himself as the 'ameen' and the 'muhaafiz' of Urdu poetry) and say to
him, "Huzoor, main aap ko Dr. Iqbal ka aek be-panaah she'r dikhaana
chaahata hoon. zaraa mulaahiza farmaaiye ga"? Yagana Sahib she'r pe
nazar daalen ge:
hifz-asraar ka fitrat ko hai sauda aisaa
raazdaan phir na kare gi koi paida aisaa
aur munh banaa kar kahen ge, "mian, she'r to buraa naheen. haan, albatta
yihi khayaal kisi 'aihl-e-zabaan' ne manzoom kiya hota to 'sauda' ka
qaafia 'paida' se na baandhta"! Please note that I am saying this in all
seriousness because I know the kind of prejudice Dr. Iqbal (whose mother
tongue was not Urdu) had to suffer at the hands of the puritans ---
before his status in Urdu poetry became unassailable. And, incidently,
the words 'sauda' and 'paida' do not, strictly speaking, rhyme with one
another.
Now, here comes the unbelievable eye-opener, which gave me the basis for
the afore-mentioned scenario. It was around 1965-66 when I was visiting
the University of Alberta and was giving a graduate course on
'Statistical Mechanics' --- which later on turned into a
highly-acclaimed textbook. There was a student in my course, Shaikh
Ansaar Hussain, who later became a professor (perhaps, even the head of
the department) of Physics at Karachi University. He originally hailed
from Lucknow and happened to be an ardent admirer of Mirza Yaas Yagana.
He and I, because of our shared interest in Urdu poetry, became very
good friends.
One day I mentioned Dr. Iqbal's name in Ansaar Hussain's presence and
said something highly complimetary about the great poet. He smiled and
asked me if I knew what Yaas Yagana thought of Iqbal. I said I didn't,
at which he said:
You know Punjabis have no idea that the letters 'kaaf' and 'qaaf' have a
subtle difference in their sounds. I found this remark somewhat annoying
because I myself am very conscious of this difference (in fact, I feel
that the difference between these two sounds is significant --- rather
than subtle). But there is no denying the fact that he had a valid
point; after all, most Punjabis do seem to be saying 'saaki' when they
think they are saying 'saaqi'. So what?, I asked. He said that, because
of such callous use of Urdu by non-Urdu speaking people, especially by
Punjabis, Mirza Yaas Yagana used to write Iqbal as Ikbal. I couldn't
believe my ears.
Sensing my disbelief, Ansaar Hussain volunteered to show me this
deliberate offence on Yagana's part IN PRINT. Next day he brought a book
(or, was it an issue of a magazine?) containig some of Yagana's poetry.
And there it was --- a rubaaii, which was actually a satire on Iqbal's
political philosophy, but the part relevant to the present discourse is
the following one.
The 2nd line of the rubaaii I still remember:
Sutlej se Neel tak hakoomat ka khayaal
And the 4th line ended with the words 'Hazrat Ikbal'. Now I couldn't
believe my eyes.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar Pathria
paanchwen she'r mein kis 'khitte' ki taraf ishaara hai? is ke jawaab
mein sab se pehle to mujhe yeh arz karna hai ke is silsile mein aap ko
5th, 6th, and 7th ashaar ko baaham dekhna parhe ga. main ne in ashaar ki
madad se aek background tayyar ki thi, jis ki binaa par aathwaan she'r
be-had theek baitha ... aur log ash-ash kar uththe. aap in chaar ashaar
ko aek baar phir parhen:
> 5. yeh woh khitta hai samundar bhi jahaan pyaase rahe
> yeh woh basti hai maseeha bhi jahaan beemaar hai
>
> 6. yeh woh gulshan hai jahaan shaakhen bhi shamsheeren hueen
> yeh woh kheti hai jahaan baadal bhi sho'la-baar hai
>
> 7. kya zaroori hai ke har shai theek daamon mein bikey
> yeh koi mandi nahin, yeh Misr-ka-baazaar hai
>
> 8. aashiqi se to kayee barson ka tha ukhrhaa hua
> zindgi se bhi mira jee in dinon be-zaar hai.
I could have used the word 'duniya' instead of 'khitta'. But I wanted to
be more specific. So, after considerable sir-khapaai, I thought of the
word 'khitta', which means a tract of land; in the present context, it
means 'the world of MY experiences --- not the world of EVERYONE'S
experiences', and my audience understood this point right away. And then
I started narrowing down to my basti, my gulshan, my kheti and, finally,
that 'ibrat-naak baazaar jahaan Yousaf jaisa haseen-o-jameel naujawaan
aek anti soot mein bik jaata hai'; is baazar se muraad hai 'hamaari
roz-marra ki zindgi jahaan kabhi kabhi hum sona beichne nikalte hain
magar haalaat se majboor ho kar use mitti ke bhaao beich kar ghar laut
aate hain'. is saari background ko apne zehn mein smo kar, tab aathwaan
she'r parhiye to aap ko wuhi lutf aaye ga jo Toronto ke ijtimaa' ko aaya
tha.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar Pathria
> Raj Sahib,
> aap ki tashreeh ka bahot bahot shukria...ye aap ki zarra-nawazi hai
> jo aap baraha ALUP ke is gulshan ko ilm ki Os se shadaab rakhte hain...
> > > 2. ilm-o-fan, mashq-e-sukhan, aur aag'hee kaafi nahin
> > > she'r kehne ke liye kuchh aur bhi darkaar hai
..The beauty of the > original(your sher)
> is in "kuchh aur bhi darkaar hai"...Because this leaves readers to think
> on their
> own as to what else is necessary. And I'm sure that it will differ from
> person to
> person...with this the person will also be thinking what is the poet
> trying to
> imply himself as well...So there you go so many secrects hidden in two
> lines, trying
> to explain the secret behind the birth of a couplet.
>
> Khair achh.chhi aur baDi shayri ki pehchaan yahi hai...As I said earlier
> I was
> enchanted by this sher then and am still quite mesmerised by it now...
>
Bahut bahut shukriya, Umang Sahib. agar ap isi tarah hauslaa-afzaai
karte rahen ge to yeh silsila taaza-ba-taaza kalaam ki badaulat isi
andaaz se phalta-phoolta rahe ga.
> > > 3. kis binaa par bazm-e-Athar mein chale aaye hain hum
> > > na qaseeda hai koi na lehja-e-darbaar hai
> the bazm-e-Athar part I figured out...I was a little too hasty in my
> reply to
> your earlier post...Actually Raj Sahib, I have a habit of reading your
> posts
> about 4-5 times over a couple of days...This way I usually catch what I
> miss
> in my first reading...So as I read over your original post I got the
> meaning
> of the bazm-e-Athar part, but "I would not have been able to link it with
> the additional bit of info you provided on it being a satire on an old custom".
The last observation on your part is indeed very revealing to me, for it
shows how much difference 'tashreeh' can make in one's understanding of
poetry. In this context, please note that, while Iqbal's she'r, which I
quoted here as my source of inspiration, is openly satirical, mine
turned out to be quite a camouflage!
> > > 4. bazm-e-hasti ke mu'amme kaun samjhaaye kise?
> > > yeh koi maktab nahin, yeh aalam-e-asraar hai
> A commentary on life in the world we live in. Huzuur, ab khula hai ye
> raaz ham par...Magar aik khyaal ubharta hai, vo ye, ki agar
> aalam-e-asraar
> mein zindagi ki guzar hai to phir aadmi apni zindagi ke dauran seekhta
> kam
> hai aur hairaan ziyada hota hai, vo is liye ke jise seekhna kahte hain
> vo
> kain kisi raaz ya paheli ka khulna hi na ho....Kya khyaal hai aap ka?
azeez-e-man, kisi bhi cheez ki teh tak pahunchne se pehle us ki
slaahiyaton par hairaan hona bahut zaroori hai. aap ne mehsoos kiya hoga
ke chhote bachche har na'ee cheez ko dekh kar kitna hairaan hote hain
aur phir apni curiosity ko poora karne ke liye us cheez ki chhan-been
karne lagte hain, .... afsos ki baat hai ke hum joon joon umr mein barhe
hote jaate hain is 'hairaan hone ki his' ko khote jaate hain. is ka
nateeja yeh hota hai ke hamaara tehqeeq ka jazba aahista-aahista kaafoor
ho jaata hai, aur hum har baat ko aur har cheez ko usi soorat mein
qubool kar lete hain jis soorat mein use koi hamaari jholi mein daal
jaata hai.
aur jahaan tak ifshaa-e-raaz ki baat hai, to bhai qudrat ki to har
paheli teh-daar hoti hai --- use teh-ba-teh kholna parhta hai jaise ke
koi pyaaz ke chhilke utaar rahaa ho. magar dekhne waale
nigaah-e-door-been rakhte hain; woh paani ke aek qatre mein poore
samundar ki gehraai naap lete hain. ab is se zayaada aur kya likhoon?
kabhi mil baithen ge, to baat ho gi.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
ahm...@noka.ub.bw
rpat...@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca wrote:
> Jamil Ahmed Sahib wrote:
>
> > Another she'r with "asraar" and one with "sirr" come to mind readily. Iqbal
> > has written about Shakespeare:
> >
> > Hifz-e-asraar ka fitrat ko hai sauda aisa
> > Raazdaan phir na kare gi koi paida aisa
> >
> > [Nature is so obsessed with keeping its secrets, that it will never produce
> > another person (like Shakespeare) who knows all its secrets.] Among hundreds
> > of tributes paid to Shakepeare in many languages, this she'r must be the
most
> > outstanding.
>
> ALUPers appreciate the use of the words 'asraar' and 'sirr'. I have a
> few comments on these couplets, which some of our readers will find
> interesting.
> I, however, intend to take you on a rather unexpected course --- a
> course that will teach us all a lesson or two. We know that, while Urdu
> poetry has been enriched by a large number of first-rate poets, it is
> only Ghalib and Iqbal who, by all standards, have been regarded as
> 'great Urdu poets'. Moreover, no other Urdu poet has been researched as
> thoroughly as these two. Having said that, I ask you to imagine the
> following scenario:
>
> You go to someone like Mirza Yaas Yagana Changezi Marhoom (who regarded
> himself as the 'ameen' and the 'muhaafiz' of Urdu poetry) and say to
> him, "Huzoor, main aap ko Dr. Iqbal ka aek be-panaah she'r dikhaana
> chaahata hoon. zaraa mulaahiza farmaaiye ga"? Yagana Sahib she'r pe
> nazar daalen ge:
>
> hifz-asraar ka fitrat ko hai sauda aisaa
> raazdaan phir na kare gi koi paida aisaa
...
Thank you Raj Sahib for such illuminating comments on the she'r of Iqbal. For
several years after I first heard this she'r from an English teacher in
school, I was so much under its mesmerizing spell that I never noticed the
awkward rhyming. When finally I did notice it, it didn't seem to matter.
Even if the she'r were without a qaafia at all, its value would not be
lessened for me. After all Diwan-e-Ghalib contains some solitary asha'ar
without any qaafia, and some asha'ar with aurally non-rhyming qaafias.
Consider:
Mai parastaan khum-e-mai munh se lagaaey hi bani
Aik din gar na huaa bazm men saaqi na sahi
Nafs-e-Qais keh hai chashm-o-chiraagh-e-sahraa
Gar naheen shama-e-siah khaana-e-Laila, na sahi
Aik hangaame peh mauqoof hai ghar ki raunaq
Noha-e-gham hi sahi naghma-e-shaadi na sahi
Notice the qaafia in the middle she'r, even though it is written like saaqi,
shaadi etc, it is never pronounced laili, though Ghalib probably wanted to
allude to darkness of the night (lail) too. But, as they say: "Ghalib bar
hama ghalib" (Ghalib sab par ghalib hai).
Now I am not among those who indulge in hagiography about Iqbal; my criterion
of how much I am partial to a poet is how much I enjoy the poetry, and Iqbal
is not among the top on my list. However, I find Yagaana's attitude to Iqbal
unworthy of the great poet that Yagaana was. If the attitude was based on
professional rivalry, it is understandable; after all many poets are known to
have big egos, and it becomes evident when resentments are created because of
the "batting order" as it were, during a mushaa'era. If, on the other hand,
Yagaana's attitude was based on the fact that Iqbal was a Punjabi, it is
deplorable. Non "ahl-e-zabaan" have contributed so much to Urdu literature;
Iqbal, Faiz, Faraz, Sahir, Hafeez J., Hafeez H., Manto, Krishan Chandar and
Jaggan Nath Azad are not the only examples.
It is true that a Punjabi's accent in Urdu can amuse purists, to say the
least. A delightful remark is attributed to Saadat Hassan Manto: "Jab koi
Panjabi Urdu bol raha ho to aise lagta hai jaise jhoot bol raha hai". But
when it comes to 'qaaf', let me assure you, Punjabis are not the only
culprits. Having come in contact with people from various places, I have a
catalog of the ways in which this sound is desecrated. Now these are people,
whose own languages have the letter 'qaaf', namely Urdu, Arabic and Persian
speakers. In defense of Punjabis, one can at least say that their language
does not have this letter, so it's no wonder they, or their throats, can't
cope with it, but others? So here is the list.
We already know that Punjabis pronounce it as k. Qalam is kalam In Hyderabad
(South India), Urdu speakers pronounce 'qaaf' as kh. Qasam (oath) becomes
khasam (husband). Iranians pronounce it as gh (ghain). Qalam is ghalam. This
is the origin of the word 'Agha', actually 'Aqa' (Master, Sir) and written as
'Aqa' in Persian. Gulf Arabs (Saudis, Qataris, Kuwaitis, UAE people,
Bahrainis, Omanis) pronounce it as English G; Qatar is Gatar, 'Qasam' is
'Gasam' Many Iraqis pronounce it as J. 'qaddaam'(ahead) is 'jaddam'. This is
the origin of the proper name Jassim, actually Qassim. Other Iraqis pronounce
it like the Punjabis, as k. Egyptians, Syrians, Lebanese pronounce it as
'hamza', or just substitue it with a glottal stop. Qalam becomes 'alam; qul
becomes 'ul, haqeeqat becomes ha'ee'at. [The list is still under compilation.
Any additions will be welcome. I still have to catalog Libyans, Algerians,
Sudanese, Yemenies, Afghans, Tajiks and many others].
Raj Kumar Pathria
> Now I am not among those who indulge in hagiography about Iqbal; my criterion
> of how much I am partial to a poet is how much I enjoy the poetry, and Iqbal
> is not among the top on my list.
Thanks, Jamil Sahib, for such a thorough response to my post. I now feel
a lot better in the knowledge that 'we Punjabis' are not the only people
being callous about the sound of the letter 'qaaf'. I am, however,
struck by your remark that Iqbal is not among the top of your list!
Clearly, this is a question of one's personal preferences. So, while
Iqbal is not there, I am curious to know who among the famous Urdu poets
are on your top list. And who on your second list? And who on your black
list? :)
Please feel free to ignore this query, if you don't feel like answering
it. But I am dying to know!
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
ahm...@noka.ub.bw
rpat...@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca wrote:
> Thanks, Jamil Sahib, for such a thorough response to my post. I now feel
> a lot better in the knowledge that 'we Punjabis' are not the only people
> being callous about the sound of the letter 'qaaf'. I am, however,
> struck by your remark that Iqbal is not among the top of your list!
>
> Clearly, this is a question of one's personal preferences. So, while
> Iqbal is not there, I am curious to know who among the famous Urdu poets
> are on your top list. And who on your second list? And who on your black
> list? :)
>
> Please feel free to ignore this query, if you don't feel like answering
> it. But I am dying to know!
>
> Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
>
>
Raj Sahib, it is my turn to be struck at your being struck that someone can
like some poets more than Iqbal. Of course there are poems of Iqbal that
move me deeply; "Jibreel and Iblees" and parts of "Jaaved Naama" being just
two examples, but we are talking of the work of a poet taken as a whole.
The three slots on the top of my list will be occupied by -- Ghalib,
Ghalib and Ghalib. I consider it almost a sacrilege to include someone else
there.
In the second tier will be Faiz, Firaq and Sauda, followed by Aatish, Asghar
Gondavi, Iqbal, Momin, Mir Taqi Mir, Jigar among others. If some of the
acknowledged masters are not mentioned, it may be because I have not been
fortunate enough to have read more than just an isolated ghazal or two by each
of them. As for the black list, I don't have one.
Now, have I earned the right of asking you for your own preferences? What is
a little candidness among friends after all? Jamil Ahmad
Raj Kumar Pathria
> Raj Sahib, it is my turn to be struck at your being struck that someone can
> like some poets more than Iqbal. Of course there are poems of Iqbal that
> move me deeply; "Jibreel and Iblees" and parts of "Jaaved Naama" being just
> two examples, but we are talking of the work of a poet taken as a whole.
>
> The three slots on the top of my list will be occupied by -- Ghalib,
> Ghalib and Ghalib. I consider it almost a sacrilege to include someone else
> there.
Jamil Sahib:
aap ke is andaaz ne to mujhe Real Estate waalon ki woh AD yaad dilaa di
hai jis mein is baat par zor diya jaata hai ke 'there are three factors
that guarantee a rapid sale of your property: location, location,
location'. is ke ilaawa, jo aap ne 'sacrilege' ka lafz istemaal kiyaa
hai, us se zaahir hota hai ke aap sirf Ghalib ke maddah hi naheen balke
'Ghalib-prast' bhi hain. khair, is mein koi buraai naheen; aakhir Abdul
Rehman Sahib Bijnauri bhi to Ghalib-prast hi the --- jinhon ne
Diwaan-e-Ghalib ko aek ilhaami kitaab kahaa tha.
chaliye, ab main aap ko apni tarjeehaat se aagaah karta hoon. meri
saf-e-awwal mein sirf Ghalib hi naheen, un ke saath-aath Khudaa-e-Sukhan
Meer bhi hain. bilkul usi tarah jaise mere apne mazmoon mein Newton ke
saath-saath Galileo hain.
> In the second tier will be Faiz, Firaq and Sauda, followed by Aatish, Asghar
> Gondavi, Iqbal, Momin, Mir Taqi Mir, Jigar among others. If some of the
> acknowledged masters are not mentioned, it may be because I have not been
> fortunate enough to have read more than just an isolated ghazal or two by each
> of them.
meri doosri saf mein Firaq, Jigar aur Iqbal hain. main ne Sauda aur
Momin ko ziyaada parha naheen, haalaan-ke un ke beshtar ashaar main
aksar quote karta hoon. in ke baad, Huzoor, aate hain Fani, Asghar,
Hasrat aur Faiz. Aur, Khuda jhoot na bulwaaye, main to barhi der se
matwaala hoon Maulana Haali ka.
ab aek khaas baat suniye. jab main Dilli mein tha aur beshtar log mujhe
Firaq ki shaairi ka aashiq samajhte the to mere aek colleague mujhe
majboor kiya karte the ke main Daagh ka kalaam parhoon. ab mujhe bachpan
hi se bataaya gaya tha ke Daagh aek aamiaana shaair hain, is liye main
ne is mashware ko apni ihaanat samjha. magar un ka taqaaza tha ke,
agarche main dimaaghi taur par Firaq ki taraf rajoo' rakhta hoon,
samaaji taur main Daagh ke qareeb hoon. aakhir, main ne Daagh ka kalaam
parh hi daala aur, Jamil Sahib, meri Daagh ke baare mein raaye bilkul
badal gayee. main un ka frefta ho gaya aur ab yeh aalam hai ke jab bhi
mashq-e-sukhan ka daura parhta hai to mujh par do taaqaten haavi hotee
hain --- Firaq aur Daagh.
yeh to hue naam-war sho'ra. magar mere kuchh aur bhi mehboob hain:
Be-khud Dehlvi --- agar aap ne un ka kalaam naheen parhaa, to fauran
kaheen se aek jild 'Baada-e-Makhmoor' ki mangwaaiye; phir aap dekhen ge
ke aap ne kya miss kiyaa hai. un ke baad Saahir L. aur usi rang mein
Naresh Kumar Shaad. agar aap ne Shaad ko naheen parhaa, to fauran un ki
kitaab 'Qaashen' fraaham keejiye. aur phir aek an-jaane se shaair hain
Mehta Jaimani Sarshaar; un ki kitaab 'Jazbaat-e-Sarshaar' parhiye, to
aek ajeeb sa lutf aaye ga.
umeed hai ke ab aap ko andaaza ho gaya hoga ke mere zehn ki sairaabi kin
sar-chashmon se hoti hai.
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
> Now, have I earned the right of asking you for your own preferences? What is
> a little candidness among friends after all? Jamil Ahmad
Yogesh Sethi
>
> The three slots on the top of my list will be occupied by -- Ghalib,
> Ghalib and Ghalib. I consider it almost a sacrilege to include someone else
> there.
>
>
I am elated at the succint disposition of this matter. If I may echo the
sentiment, there are three pillars of Urdu poetry -- Ghalib, Ghalib and
Ghalib! There is an entablature called Faiz.
Of course, Urdu poetry is a rich havelli and many an illustrious poets
are its denizens.
Regards,
Yogesh Sethi
ahm...@noka.ub.bw
rpat...@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca wrote:
...
> yeh to hue naam-war sho'ra. magar mere kuchh aur bhi mehboob hain:
>
> Be-khud Dehlvi --- agar aap ne un ka kalaam naheen parhaa, to fauran
> kaheen se aek jild 'Baada-e-Makhmoor' ki mangwaaiye; phir aap dekhen ge
> ke aap ne kya miss kiyaa hai. un ke baad Saahir L. aur usi rang mein
> Naresh Kumar Shaad. agar aap ne Shaad ko naheen parhaa, to fauran un ki
> kitaab 'Qaashen' fraaham keejiye. aur phir aek an-jaane se shaair hain
> Mehta Jaimani Sarshaar; un ki kitaab 'Jazbaat-e-Sarshaar' parhiye, to
> aek ajeeb sa lutf aaye ga.
>
> umeed hai ke ab aap ko andaaza ho gaya hoga ke mere zehn ki sairaabi kin
> sar-chashmon se hoti hai.
>
> Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
>
Raj Sahib, shukriya. Aap ne Be-Khud, Shaad aur Sarshaar ka zikr kar ke
tajassus men mubtala kar diya. In hazraat ka thorha sa kalaam to parha hai,
magar ji chahtaa hai kuchh aur bhi parhne ko mile. Magar bad-qismati se
"jahan ham hain wahan dasht-o-biyaabaan hai", koi kitaab to kiya milegi. Is
liye guzarish hai keh in hazraat ki likhi hui apni pasandeeda ghazlen, agar
ho sake to, post kar dijiye. Ihsaan rahe ga. Is ke 'ilaawa agar aap ko
Balraaj Komal ke mut'aliq kuchh 'ilm ho, keh ba-qaid-e-hayat hain, aur abhi
bhi kalaam likhte hain ya naheen, to mut'la keejiye ga. Kisi zamaane men
main unka kalaam risaalon men shauq se parhta tha, ba'ad men yeh silsila toot
gaya. Jamil
Raj Kumar Pathria
Jamil Sahib:
sab se pehle to main is baat ki maazrat chaahata hoon ke main apni
pichhli post mein Makhmoor Dehlvi ki bajaaye Bekhud Dehlvi likh gaya.
haalanke mujhe Bekhud Sahib se be-had aqeedat hai, magar yahaan meri
muraad Makhmoor Sahib se thi!
aap ne jo farmaaish apni is post mein ki hai woh mere zehn mein mehfooz
rahe gi aur, joonhi zaraa fursat milee, in teenon sho'ra ka kuchh kalaam
aap tak (aur aap ke saath-saath saare ALUP-pariwaar tak) pahunchaane ki
koshish karoon ga. fil-haal, tabarruk ke taur par, Makhmoor Sahib ki aek
ghazal ke kuchh ashaar jo zabaani yaad hain pesh karta hoon [taake aap
ki pyaas kuchh aur barhe aur shaayid isi bahaane aap mujhe phir kabhi
yaad farmaane ka kasht karen]!
Makhmoor Dehlvi: jaan-e-hazeen nisaar na ho, dil fidaa na ho!
aa jaayen woh to josh-e-muhabbat mein kya na ho?
mar jaayen hum qubool agar yeh du'aa na ho
'dil ko qaraar ho to tumhaare sivaa na ho'
gaahak dil-e-shikasta ka hai peer-e-maikada
be-kaar hai woh jaam jo toota hua na ho
yeh aarzoo bhi hai yeh taqaazaa-e-rashk bhi
meri nazar se un ko koi dekhta na ho
qissa kaleem-o-toor ka bhoola naheen hoon main
hai khairiyat isi mein kaheen saamna na ho
umeed hai ke aap ko yeh ashaar pasand aaye hon ge. aur maze-daar baat
yeh hai ke Makhmoor Sahib ki kitaab Baada-e-Makhmoor mein aise
be-shumaar nageene maujood hain.
ab ijaazat deejiye,
Khair-andesh, Raj Kumar
P.S. jo sawaal aap ne Balraj Komal ke baare mein poochhe hain, main un
ke baare mein kuchh naheen jaanta. ho sakta hai koi aur ALUPer in
sawaalon ka jawaab de sake. R.K.