she'r-o-naghmaa

[Zoya]

Friends,

I am really pleased to start this new thread which will combine two topics that most Alupers are interested in: Urdu poetry and Hindi/Urdu songs.

As discussed in several other threads recently, Irfan Abid sahib and I have coincidentally been thinking about some of the same Bollywood songs lately. Among his other virtues, Irfan sahib is also an amazing singer, and has actually shared some of his recordings with this group. He has also been generous enough to record a couple of 'farmaayishii' songs for me. Thank you Irfan sahib. :)

Whenever I listen to any song that I like, some related asha'ar usually come to my mind immediately. That is how the idea of starting this thread was born. Irfan sahib has kindly agreed to the harder part, recording and posting the songs that we may request, along with the songs of his personal choice. My part is easy, just posting some asha'ar, which all of you know I love doing anyway!

Some other Alupers may also be good singers, so all members are welcome to share their recordings in this thread. I personally can not sing, except Punjabi folk wedding songs and Tappas on Dholak, accompanied by my lady friends. So, I'll just stick to contributing asha'ar here, which of course you may also do.

The fun begins,

______Zoya

[Zoya]

To get the ball rolling, I am exporting the link to a recording (in his own voice) that Irfan Abid sahib had recently posted in another thread. This song from the movie 'Pavitra Paapi':

"teri duniya se ho ke majbuur chalaa,
maiN bahut duur, bahut duur, bahut duur chalaa".

The she'r that immediately came to my mind is by Jigar Muradabadi:

haaye rii majbuuriyaaN, tark-e-muhabbat ke liye
mujh ko samjhaate haiN voh aur un ko samjhaataa huN maiN :(

https://www.smule.com/recording/majboor-chala-teri-duniya-se-hoke/1216696826_3961834463

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

And now one more link that Irfan Abid sahib had posted in another Alup thread. It is a fun duet, in Irfan sahib's voice with another singer. I have loved this song ever since I first heard it over twenty years ago. From the movie 'mrityudanD', written by Javed Akhtar:

"keh do ik baar sajnaa
itnaa kyuN pyaar sajnaa
hai mujh meN aisaa bhi kyaa re....??"

This song reminds me of a she'r by my dear friend, the eminent poet Amjad Islam Amjad sahib:

Amjad saahib, aap ne bhii to dunyaa ghuum ke dekhii hai
aisii aaNkheN haiN to bataao, aisaa chehraa ho to kaho! :-)

> https://www.smule.com/recording/alka-yagnik-udit-narayan-clean-hd-karaoke-track-kehdo-ekbar-hq-keh-do-ek-baar-sajna-mrityudand-1997/1307941734_3798139528

_____Zoya

[Zoya]

Continuing with discussion from another Alup thread:

I few days ago, I had read a she'r by Majeed Amjad:

haaye voh zindagii-fareb aaNkeN
tuu ne kyaa socha, maiN ne kyaa samjhaa

I particularly liked the adjective 'zindagii-fareb' for 'aaNkheN', and for some reason it reminded me of a song from the Rjash Khanna/Sharmila Tagore movie 'safar'. I passed on the reminder to Irfan sahib who indulged me, actually recorded the song in his voice and posted the link in the other thread. The song is:

"jiivan se bhari terii aaNkheN, majbuur kareN jiine ke liye"

While listening to the song, this she'r by Bashir Badr came to my mind:

us ki aaNkhoN ko ghaur se dekho
mandiroN meN charaagh jalte haiN

Here is the link to Irfan sahib's recording, lyrics by Indeevar:

https://www.smule.com/recording/kishor-da-jeevan-se-bhari-teri-aankhe/1216696826_3970660090

I believe this one line from the song is the ultimate compliment for any woman:

"aanchal kaa tire hai taar bahut koii chaak jigar siine ke liye"

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

Talking about Indeevar, another song written by him that I have always liked is from the movie 'Purab aur Pachhim'. In the other thread, I had requested that Irfan Abid sahib consider singing it, and he obliged again. Thank you Irfan sahib.

This is the song:

"koii jab tumhaara hriday toR de
taRaptaa hua jab koii ChhoR de
tab tum mere paas aanaa priye
meraa dar khulaa hai, khulaa hii rahe gaa tumharee liye"

How wonderful it must feel to be the recipient of such unconditional love!
But honestly, while listening to this song, the asha'ar that generally came to my mind were from the lover's perspective. First, a couple by one of my favorite poets, Adeem Hashmi:

jab tujhe lauT kar nahiiN aanaa
muntazir meri chashm-e-tar kyuN hai?

and

jab tire husn pe thoRaa sa zavaal aa jaaye
us ghaRii puuchhuN gaa tujh se yeh jahaaN kaisaa hai!

But what I was really humming after listening to this song is something I associate with the singer Asif Ali, can't recall the poet:

kuchh haar piro Daalo, gul_daste banaa rakho
shaayad k voh aa jaaaye, darvaaza khulaa rakho

All right, enough intro. Here is the link to the recording in Irfan sahib's voice:

https://www.smule.com/recording/hd-mukesh-koi-jab-tumhara-hriday-hraday-tod-de-moinnimbuss-version-koi-jab-tumhara-hriday/1216696826_3974771149

______Zoya

[Zoya]

A quick follow up:

> "koii jab tumhaara hriday toR de

> taRaptaa hua jab koii ChhoR de...........

While listening to this song again just now, a Javed Akhtar sh'er suddenly came to my mind.
sochaa yeh bhii raqam kartii chaluuN:

aaj kisii ne dil toRaa to ham ko jaise dhyaan aayaa
jis ka dil ham ne toRaa thaa, voh jaane kaisaa ho gaa :(

[Amit Malhotra]

On Friday, April 9, 2021 at 2:26:02 PM UTC-4, Zoya wrote:
> A quick follow up:

>
> aaj kisii ne dil toRaa to ham ko jaise dhyaan aayaa
> jis ka dil ham ne toRaa thaa, voh jaane kaisaa ho gaa :(

also beautifully sung by NFAK

[Amit Malhotra]

Thanks Zoya ji for posting all these! I love the new series. Can't wait to read/listen to more songs and read the similar ash'aar as well :-)

[Zoya]

On Friday, April 9, 2021 at 9:49:21 PM UTC-5, ami...@gmail.com wrote:

> >
> > aaj kisii ne dil toRaa to ham ko jaise dhyaan aayaa
> > jis ka dil ham ne toRaa thaa, voh jaane kaisaa ho gaa :(

> also beautifully sung by NFAK

Absolutely. 'Sangam' is probably my all time favorite album, every number is breathtaking.

[Zoya]

On Friday, April 9, 2021 at 9:50:10 PM UTC-5, ami...@gmail.com wrote:

> Thanks Zoya ji for posting all these! I love the new series. Can't wait to read/listen to more songs and read the similar ash'aar as well :-)

Thanks Amit. :-)

This is turning out to be more fun than I thought. You should join in the singing part, I know you can do it. Yes?

I have now run out of the recordings that our friend Irfan sahib had shared with us. So I am ready with my next farmaaish.

Stay tuned!

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib,

You know you signed on the dotted line, so here! :)

Lately, the song that I have been humming is from the movie 'Masoom'. No, not the more famous one, but this:

"huzuur is qadar bhi na itraa ke chaliye
khul-e-aam aanchal na lehraa ke chaliye"

This is another one of those songs that I have loved since the first time I heard it, in the same league as "keh do ik baar sajnaa".

And the she'r this song makes me think of is one that has been in my memory all my life. shaayad mere bachpan se bhi pehle kii baat hai k maiN ne yeh she'r kahiiN paRhaa thaa. I don't know the poet, but it seems to be a take on Nizam Rampuri's similar, more famous, she'r. This is what I am talking about:

ruk ruk ke dekhte haiN voh apnaa Khiraam-e-naaz
muR muR ke dekhte haiN koii dekhtaa na ho

All right then, over to you.

Oh and, my next two requests are already brewing. :-)

______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Your farmaaish is noted. Have been busy lately. Will get to it shortly. :)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Monday, April 12, 2021 at 11:16:41 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>
> Your farmaaish is noted. Have been busy lately. Will get to it shortly. :)
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

aadaab Irfan sahib,

I totally understand, no rush at all, whenever you get a chance.

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here you go: https://www.smule.com/recording/suresh-wadkar-bhupinder-huzoor-is-qadar-bhi/1216696826_3991342645

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3:48:52 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> Here you go: https://www.smule.com/recording/suresh-wadkar-bhupinder-huzoor-is-qadar-bhi/1216696826_3991342645
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

aadaab Irfan sahib.

I wasn't sure if you were going to go solo on this one or collaborate with another singer since the original has two male voices.

I hope you enjoyed singing it as much as I am enjoying listening to it. Thank you so much. It is a real treat.

And now the Parveen Shakir she'r that came to my mind while listening to this song. I have always loved the unexpected qaafia in this one:

yeh havaa kaise uRaa le gayi aanchal meraa
yuuN sataane ki to aadat mire ghanshyaam ki thii!

Just awesome, isn't it ? :-)

Cheerio for now, I'll be back with the next request soon, unless of course you want to share something of your choice.

__________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 6:14:57 PM UTC-4, Zoya wrote:
> On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3:48:52 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:
>
> > Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
> >
> > Here you go: https://www.smule.com/recording/suresh-wadkar-bhupinder-huzoor-is-qadar-bhi/1216696826_3991342645
> >
> > niyaazmand,
> > Irfan :Abid:
> aadaab Irfan sahib.
>
> I wasn't sure if you were going to go solo on this one or collaborate with another singer since the original has two male voices.
>
> I hope you enjoyed singing it as much as I am enjoying listening to it. Thank you so much. It is a real treat.
>

Zoya sahiba, thanks for your kind appreciation!

> And now the Parveen Shakir she'r that came to my mind while listening to this song. I have always loved the unexpected qaafia in this one:
>
> yeh havaa kaise uRaa le gayi aanchal meraa
> yuuN sataane ki to aadat mire ghanshyaam ki thii!
>
> Just awesome, isn't it ? :-)
>

Good one. Didn't hear it before. Interesting qafiya indeed.

> Cheerio for now, I'll be back with the next request soon, unless of course you want to share something of your choice.
>
> __________Zoya
>

Will post the next one shortly.

Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 10:37:20 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> > And now the Parveen Shakir she'r that came to my mind while listening to this song. I have always loved the unexpected qaafia in this one:
> >
> > yeh havaa kaise uRaa le gayi aanchal meraa
> > yuuN sataane ki to aadat mire ghanshyaam ki thii!

> Good one. Didn't hear it before. Interesting qafiya indeed.

Irfan sahib, before we move on, I have a quick comment regarding this 'qaafia', a little detail that made me pause and think.

In the Urdu script, Parveen Shakir has written it with a ye, so shyaam in Roman. I relaize shaam/shyaam have exact same vazn, and y can be ignored, just as in kyaa/kaa. However, since the other qavaafi in this ghazal are aaraam, anjaam etc, I almost wanted to write 'ghanshaam' in Roman, without a y.

I find it fascinating that Parveen Shakir chose this qaafia and wrote it in Urdu exactly as we do in Hindi/Devanagari. It packs a punch in this misra' that no other word could have.

All right, now we'll wait for your next song, and see what new asha'ar pop up. Exciting stuff. :-)

_____Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I have not been able to record a new song lately for a variety of reasons so I am sharing one that was recorded some time ago. This is a Sahir gem from "Joshila": https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-kiska-rasta-dekhe-joshila/1216696826_3952399931

The she'r this song reminds me of is this:

kaun aayegaa yahaaN, koii na aayegaa hogaa
meraa darvaazaa havaaoN ne hilaayaa hogaa (Kaif Bhopali)

Another piece of poetry this songs reminds me of is the nazm "tanhaaii" by Faiz, especially the last line 'ab yahaaN koii nahiiN, koii nahiiN aayegaa.'

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 11:33:08 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

> I have not been able to record a new song lately for a variety of reasons so I am sharing one that was recorded some time ago. This is a Sahir gem from "Joshila": https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-kiska-rasta-dekhe-joshila/1216696826_3952399931

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

Such soulful singing, I am not exaggerating when I say that your recording sounds no less than the original in Kishore Kumar's voice. Congratulations, and thank you.

I had not heard this song in ages. I have never watched 'Joshila', the only thing I remember about this movie is that it had Dev Anand as the hero. And surprisingly, I could not have guessed this as a Sahir song! But I did guess the music director correctly while listening to the song just now, RD Burman. It definitely has a Pancham stamp.

> The she'r this song reminds me of is this:
>
> kaun aayegaa yahaaN, koii na aayegaa hogaa
> meraa darvaazaa havaaoN ne hilaayaa hogaa (Kaif Bhopali)
>
> Another piece of poetry this songs reminds me of is the nazm "tanhaaii" by Faiz, especially the last line 'ab yahaaN koii nahiiN, koii nahiiN aayegaa.'

What a fitting she'r, and nazm, to go with the mood of this song.

And now the the two asha'ar that are spontaneously coming to my mind after listening to your song:

First, Firaaq Goarakhpuri:

koi aayaa na aaye gaa lekin
kyaa kareN gar na intezaar kareN

and then sort of rationalizing the situation, Obaidullah Aleem:

maiN tanhaa thaa, maiN tanhaa huuN
tum aayo to kyaa, na aayo to kyaa!

More later,

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib,

aadaab,

silsilaa phir se jaarii kiyaa jaaye, kyaa Khayaal hai? :)

maiN ab kuchh aise naghmoN kii farmaaish kar rahi huuN jo mujhe pasand bhi haiN, aur in dinoN mere zehn meN bhi aate rehte haiN.

I am pretty sure, you will also like these songs.

In no particular order:

1. zindagi ke safar meN guzar jaate haiN jo maqaam ( Aap ki Kasam, Kishore Kumar)
2. jab diip jale aanaa ( Chitchor, Yesudas)
3. baRe achhe lagte haiN ( Balika Badhu, Amit Kumar)

Whenever you can get to these, I'll be waiting. Soon, I hope? Then we'll see which asha'ar come to my mind spontaneously. :)

Thanks in advance,

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I had recorded #2 some time back. Hope you like it: https://www.smule.com/recording/btrk-114-kj-yesudas-hemalata-track-babunmi-jab-deep-jale-aana-hqt/938542099_3369400795

The sh'er this songs brings to my mind is this:

din meN charaaGh-e-shaam jalaayaa thaa un dinoN
ik shaKhs mere shahr meN aayaa thaa un dinoN (Aaireen Farhat)

Will try to record the other two shortly.

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Friday, June 4, 2021 at 11:28:48 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> I had recorded #2 some time back. Hope you like it:

https://www.smule.com/recording/btrk-114-kj-yesudas-hemalata-track-babunmi-jab-deep-jale-aana-hqt/938542099_3369400795

I absolutely love it! Beautiful.

This is another one of those few songs that I have really liked since the very first time I heard it and want to listen to it every so often. A couple of times, I have even requested it as my Diwali song on my friend's radio show. You have sung it very well, and your co singer has also done a wonderful job. Thank you both.

> The sh'er this songs brings to my mind is this:
>
> din meN charaaGh-e-shaam jalaayaa thaa un dinoN
> ik shaKhs mere shahr meN aayaa thaa un dinoN (Aaireen Farhat)

"jab diip jale aanaa............."

The first she'r that came to my mind listening to the song just now is by Zahra Nigah. Keeping the hope alive:

is ummiid pe roz charaagh jalaate haiN
aane vaale barsoN ba'ad bhi aate haiN!

Also, this song has always reminded me of a Zafar Gorakhpuri ghazal, sung nicely by Asif Ali, it was later changed a bit and turned into a Hindi movie song. I like the Asif Ali version much better, you must listen to it if you haven't :

ab ke saal puunam meN jab tuu aaye gi milne,
ham ne soch rakkhaa hai, raat yuuN guzaareN ge
dhaRkaneN bichhaa deN ge shoKh tere qadamoN meN
ham nigaahoN se terii aartii utaareN ge :)

What a wonderful way to welcome when someone finally shows up! :-)

> Will try to record the other two shortly.

Looking forward to the next two, meantime I'll savor this one.

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Thank you.

______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here is another one for you: https://www.smule.com/recording/with-female-voice-balika-badhu-old-bade-achhe-lagte-hain/1216696826_4053148728

This song reminds me of this she'r:

tum jaa to rahe ho magar itnaa to bataa do
taqdiir ke maare ko kabhii yaad karoge? (Bismil Dehlvi)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 1:07:13 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> Here is another one for you: https://www.smule.com/recording/with-female-voice-balika-badhu-old-bade-achhe-lagte-hain/1216696826_4053148728

Irfan sahib, aadaab,

Thank you so much. This is just awesome. Honestly, I think it is your best recording I have heard so far. The feeling, the rhythm, everything is splendid and touches the listener's heart. The music is soft, and your voice quality really stands out relative to it.
I wouldn't be lying if I say that I enjoyed this as much as the original, and I am so glad I requested this one.You know what, I can't really sing but I would have loved to say the female 'aur' part in this song. :-))

> This song reminds me of this she'r:
>
> tum jaa to rahe ho magar itnaa to bataa do
> taqdiir ke maare ko kabhii yaad karoge? (Bismil Dehlvi)
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Interesting. Your take is about the after effects. The one she'r this song immediately brings to my mind is in the present, from a ghazal I have always liked in Ghulam Ali's voice, by Mohsin Naqvi:

kaun sii baat hai tum meN aisii
itne achche kyuN lagte ho? :)

But I really could not think of any she'r fully describing the 'here and now' feeling that this song evokes in me. So, I did the next best thing, and I just coined a she'r after listening to the song in your voice! Here it is:

yeh raat, yeh nadii ka kinaaraa, tumhaara saath
dilkash hai, pur_sukuuN hai, hasiiN hai har ek baat! :-)))

Good job? Creates a nice visual? :)

At this point, you can probably guess that I am next going to ask you to write a she'r based on this song. Irfan sahib, yes? Please?

Once we are done with the last song on my previous list, I have two more songs ready to be requested, and one of those is my all time single most favorite song. Let me know when to submit the next list.

Thank you Irfan sahib, for making my weekend so melodious, and poetic! :)

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I came here to post the last song of the three on your list, and realized you had asked for a she'r on the "bade achchhe lagte hain" song. So here it is, composed on the spot for whatever it's worth. :)

yih shab, yih jheel, yih dhartii, yih teraa saath mujhe
lage hai yuuN ki milii jaise kaainaat mujhe

By the way your she'r is pretty good!

And here is the new song: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-kk-zindagi-ke-safar-mein-gujar/1216696826_4061346675

The she'r this song reminds me is a classic by one of your favorite poets:

kahaaN aa ke rukne the raaste, kahaaN moR thaa use bhuul jaa
vo jo mil gayaa use yaad rakh, jo nahiiN milaa use bhuul jaa (Amjad Islam Amjad)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 12:25:41 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> > But I really could not think of any she'r fully describing the 'here and now' feeling that this song evokes in me. So, I did the next best thing, and I just coined a she'r after listening to the song in your voice! Here it is:

> > yeh raat, yeh nadii ka kinaaraa, tumhaara saath
> > dilkash hai, pur_sukuuN hai, hasiiN hai har ek baat! :-)))

> >

> > At this point, you can probably guess that I am next going to ask you to write a she'r based on this song. Irfan sahib, yes? Please?

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab arz hai, Irfan sahib,

> I came here to post the last song of the three on your list, and realized you had asked for a she'r on the "bade achchhe lagte hain" song. So here it is, composed on the spot for whatever it's worth. :)
>
> yih shab, yih jheel, yih dhartii, yih teraa saath mujhe
> lage hai yuuN ki milii jaise kaainaat mujhe
>
> By the way your she'r is pretty good!

Lovely! And OMG, another beautiful coincidence, I too thought of using 'kaainaat' first, but then changed it before posting! The original version of the second misraa in my she'r was something like this:

raushan hai, pur_sukuun hai, dilkash hai kaainaat! :)

I love such coincidences. :-))

More later,

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 12:25:41 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

> And here is the new song: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-kk-zindagi-ke-safar-mein-gujar/1216696826_4061346675

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

Thank you so much recording this song for me, very soulful rendering.

I have always found this song very special, and appreciate it more and more as I grow older. In my opinion, this is the best song ever written by Anand Bakhshi sahib. Simply brilliant lyrics.

>
> The she'r this song reminds me is a classic by one of your favorite poets:
>
> kahaaN aa ke rukne the raaste, kahaaN moR thaa use bhuul jaa
> vo jo mil gayaa use yaad rakh, jo nahiiN milaa use bhuul jaa (Amjad Islam Amjad)
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

A true classic indeed, and a very apt she’r.
Interestingly, the first she’r this song reminds me of is also by Amjad Islam Amjad sahib, invoking a different sentiment though:

guzar rahaa hai jo lamhaa ise amar kar leN
main apne Khuun se likhtaa huuN, tum gavaahii do!

While listening to this song, several different asha’ar keep coming to my mind spontaneously. Let me document some of them.
____________________________________________________________________
“kuchh log ik roz jo bichhaR jaate haiN, vo hazaaroN ke aane se milte nahiiN……”

yeh mujhe chain kyuN nahiiN paRtaa?
ek hii shaKhs thaa jahaan meN kyaa?? :( (A very intense Jaun Eliya)

___________________________________________________________________
“kal taRapnaa paRe yaad meN jin kii, rok lo ruuThh kar un ko jaane na do…..”

main ne rokaa bhi nahiiN, aur voh Thehraa bhii nahiiN
haadisaa kyaa tha jise dil ne bhulaayaa bhii nahiiN :-( (Aslam Ansari)

____________________________________________________________________
“ba’ad meN pyaar ke chaahe bhejo hazaaroN salaam, voh phir nahiiN aate……”

aisaa na ho kabhii k palaT kar na aa sakuuN
har baar duur jaa ke sadaayeN mujhe na do :-(( (Ahmad Faraz)

_____________________________________________________________________
“subH aatii hai, raat jaatii hai yuuNhi vaqt chaltaa hii rehtaa hai, ruktaa nahiiN……”

subH hotii hai, shaam hotii hai
umr yuNhii tamaam hotii hai (Munshi Amirullah Tasleem)

And so it goes.....

Thank you Irfan sahib, I will be back with my next request list soon.

_________Zoya

[Raj Kumar]

On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 7:26:11 PM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
>
> yeh mujhe chain kyuN nahiiN paRtaa?
> ek hii shaKhs thaa jahaan meN kyaa?? :( (A very intense Jaun Eliya)

***ZS, this reminded me of a beautiful she'r by Saudaa:

Saudaa, jo tiraa Haal hai, aisaa to nahiiN voh
kyaa jaaniye tuu ne use kis aan meN dekhaa! ***

> main ne rokaa bhi nahiiN, aur voh Thehraa bhii nahiiN
> haadisaa kyaa tha jise dil ne bhulaayaa bhii nahiiN :-( (Aslam Ansari)

***Here, I am reminded of one by Firaq:

voh aa bhi chukaa kab kaa, voh jaa bhi chukaa kab kaa
ik dil hai k jo ab tak daaman ko chhuRaaye hai! ***

> subH hotii hai, shaam hotii hai
> umr yuNhii tamaam hotii hai (Munshi Amirullah Tasleem)

***Here, "yuNhii" should be "yuuN hii".

R.K.***

[Zoya]

On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 11:28:47 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

RK sahib, so good to see you in this thread. :-)

aap ne dekhaa hamaare Irfan sahib meN shaa'irii ke ilaavaa aur bhi kitne hunar haiN. As my mom would say, "gunoN kii kaan" haiN. :)

> >
> > yeh mujhe chain kyuN nahiiN paRtaa?
> > ek hii shaKhs thaa jahaan meN kyaa?? :( (A very intense Jaun Eliya)

> ***ZS, this reminded me of a beautiful she'r by Saudaa:
>
> Saudaa, jo tiraa Haal hai, aisaa to nahiiN voh
> kyaa jaaniye tuu ne use kis aan meN dekhaa! ***

An absolute gem, my single most favorite Sauda she'r.
aap ko shaayad yaad na ho, maiN ne apni ek puraani ghazal meN ek she'r kahaa thaa, which was a spin off this classic, you and I had also discussed it back then. It is a she'r with a typical Zoya flair:

kyuN ham se yeh kehte ho k "aisaa to nahiiN voh"
tum ne to use paas se dekhaa bhi nahiiN hai! :-))

> > main ne rokaa bhi nahiiN, aur voh Thehraa bhii nahiiN
> > haadisaa kyaa tha jise dil ne bhulaayaa bhii nahiiN :-( (Aslam Ansari)
> ***Here, I am reminded of one by Firaq:
>
> voh aa bhi chukaa kab kaa, voh jaa bhi chukaa kab kaa
> ik dil hai k jo ab tak daaman ko chhuRaaye hai! ***

Prof RK, I remember this Firaq she'r as:

voh uTh bhi chuke kab ke, voh jaa bhi chuke kab ke
dil hai k 'Firaaq' ab tak daaman ko ChhuRaaye hai

Will you please double check? Thanks.

> > subH hotii hai, shaam hotii hai
> > umr yuNhii tamaam hotii hai (Munshi Amirullah Tasleem)
> ***Here, "yuNhii" should be "yuuN hii".

> R.K.***

Thank you so much for pointing this out. I was actually unsure of this word, had typed it as yuuN hii, then paused and changed it to yuuNhii. I mean the single u is a typo, but removing the space was intentional. Sometimes I think you can answer the questions I have without me even asking, that is just wonderful! :-)

______Zoya

[Raj Kumar]

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 7:57:47 AM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
> On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 11:28:47 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:
> > >
> > > yeh mujhe chain kyuN nahiiN paRtaa?
> > > ek hii shaKhs thaa jahaan meN kyaa?? :( (A very intense Jaun Eliya)
>
> > ***ZS, this reminded me of a beautiful she'r by Saudaa:
> >
> > Saudaa, jo tiraa Haal hai, aisaa to nahiiN voh
> > kyaa jaaniye tuu ne use kis aan meN dekhaa! ***

> An absolute gem, my single most favorite Sauda she'r.
> aap ko shaayad yaad na ho, maiN ne apni ek puraani ghazal meN ek she'r kahaa thaa, which was a spin off this classic, you and I had also discussed it back then. It is a she'r with a typical Zoya flair:
>
> kyuN ham se yeh kehte ho k "aisaa to nahiiN voh"
> tum ne to use paas se dekhaa bhi nahiiN hai! :-))

###I don't seem to remember that particular discussion, ZS, but your she'r is sure 'dandy' --- very much in the Zoya class! :-)###

> > > main ne rokaa bhi nahiiN, aur voh Thehraa bhii nahiiN
> > > haadisaa kyaa tha jise dil ne bhulaayaa bhii nahiiN :-( (Aslam Ansari)
> > ***Here, I am reminded of one by Firaq:
> >
> > voh aa bhi chukaa kab kaa, voh jaa bhi chukaa kab kaa
> > ik dil hai k jo ab tak daaman ko chhuRaaye hai! ***

> Prof RK, I remember this Firaq she'r as:
>
> voh uTh bhi chuke kab ke, voh jaa bhi chuke kab ke
> dil hai k 'Firaaq' ab tak daaman ko ChhuRaaye hai
>
> Will you please double check? Thanks.

###I did double-check it, ZS, and here is my report:

1. I never read this she'r in print; I heard it one evening, directly from Horse's mouth, in one of the "Dilli mushaa'ras" around 1961-63. Next morning, I wrote it down in one of Firaq's books at home and never looked back ----- until today!

This afternoon, by way of double-check, I went back to my bookshelves and, within a couple of minutes, I found this she'r hand-written on p.209 of my copy of "Gul-e-naGhma" -------- and it was 100% identical with the one I had quoted here.

2. Now the question arises as to where you got your version from --- a printed source or by word of mouth.

3. In any case, I find that the second misr'a in your version is much better than the one in my version, whereas the first misr'a in my version is waaaaay better than the one in your version! :-)

Looking forward to hearing from you,
R.K.###

[Zoya]

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 10:36:24 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> > kyuN ham se yeh kehte ho k "aisaa to nahiiN voh"
> > tum ne to use paas se dekhaa bhi nahiiN hai! :-))
> ###I don't seem to remember that particular discussion, ZS, but your she'r is sure 'dandy' --- very much in the Zoya class! :-)###

Thanks RK sahib, 'dandy' sounds excellent. :-)

vaise is ghazal kaa ek aur she'r mujhe Khud bahut pasand hai, jo sab se pehle vaarid hua thaa aur jis ne ghazal kii zamiin tai kii thii:

kis tarH manaayeN use ham, ab ke to ham se
is darja Khafaa hai k voh ruuThaa bhi nahiiN hai!

I still love this thought.

> > > voh aa bhi chukaa kab kaa, voh jaa bhi chukaa kab kaa
> > > ik dil hai k jo ab tak daaman ko chhuRaaye hai! ***
>
> > Prof RK, I remember this Firaq she'r as:
> >
> > voh uTh bhi chuke kab ke, voh jaa bhi chuke kab ke
> > dil hai k 'Firaaq' ab tak daaman ko ChhuRaaye hai
> >
> > Will you please double check? Thanks.
> ###I did double-check it, ZS, and here is my report:
>
> 1. I never read this she'r in print; I heard it one evening, directly from Horse's mouth, in one of the "Dilli mushaa'ras" around 1961-63. Next morning, I wrote it down in one of Firaq's books at home and never looked back ----- until today!
>
> This afternoon, by way of double-check, I went back to my bookshelves and, within a couple of minutes, I found this she'r hand-written on p.209 of my copy of "Gul-e-naGhma" -------- and it was 100% identical with the one I had quoted here.
>
> 2. Now the question arises as to where you got your version from --- a printed source or by word of mouth.

I have been trying to think where I had read/heard this she'r, my initial thought was that I had probably read it in "Gul-e-naGhma". But now I remember that I had heard in an old documentary on Firaq's life and poetry, produced and telecast by 'Door Darshan'. In fact, I even vaguely recall the presenter mentioning that Firaq Gorakhpuri had written this particular she'r during the time he used to live alone in his home, soon after a visitor had departed. I can't say what was the actual source of his info, and if it is even true.

> 3. In any case, I find that the second misr'a in your version is much better than the one in my version, whereas the first misr'a in my version is waaaaay better than the one in your version! :-)
>
> Looking forward to hearing from you,
> R.K.###

I will try and see if I can somehow verify it, but I can personally go with either version, or a mix of the two. :)

Thank you.

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib,

aadaab,

With the weekend approaching, I figured it is a good time to submit my next request list. :)

Again, these are some of the songs I have always loved and can listen to over and over again.

1. mujh se naaraaz ho to ho jaayo--Javed Akhtar (papa kehte haiN, Sonu Nigam)

2. aur kuchh der Thehar, aur kuchh der na jaa----Kaifi Azmi (Aakhri Khat, Mohammed Rafi)

And now, my single most all time favorite song:
3. man re, tu kaahe na dhiir dhare---- Sahir Ludhianvi (Chitralekha, Mohammad Rafi)

Thank you Irfan sahib.

This has turned into such a fun thread. :-)

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I was out of town over the past weekend. Will try to get to it this weekend. #2 and #3 are my favorites. Have heard #1, but just a couple times. Will need time to learn it.

Sincerely,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Thursday, July 1, 2021 at 3:18:45 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>
> I was out of town over the past weekend. Will try to get to it this weekend. #2 and #3 are my favorites. Have heard #1, but just a couple times. Will need time to learn it.
>
> Sincerely,
> Irfan :Abid:

aadaab Irfan sahib,

No rush at all, whenever you get time. In fact over the long weekend, I am going to be busy with a wedding that had been postponed three times since the onset of pandemic. Finally!
Oh, you probably can't relate to this, but I had almost forgotten how great it feels to get hair and nails done in a salon. Thanks to Pfizer and Moderna! :-)

'Chitralekha' song is a classic, but I am pleasantly surprised that the 'Aakhri Khat' song I requested is also one of your favorites. I just absolutely love that song, always have.
And in my opinion, the 'papa kehte haiN' song is one of the best songs of Sonu Nigam. It touched my heart the very first time I heard it, and still does, Javed Akhtar's lyrics are so inspirational.

Oh and while we are at it, will you please double check the link to 'koii jab tumhaara hriday toR de', pasted earlier in this thread. For some reason, it does not work anymore and a message pops up after clicking on it.

Thank you Irfan sahib. What more can I ask for, who else can teach me subtleties of Urdu poetry, and also sing my favorite songs on request. You are awesome. :-)))

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here is one of your three latest orders. :) This is one of the greatest Bollywood songs. I don't know if I have been able to do justice to it, but I tried.

https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-chitralekha-1964-hq-man-re-tu-kahe-na-dheer-dhare/1216696826_4075248778

The she'r I am reminded of by this song is a "Ghalib" classic:

dil-e-naadaaN tujhe huaa kyaa hai
aaKhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai

I believe "koii jab tumhara" song was removed by Smule because somebody complained about copyright violation. It has never happened with me before, but I know some people post tracks that are copyrighted. If you use such a track and if a complaint is ever lodged, the track and all songs recorded with that track are removed. Anyway, I recorded that song again. Here is the link:

https://www.smule.com/recording/mukesh-koi-jab-tumhaara/1216696826_4076057258

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 3:27:31 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> Here is one of your three latest orders. :)

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

My three latest 'orders'?! I thought I was submitting 'requests'. Be careful, you don't know what you are getting into once I find out that I can actually order someone around! :-))

Jokes apart, thank you so much for always indulging me, it means a lot.

This is one of the greatest Bollywood songs. I don't know if I have been able to do justice to it, but I tried.
>
> https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-chitralekha-1964-hq-man-re-tu-kahe-na-dheer-dhare/1216696826_4075248778

You are right, this is absolutely one of the greatest songs of all time, and not easy to sing. You have done a very good job and preserved the soul of the song. I really enjoyed listening to it in your voice, and will listen again also. Thanks a lot.

> The she'r I am reminded of by this song is a "Ghalib" classic:
>
> dil-e-naadaaN tujhe huaa kyaa hai
> aaKhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai
>

Unbelievable coincidence again! This is exactly the ghazal I had thought about while I was waiting for your recording. In fact, the line:

"voh nirmohii moh na jaane, jin kaa moh kare"

reminds me of this she'r from the same Ghalib ghazal:

ham ko un se vafaa ki hai ummiid
jo nahiiN jaante vafaa kyaa hai

One more thing, the word 'nirmohii' has a very special meaning for me. When I went back to India for the first time after living in US for a couple of years, my naniji, who loved me dearly, told me, " Zoya, tuuN taaN hun nirmohii ho gayii". I have never forgotten that, she could feel that something had changed within me. :(

I may quote some more relevant asha'ar in a few, for now just wanted to let you know that our brain waves were in sync once again.

More later,

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 3:27:31 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-chitralekha-1964-hq-man-re-tu-kahe-na-dheer-dhare/1216696826_4075248778

Irfan sahib, besides the Ghalib asha'ar mentioned earlier, some other asha'ar that come to my mind spontaneously while listening to this song are:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"man re.... tu kaahe na dhiir dhare........"

aziiz itna hi rakkho k jii saNbhal jaaye
ab is qadar bhi na chaaho k dam nikal jaaye (Obaidullah Aleem)

yeh bhi kaisaa azaab de Daalaa
hai muhabbat to is qadar kyuN hai?! :( (Saleem Kausar)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"is jiivan kii ChaRhti Dhalti dhuup ko kis ne baaNdhaa
raNg pe kis ne pehre Daale, ruup ko kis ne baaNdhaa....."

dil fasurda to huaa dekh ke us ko lekin
umr bhar kaun javaaN kaun hasiiN rehtaa hai (Ahmad Mushtaq)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" utnaa hi upkaar samajh koii jitnaa saath nibhaa de......"

kisii ka kaun huaa yuuN to umr bhar phir bhii
yeh husn-o-ishq to dhokaa hai sab, magar phir bhii...... (Firaq Gorakhpuri)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"janam maran kaa mel hai sapna, yeh sapna bisraa de...."

is baat par meri apnii ek puraani ghazal kaa yeh she'r dekhiye:

agle janmoN ke va'ade kartaa thaa
is janam meN hi jo mukar bhi gayaa :(

On that note, bye for now,

______Zoya

[Mohit]

today was listening to the remix version of chura ke dil mera goriya chali... and this sher came to my mind

song -
chura ke dil mera goriya chali
udaa ke nindiya kahan tu chali

sher came to my mind

laayi hayaat laayi qaza le chali chale,
apni khushi na aayi, na apni khushi chale - Zauq

[Naseer]

Mohit SaaHib, I don't know if there is any connection with the two ash3aar but Zauq's shi3r is as follows.

laa'ii Hayaat aa'e, qazaa le chalii, chale
apnii xvushii nah aa'e, nah apnii xvushii chale

Naseer

[Zoya]

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 3:27:31 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> I believe "koii jab tumhara" song was removed by Smule because somebody complained about copyright violation. It has never happened with me before, but I know some people post tracks that are copyrighted. If you use such a track and if a complaint is ever lodged, the track and all songs recorded with that track are removed. Anyway, I recorded that song again. Here is the link:
>
> https://www.smule.com/recording/mukesh-koi-jab-tumhaara/1216696826_4076057258
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Irfan sahib,

Thanks a lot for rerecording this song, it is as soulful as your first recording. I always find the sentiments in this song fascinating, so well expressed by Indeevar. Interestingly though, a different she'r came to my mind while listening to the song this time around. By Parveen Shakir:

voh kahiiN bhii gayaa, lauTaa to mire paas aayaa
bas yahii baat hai achchii mire harjaaii kii!

______Zoya

[Zoya]

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 1:21:33 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> today was listening to the remix version of chura ke dil mera goriya chali... and this sher came to my mind

Hi Mohit,

Good to see you in this thread . :)

> song -
> chura ke dil mera goriya chali
> udaa ke nindiya kahan tu chali

It is indeed a beautiful song, I have not listened to the remix, will have to check it out.
If we request, maybe Irfan sahib will record the original version for us, he sings duets beautifully.

> sher came to my mind
>
> laayi hayaat laayi qaza le chali chale,

> apni khushi na aaye, na apni khushi chale - Zauq

A classic she'r. And this song reminds me of another Zauq she'r:

ai parii, pahluu se mere kyaa kahuuN teri nigaah
dil uRaa kar le gayii yaa par lagaa kar le gayii! :-)

However, the first she'r that came to my mind in the context of this song is by Siraj Lakhnavi. yeh zaraa naazuk saa she'r hai, aur mujhe hameshaa se bahut pasand hai:

aap ke paaoN ke niiche dil hai
ik zaraa aap ko zeHmat ho gii :-)

In other words, tread carefully. :-))

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

is baar kuchh taaKheer se haazir ho rahaa huuN. ma'zrat.Khvaah huuN. 'huii taaKheer to kuchh baais-e-taaKheer bhii thaa.' idhar kuchh mashGhuuliyaat bhii baRh gayiiN haiN aur kuchh gaanoN ki nauiyat kii vajh se vaqt lagaa. mujhe Smule par "aur kuchh der" kaa track nahiiN milaa. "mujh se naaraaz" maiN ne pehle nahiiN sunaa thaa, lihaaza is gaane ki mashq meN kuchh vaqt lagaa. baharhaal, ye gaana haazir hai. dekhiye shaayad kisii qaabil ho: https://www.smule.com/recording/sonu-nigam-mujhse-naraaz-ho-to-papa-kehte-hain/1216696826_4112678562

afsos ki is gaane par koii she'r fauran zihn meN nahiiN aa rahaa hai.

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Friday, August 6, 2021 at 11:37:54 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

adaab, Irfan sahib,

>
> is baar kuchh taaKheer se haazir ho rahaa huuN. ma'zrat.Khvaah huuN. 'huii taaKheer to kuchh baais-e-taaKheer bhii thaa.' idhar kuchh mashGhuuliyaat bhii baRh gayiiN haiN aur kuchh gaanoN ki nauiyat kii vajh se vaqt lagaa.

Absolutely no problem. I understand, and really appreciate that despite your busy schedule you make the time to cater to my requests.

mujhe Smule par "aur kuchh der" kaa track nahiiN milaa.

Oh ok. Please keep it pending, maybe you'll be able to find the track elsewhere later. This song is one of my favorites.

"mujh se naaraaz" maiN ne pehle nahiiN sunaa thaa, lihaaza is gaane ki mashq meN kuchh vaqt lagaa. baharhaal, ye gaana haazir hai. dekhiye shaayad kisii qaabil ho: https://www.smule.com/recording/sonu-nigam-mujhse-naraaz-ho-to-papa-kehte-hain/1216696826_4112678562

Irfan sahib, this was so worth the wait! What a beautiful gift. Thank you, thank you.

I clicked on the link first thing in the morning, aur sach maaniye mujhe yeh naghmaa aap kii aavaaz meN ek dua' jaisaa lagaa. You have done a splendid job, amazing feeling in the entire song. I'll be listening it to again, and again. vaise maiN ne achhaa kiyaa naa k aap ko is naghme kii mashq karvaa dii. :)

This song has always been very close to my heart. I heard it for the first time on the radio about ten years ago. I immediately felt like someone was speaking to me directly through this song, giving me a message. You won't believe this, I still remember the exact location where I was in my car when I first heard this song. In my opinion, this is one of the best songs sung by Sonu Nigam. As I was first listening to it, I started wondering who the poet might be. When I checked later, no wonder it wass Javed Akhtar, the one lyrcist who had been God sent in the generally barren (in a lyrical sense) Bollywood songs of the eighties and nineties,

Irfan sahib, you have preserved the soul of this song. Once again, please accept my heartfelt 'shukriyah'. I am sure it has been added to your favorite list too.

> afsos ki is gaane par koii she'r fauran zihn meN nahiiN aa rahaa hai.

I can actually believe this. When I listen to this song, I too get so absorbed that it is hard to think about anything else. This part always stays with me:

"tum ko apne sahaare jiina hai
DhuNDtii koi aasra na raho"

However, after I listened to the song for the second time today, a couple of Parveen Shaakir asha'ar came to my mind, from a ghazal I absolutely love:

maiN tujh ko dekh na paauN to kuchh malaal nahiiN
kahiiN bhi ho tu, sitaarah nishaaN guzarta rahe

maiN tera saath na de paauN phir bhi tera safar,
gulaab-o-Khwaab ke hi darmiyaaN guzarta rahe

What a beautiful feeling. :-)

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

ab aap se farmaaiysh hai k aap Khud koii she'r is naghme kii munaasibat se likhiye. Please Irfan sahib, I know you can do it. :)

I will be back with my next list, and promise it will have easier songs, more readily available. Meantime, I 'll savor this one.

I'll be back,

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for appreciating my effort! Yes, this song is in the list of my favorites now. Thanks for introducing me to this gem. I completely share your views about Javed sb. I wrote an article about Bollywood lyrics some time ago and said exactly the same thing about Javed sb in it. Another proof that we think alike! :) By the way if you want to read that article, here is the link: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.language.urdu.poetry/c/g1n0zzoajYU/m/VjeO5cdlCAAJ

And here is a she'r I just came up with on this song after reading your comments:

mujhe misaal na samjho to koii baat nahiiN
magar jahaaN ke liye tum Khud ik misaal bano

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 12:28:47 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab Irfan sahib,

> Thanks for appreciating my effort! Yes, this song is in the list of my favorites now. Thanks for introducing me to this gem.

You are most welcome. Your soulful singing has done perfect justice to the lyrics of this song, it touches the listener's heart exactly like the original. Thanks again.

I completely share your views about Javed sb. I wrote an article about Bollywood lyrics some time ago and said exactly the same thing about Javed sb in it. Another proof that we think alike! :)

It is an honor badge for me. :-))

By the way if you want to read that article, here is the link: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.language.urdu.poetry/c/g1n0zzoajYU/m/VjeO5cdlCAAJ

Very well written article, you are really knowledgeable about Bollywood songs. Thanks for sharing. A comment about one particular lyricist, Sameer's songs never impressed me, I do not find him very original. Just my observation, you may not agree.

Now I am curious to know what is your opinion regarding post 2016 lyricists, especially Manoj Muntashir and Varun Grover, to name a couple.

> And here is a she'r I just came up with on this song after reading your comments:
>
> mujhe misaal na samjho to koii baat nahiiN
> magar jahaaN ke liye tum Khud ik misaal bano

Very nice! But this seems like hard work. :-)

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Once again, thanks for indulging me.

______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for liking the article! I do like the work of Manoj Muntashir and Varun Grover. The same goes for Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire. But this assessment is based on a very small sample of the overall work of these lyricists that I happened to experience. I must confess that I don't play new Bollywood songs much and therefore, have very little knowledge of Bollywood lyrics post 2010.

Sincerely,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

Once again, I am in agreement with you Irfan sahib. I was also going to mention the two names that you did: Amitabh Bhattacharya and Swanand Kirkire. In the past few years, some of the songs I have liked the best have been written by them, especially Amitabh Bh. In fact, I'm already planning to add some of those to my future request lists. :)

Thanks.

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib, aadaab,

Now that Ashura is over and the weekend is starting, here I am with my next list.

Once again, I am listing three songs. All of these are in the same vein, and always tug at my heart when I listen to them. Two are old favorites, one is relatively new. You can easily see why someone like me would love such numbers, the lyrics of course, and the soulful singing by three great singers. I am sure you also like these numbers, and will sing them beautifully.

Interestingly, the only poet that I can recall out of the three is Kaifi Azmi from 'Arth'. The other two names are relatively obscure. I have looked those up in the past out of curiosity, but can not recall them easily.

Here we go, again in no particular order:

1. karo ge yaad to har baat yaad aaye gi (Bhupinder Singh, 'Baazaar')
2. koi yeh kaise bataaye k voh tanhaa kyuN hai (Jagjit Singh, 'Arth')
3. tirii aaNkhoN ke daryaa ka utarnaa bhi zaruurii tha (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, private number later used in the movie 'hamaari adhuri kahaani')

Great list, yes? :)

Thanks in advance, Irfan sahib. And no rush, whenever you get time.

_______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

These are excellent numbers. #2 is my absolute favorite. I like #1 very much as well. I have had a chance to listen to #3 a couple times, but don't remember much of it except the mukhRaa. I will get to this list soon, but probably not this weekend. As compensation I am sharing this recording that I made a couple of weeks ago. We were earlier talking about Javed sb. This is another great number by him that was produced at a time when there was a dearth of good poetry in Bollywood. Hope you enjoy it: https://www.smule.com/recording/abhijeet-main-koi-aisa-geet-gaoon-hq/1216696826_4112742891

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 10:10:05 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> >
> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>
> These are excellent numbers. #2 is my absolute favorite. I like #1 very much as well. I have had a chance to listen to #3 a couple times, but don't remember much of it except the mukhRaa. I will get to this list soon, but probably not this weekend.

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

Absolutely no rush, whenever you get some free time.

As compensation I am sharing this recording that I made a couple of weeks ago. We were earlier talking about Javed sb. This is another great number by him that was produced at a time when there was a dearth of good poetry in Bollywood. Hope you enjoy it:

https://www.smule.com/recording/abhijeet-main-koi-aisa-geet-gaoon-hq/1216696826_4112742891

Thank you so much. What a joyful song, Javed sahib's lyrics of course, and such a happy tune! I have always enjoyed listening to this one, in fact I remember attending Abhijeet concert once where he sang it live. You have also done full justice to it, preserving the lightheartedness of the song.

And now the two asha'ar that came to my mind while listening to this song in your voice.

"agar tum kaho"? Sure! :)

First, Parveen Shakir:

dhiime suroN meN koii madhur giit chheRiye
Thahrii huii havaaoN meN jaaduu bikheriye :-)

And now our very own RK sahib:

dil meN rakhte ho 'Qais' kii ghazaleN
gungunaao to koi baat bane! :-))

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

On Friday, August 20, 2021 at 5:57:45 PM UTC-4, Zoya wrote:

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here is my attempt at #2: https://www.smule.com/recording/jagjit-singh-koi-yeh-kaise-bataye-ke-woh-tunha-kyun-hai/1216696826_4135496986

Here is classic she'r that this song brings to mind:

kis kis ko bataaeNge judaaii kaa sabab ham
tuu mujh se Khafaa hai to zamaane ke liye aa (Ahmed Faraz)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 11:58:23 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Here is my attempt at #2: https://www.smule.com/recording/jagjit-singh-koi-yeh-kaise-bataye-ke-woh-tunha-kyun-hai/1216696826_4135496986

A true classic indeed. Soul stirring lyrics. Posing questions with no easy answers. You have sung the song with an amazing feeling and it effects the listener's heart just like the original does. Thank you so much, this one is a keeper for sure.

The best compliment I can give is that while listening to this song in your voice, a bunch of amazing asha'ar kept coming to my mind, by some of my most favorite poets, from Adeem Hashmi to Shakeb Jalai to Nasir Kazmi, and some closer to home.

Let me share some of the asha'ar:
________________________________________________________
voh jo apnaa tha vohii aur kisii kaa kyuN hai?.........

* faasle aise bhi hoN ge yeh kabhi sochaa na thaa
saamne baiThaa tha mere, aur voh meraa na thaa :(
________________________________________________________
yahi dunyaa hai to phir aisi yeh dunyaa kyuN hai
yahi hotaa hai to aaKhir yahi hotaa kyuN hai??.....

*vohi huii hai jo honii thii
vohi milaa hai, jo likhkhaa thaa :-(
_________________________________________________________
itni qurbat hai to phir faasla itna kyuN hai?

*voh faasloN meN bhi rakhtaa hai raNg qurbat ke
nazar se duur sahii, dil ke paas rahtaa hai
_________________________________________________________
dil-e-barbaad se niklaa nahiiN ab tak koi
ik luTe ghar pe diya kartaa hai dastak koi......

* is ke pardoN meN munaqqash teri aavaaz bhi hai
Khaana-e-dil meN faqat teraa saraapaa hi nahiiN!
_______________________________________________________
kehte haiN pyaar ka rishtaa hai janam ka rishtaa
hai janam kaa jo yehr ishtaa to badaltaa kyuN hai?

And now, here is one of my own, you can probably guess which she'r:

*kaise yaqiin kar luuN k tuu bhi badal gayaa
tujh par to Khud se baRh ke mujhe a'itmaad thaa :-(
________________________________________________________

> Here is classic she'r that this song brings to mind:
>
> kis kis ko bataaeNge judaaii kaa sabab ham
> tuu mujh se Khafaa hai to zamaane ke liye aa (Ahmed Faraz)

Irfan sahib, is baat par mujhe apne puraane Aluper dost Mohib kaa ek she'r yaad aa rahaa hai, I've always considered this a true gem, it packs a gut punch:

*itni muddat Khafa nahiiN rehtaa
voh mujhe bhhul hi gayaa ho gaa :-((
_______________________________________________________
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

aur ab meraa jii chaah rahaa hai k is she'r se baat Khatm kii jaaye:

kuchh na deN paayeN use ham, to dua' hii de deN
voh jo apnaa bhi nahiiN, aur paraaya bhii nahiiN!

sahiiH kahaa naa? :-)

Thanks again. You made my weekend.

______Zoya

[Zoya]

Follow up:

A little typo is nagging me, so editing:

kuchh na de paayeN use ham, to dua' hii de deN

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for your appreciation of my attempt at "koii ye kaise bataaye." Thanks also for the ash'aar you quoted. Here is my shot at "karoge yaad to": https://www.smule.com/recording/%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%97-%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%A6-%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%AC-%E0%A4%A4-bhupinder-singh-karoge-yaad-to-har-baat-yaad-%E1%B4%B4%E1%B4%B0-karoge-yaad-to/1216696826_4142362129

is gaane ke lafz-e-"yaad" se vaabasta do ek ash'aar yaad aa gaye:

mujh ko shikast-e-dil kaa mazaa yaad aa gayaa
tum kyoN udaas ho gaye, kyaa yaad aa gayaa? (Khumar Barabankwi)

ye nak.hatoN kii narm-ravii, ye havaa, ye raat
yaad aa rahe haiN ishq ko TuuTe ta'alluqaat (Firaq Gorakhpuri)

aur ek she'r jo maiN ne barsoN pehle kahiiN paRhaa thaa:

bheegii palkoN kii qasam, raat kii tanhaayii meN
bhuulne vaale, tujhe ham ne bahut yaad kiyaa (naa.ma'luum)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 11:11:51 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Thanks for your appreciation of my attempt at "koii ye kaise bataaye." Thanks also for the ash'aar you quoted.

You are most welcome. You know my job in this thread is much easier than yours. :)

Here is my shot at "karoge yaad to": https://www.smule.com/recording/%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%97-%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%A6-%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%AC-%E0%A4%A4-bhupinder-singh-karoge-yaad-to-har-baat-yaad-%E1%B4%B4%E1%B4%B0-karoge-yaad-to/1216696826_4142362129

Thank you. As always, you have done a great job with this song also. The last 'baNd' is especially touching in your voice, so nostalgic.

Irfan sahib, listening to such songs always takes me down the memory lane. Lately, I have been consciously trying to change my thought process. Rather than getting sad when thinking about beautiful, memorable moments and relationships from the past, I am trying to focus on the joy they brought me and learning to be grateful. Not easy, but therapeutic. :)

> is gaane ke lafz-e-"yaad" se vaabasta do ek ash'aar yaad aa gaye:
>
> mujh ko shikast-e-dil kaa mazaa yaad aa gayaa
> tum kyoN udaas ho gaye, kyaa yaad aa gayaa? (Khumar Barabankwi)
>
> ye nak.hatoN kii narm-ravii, ye havaa, ye raat
> yaad aa rahe haiN ishq ko TuuTe ta'alluqaat (Firaq Gorakhpuri)
>
> aur ek she'r jo maiN ne barsoN pehle kahiiN paRhaa thaa:
>
> bheegii palkoN kii qasam, raat kii tanhaayii meN
> bhuulne vaale, tujhe ham ne bahut yaad kiyaa (naa.ma'luum)
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Beautiful. I also love the first two asha'ar you have quoted. The last one is new for me. Thanks.

And now some of the asha'ar, from my all time favorite list, that spontaneously came to mind while listening to this song:

First, as usual, Nasir Kazmi:

yaad aayaa tha bichhaRnaa teraa
phir nahiiN yaad k kyaa yaad aayaa

Next Wasi Shah:

tumheN bhulaana hi avval to dastras meN nahiiN
jo iKhtiyaar bhi hotaa to kyaa bhulaa dete??

And then Sufi Tabassum:

yuuN tirii yaad se jii ghabraayaa
tuu mujhe bhuul gayaa ho jaise :-(

ab is ke baad aur kya kahuuN? Except that I'm trying to work on my attitude. :)

Thank you Irfan sahib. One song left from the last last list, and the next one is ready to be rolled. Duets coming up this time!

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib,

aadaab,

I know we still have the 'zaruuri thaa' naghma left over from my last request list. While waiting for that, thought I'd get a head start on the next list. Hope you won't mind. Since this list contains duets, it may take you some extra time to collaborate with other singers in your group, I am not sure how that works.

These are some of the songs that I have always liked and want to listen to every so often. You must have noticed that most of the songs on my request list stand out because of the lyrics, same here. The first two are written by Sahir Ludhianvi, the last one by Javed Akhtar.

1. parbatoN ke peRoN par shaam ka baseraa hai (Shagoon, Muhammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur)
2. yeh aaNkheN dekh kar ham saari dunyaa bhuul jaate haiN (Dhanwan, Lata Mangeshkar and Suresh Wadkar)
3. mere mehbuub mere sanam ( Duplicate, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik)

I don't remember much about any of these movies, only these songs are memorable. Interestingly, these three movies span very different decades. To be precise, they are exactly 17 years apart: 1964, 1981, 1998. Now, it is the mathematician in me talking. :-)

While at it, let me jump 17 years ahead to 2015. Ahaaaa, one of my all time favorite songs is from that year!! So please allow me to add one more. This one is not a duet as such, but has been recorded individually in male and female voices, I love both versions.

This time, the lyricist is one of the poets that we've talked about previously in this thread, Varun Grover. Such songs are a testimonial to the freshness and creativity of the younger generation of Bollywood lyricists.

4. yeh moh moh ke dhaage ( dum laga ke haisha, Papon)

I better stop, that is five songs total for now. I guess we are set for a few weeks.

Irfan sahib, thanks for always making the time to cater to my requests. Just let me know when this thread starts getting old, or it may go on forever and beyond. You know I wont run out of song requests and related asha'ar! :-))

Over to you,

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I will present the last number from your last list ("zaruurii thaa") later, but let me share #2 from this list first. Can you believe this song was recorded just last week? I recorded my part first and then a co-singer I collaborate with often completed her part. I am telling you there's something spooky going on here. :) Anyway, here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/lyrics-are-in-english-ye-aankhein-dekh-kar-hum-dhanwan-1981-hq-ye-aankhen-dekh-kar-hum-saari-duniya/1216696826_4144751796

is geet par ek she'r bhii suntii jaaiye:

vuhii huaa ki maiN aaNkhoN meN us kii Duub gayaa
vo kah rahaa thaa bhaNvar kaa pataa nahiiN chaltaa (Munawwar Rana)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, September 12, 2021 at 10:37:49 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> I will present the last number from your last list ("zaruurii thaa") later, but let me share #2 from this list first. Can you believe this song was recorded just last week? I recorded my part first and then a co-singer I collaborate with often completed her part. I am telling you there's something spooky going on here. :)

Well, it is almost October, so spookiness works! :)
Seriously though, such coincidences always amaze me, "great minds........" :-)

I had not thought of this song in a long time. I believe I heard it a few weeks ago on an episode of 'Indian Idol', and have been humming it mentally since then. I actually looked up the movie name and was a little surprised to find that the lyrics are by Sahir, this must have been one of his last songs. And the music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar was another surprise, no wonder it is a memorable combination.

Anyway, here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/lyrics-are-in-english-ye-aankhein-dekh-kar-hum-dhanwan-1981-hq-ye-aankhen-dekh-kar-hum-saari-duniya/1216696826_4144751796

Beautiful! Your co singer and you have done a very good job together. Thank you. The lady has a really sweet voice, please pass on my compliments to her. Looking forward to your future collaborations with such singers.

> is geet par ek she'r bhii suntii jaaiye:
>
> vuhii huaa ki maiN aaNkhoN meN us kii Duub gayaa
> vo kah rahaa thaa bhaNvar kaa pataa nahiiN chaltaa (Munawwar Rana)

Nice!

Irfan sahib, is giit ko sun kar mere zehn meN bhii kuchh aisaa hi she'r aayaa thaa:

tum samandar ki baat karte ho
log aaNkhoN meN Duub jaate haiN!

pataa nahiiN yeh she'r kis kaa hai, maiN ne ise barasoN pehle apnii ek mohtaram buzurg Suraiya aapa se sunaa thaa aur mujhe ab tak yaad hai.

Thanks again Irfan sahib, this thread is really enjoyable for me, of course primarily because of your contributions.

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

I tried "zaruurii thaa," but quickly realized that I can't hit some of the high notes in the song without injuring my vocal cord. :) So let's forget about it. Here is the next one from your latest list: https://www.smule.com/recording/papon-moh-moh-ke-dhage-dum-laga-ke-haisha/1216696826_4169097103

The she'r I am immediately reminded of by the mukhda of this song is:

jazba-e-ishq salaamat hai to inshaa Allaah
kachche dhaage se chale aayeNge sarkaar baNdhe (Insha Allah Khan 'Insha')

I have not been able to find a track with female part completed for the two duets on the list. So I will complete my part and post it to see if a female singer joins.

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 12:38:04 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> I tried "zaruurii thaa," but quickly realized that I can't hit some of the high notes in the song without injuring my vocal cord. :) So let's forget about it.

aadaab Irfan sahib,

Ahhhh, I was really waiting for that one. However, I totally understand. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahib, and to a lesser degree Rahat Fateh Ali Khan songs are not easy to sing, the high notes are tough. Thanks for trying. :)

"muhabbt bhi zaruuri thii, bichchaRnaa bhi zaruuri thaa
zaruuri thaa k ham donoN tavaaf-e-aarzu karte.........."

mukarrar Ahhhh!
Before we forget about it, let me quote a Saleem Kausar sh'er this song always reminds me of:

kaise mile, kahaaN pe mile, kyuN bichhaR gaye
ham ne to daastaaN hi sunii darmiyaan se :(

More shortly,

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

On Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 12:38:04 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> Here is the next one from your latest list: https://www.smule.com/recording/papon-moh-moh-ke-dhage-dum-laga-ke-haisha/1216696826_4169097103

aadaab Irfan sahib,

What a beautiful song! It grows on me every time I hear it, and has become one of my most favorite recent Bollywood songs. I loved listening to the recording in your voice just as much as the original. Especially the beginning, you have done an amazing job setting the mood for the rest of the song. My sincere compliments. You usually post your songs late at night, and I listen to them first thing in the morning, and this was one of those that immediately tugged at my heart. Then I listened to it again later in the day, same effect.The beauty of this song is that it flows naturally, like a gentle stream. dhiime suroN meN. Freshness of lyrics and tune. Mesmerizing. You have been able to preserve the magic.Thank you. :)

Irfan sahib, I have always been fascinated by the word 'moh'. It conveys something so different than ishq, muhabbat, pyaar etc. Another similar word that I really love is 'preet', which has a spiritual, pure component to it. Oh and, if you haven't, you must listen to this ghazal in Khaleel Haider's voice, "kyaa tujhe priit ho gayi ham se". It stands out in my memory just because of the word 'priit' in the matla.

Talking about 'moh', remember another song you had recently recorded at my request, "voh nirmohi moh na jaane jin kaa moh kare". A true classic.

Irfan sahib, do you know that Gurbani preaches the five things we should try to give up are: 'kaam, krodh, lobh, moh, ahankaar'. I think about this occasionally, and believe that out of these five, 'moh' would be the hardest one for me to give up. I just can't break the threads of 'attachment', the main component of 'moh'. Not easy for me, so I guess I will never attain full 'nirvaana'. Oh well, at least I could live without the other four, not bad! :-)

While at it, let me mention that Varun Grover uses another one of my favorite words in the song 'moh moh ke dhaage' : "beparvah". I absolutely love this word also, it conveys a Sufi touch. Now I want to listen to Shah Hussein's kalaam "man aTakyaa beparvaah de naal", in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's voice. I think I will do just that, as soon as I finish typing this message, maybe you should too. :-))

See, the songs that I request are meaningful to me in so many different ways. I hope you enjoy singing them as much as I enjoy listening to them. Thanks for indulging me.

> The she'r I am immediately reminded of by the mukhda of this song is:
>
> jazba-e-ishq salaamat hai to inshaa Allaah
> kachche dhaage se chale aayeNge sarkaar baNdhe (Insha Allah Khan 'Insha')

So apt, definitely the first she'r this song brings to mind. However, while listening to it, another she'r also came to my mind. I have always liked this one too, by Ayub Khawar:

haath uljhe hue resham meN phaNsaa baiThe haiN
ab bataa kaun se dhaage ko judaa kis se kareN?

And one more, don't remember the poet:

kisii mazaar pe mannat se us ko paayaa hai
k ek dhaage se khenchaa hai da'eraa maiN ne!

> I have not been able to find a track with female part completed for the two duets on the list. So I will complete my part and post it to see if a female singer joins.

No rush. I am sure some of the amazing female collaborators will join you in the duets and it will be worth the wait. TIA.

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Best regards,

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for your generous appreciation! Thanks also for enlightening me on the teachings of Gurbani! You are right. I guess "moh" would be the hardest to let go. I had never heard of Khaleel Haider before. Listened to his rendition of "kyaa tujhe priit ho gayi ham se." Nice voice and nice Ghazal. Also listened to Nusrat sb's rendition of "man atkeya." He is in a class of his own. You made an interesting observation about "beparvaa" (this the correct Urdu spelling of the word although its Hindi version does have an 'h' in the end) reminding you of sufism.

And here is the next presentation. One of my regular collaborators joined me to complete the "Shagun" song. Hope you enjoy it: https://www.smule.com/recording/suman-kalyanpur-great-rafi-shaam-ka-basera-hai-surmai-parvaton-parbaton-ke-pedon-par-shagun/1216696826_4182345077

This song reminds me of a very interesting she'r:

maiN parbatoN se laRtaa rahaa aur chaNd log
geelii zamiin khod ke farhaad ho gaye! (Rahat Indori)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 12:58:08 PM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

>You made an interesting observation about "beparvaa" (this the correct Urdu spelling of the word although its Hindi version does have an 'h' in the end) reminding you of sufism.

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

Very interesting that you bring this up. I still remember the first time I read 'beparvaa' in Urdu script, I was actually surprised that it did not end in 'he'. I had been so used to reading/speaking 'beparvah' in both Hindi and Punjabi. I still hesitate whether to include the terminal 'h' when writing this word in Roman. If I am quoting an Urdu she'r, I try to leave the 'h' out, which I must admit still feels a bit unnatural to me. When quoting from Punjabi/Hindi, like the Shah Hussein kalaam which I read in Gurmukhi script, I include 'h'. Yes, very interesting that you noticed it and gave me a chance to mention something that I have always wanted to. Thank you.

While at it, a she'r from one of my most favorite Jaun Eliya ghazals:

nahiiN dunyaa ko jab parvaa hamaarii
to phir dunyaa ki parvaa kyuN kareN ham?!

For a people pleaser like me, this is easier said than done. :)

> And here is the next presentation. One of my regular collaborators joined me to complete the "Shagun" song. Hope you enjoy it: https://www.smule.com/recording/suman-kalyanpur-great-rafi-shaam-ka-basera-hai-surmai-parvaton-parbaton-ke-pedon-par-shagun/1216696826_4182345077

Very nice. Thank you so much. Your co singer has such a sweet voice, perfect foil to a male voice in duets like this one. I really enjoyed listening to your collaboration with her. Please pass on my compliments and gratitude to her also.

> This song reminds me of a very interesting she'r:
>
> maiN parbatoN se laRtaa rahaa aur chaNd log
> geelii zamiin khod ke farhaad ho gaye! (Rahat Indori)

Interesting indeed, and thought provoking too. Rahat Indori probably did not get the credit in his life time that he actually deserved. His loss is huge in the shrinking world of contemporary quality Urdu poets in India.

Irfan sahib, I must admit that I can not immediately think of any sh'er while listening to this song. I get lost in "surmaia ujaala and champaii andhera" and just can't seem to get past that. Ahhh, Sahir's magic! I find this song amazing in the sense that it pays a tribute to nature, the lead couple seem to be just side characters lost in the beauty all around them. Simply magical.

You know this is unusual for me, but after really thinking about which she'r to quote, the one that comes close to describing how I feel about this song is:

jaNgal parbat nadiyaaN jharne yaad raheN ge barsoN tak
is bastii meN husn hai jitnaa, paabaNd-e-asha'ar huaa!

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

One last thing: I have always been quite irritated how the original title of this movie (shagun) was billed as 'shagoon'. I am glad you fixed it, I wanted to but didn't.

Thank you Irfan sahib, for everything. As I have said previously, who else can teach me the intricacies of Urdu poetry and language, and also sing my favorite Hindi movie songs on request. You are pretty unique, and I am quite blessed. :-)

_______Zoya

[Raj Kumar]

On Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10:00:01 AM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:

> Irfan sahib, do you know that Gurbani preaches the five things we should try to give up are: 'kaam, krodh, lobh, moh, ahankaar'. I think about this occasionally, and believe that out of these five, 'moh' would be the hardest one for me to give up. I just can't break the threads of 'attachment', the main component of 'moh'. Not easy for me, so I guess I will never attain full 'nirvaana'. Oh well, at least I could live without the other four, not bad! :-)

***ZS, is meN ko'ii shak nahiiN k "moh" se chhuTkaaraa paanaa bahut kaThin hai. Shrimad Bhagvad Gita ke anusaar, hameN "involvement without attachment" ka usuul apnaanaa chaahiye magar aisa ho nahiiN paataa. is liye, agar aap is jaal se nahiiN nikal sakteeN to ko'ii Hairat ki baat nahiiN hai MAGAR --------- yeh kyaa k "Oh well, at least I can live without the other four". Can you? At least I don't think so.

1. kaam --- ZS, agar is lafz ka matlab 'work' hai to aap is musiibat ke baGhair yaqeenan rah sakti haiN. albatta, agar is ka matlab "inordinate desire" hai to yeh 'illat moh-maayaa ke jaal se kam nahiiN hai. aur aap Khud maanti haiN k aap aise jaal se mukt nahiiN ho sakteeN!

2. krodh --- ZS, jitna krodh aap ko aata hai, kisi aur ko kam hi aata hoga. yaqeen jaaniye --- yeh baat maiN nahiiN kah rahaa, yeh baat
Khud aap ke pati-dev ne mujh se kahii hai! :-)

3. lobh --- ZS, yeh lobh nahiiN to aur kyaa hai -------
"aap ne mujhe 5 meN se 4.5 marks diye haiN, please change it to 4.6
OR
aap ne mujhe 4.9 points diye haiN, please change it to 4.95, etc."!
aap yeh nahiiN samajhtiiN k jitne marks aap ko diye jaate haiN, un meN pahle hi se izaafa kiyaa hota hai kyuuN-k ham laakh koshish kareN to bhi apni "personal feelings" ko nazar-aNdaaz nahiiN kar paate. goyaa, ham bhi to "attachment" ke jaal meN phaNse huye haiN naa? :-)

4. ahankaar --- ZS, yeh ahankaar nahiiN hai to aur kyaa hai -------
"your best student ever,
aap ki zahiin-tareen shaagirda,
the senior-most student of Irfan sahib (senior-most in an army of 2), :-)
jo she'r maiN aek baar sun leti huuN , voh hamesha ke liye mujhe yaad ho jaata hai (matlab us ka chaahe aaye na aaye), :-)
mujh ko har mauq'e ke she'r muNh zabaanii yaad haiN ( baHr aur vazn meN chaahe na hoN). Khair, yeh aek "judii" baat hai. :-)

A lot more after hearing your "far-fetched defenses"!

chaliye, jaane se pahle aek she'r hi sunte jaaiye -----

Qais ki baateN sunte jaao, in meN ma'ani mat DhuuNDo
is paagal ko hosh gaNvaaye aek zamaana beet gayaa! :-)

aap ka shubh-chintak, Raj uncle

[Zoya]

On Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 11:17:57 AM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> > Irfan sahib, do you know that Gurbani preaches the five things we should try to give up are: 'kaam, krodh, lobh, moh, ahankaar'. I think about this occasionally, and believe that out of these five, 'moh' would be the hardest one for me to give up. Oh well, at least I could live without the other four, not bad! :-)

> ***ZS, is meN ko'ii shak nahiiN k "moh" se chhuTkaaraa paanaa bahut kaThin hai. Shrimad Bhagvad Gita ke anusaar, hameN "involvement without attachment" ka usuul apnaanaa chaahiye magar aisa ho nahiiN paataa. is liye, agar aap is jaal se nahiiN nikal sakteeN to ko'ii Hairat ki baat nahiiN hai MAGAR --------- yeh kyaa k "Oh well, at least I can live without the other four". Can you? At least I don't think so.

Raj uncle,

OMG! As I was typing the post you quoted from, I somehow had a feeling that you might respond to my assertion. You know me so well! Perhaps I should not have made a categorical statement and instead said "I can try to live without the other four". Would you buy that? :)

Seriously though, I sometimes actually rank these five vices in my head, and think which ones would be relatively easier to give up.
With perfect honesty, my list with increasing order of difficulty would read :
kaam, lobh, krodh, ahankaar, moh. As expected, 'moh' ranks last, almost impossible to give up.

> 1. kaam --- ZS, agar is lafz ka matlab 'work' hai to aap is musiibat ke baGhair yaqeenan rah sakti haiN. albatta, agar is ka matlab "inordinate desire" hai to yeh 'illat moh-maayaa ke jaal se kam nahiiN hai. aur aap Khud maanti haiN k aap aise jaal se mukt nahiiN ho sakteeN!

I guess I could give up 'work', but all play and no work would get so boring after a while! Then you'll again find me wanting to grade papers, cook, even do laundry or dishes. I may actually start missing all that. :)

And regarding "moh-maaya", that would be fairly easy for me to give up, provided we take 'moh' out of the equation.

> 2. krodh --- ZS, jitna krodh aap ko aata hai, kisi aur ko kam hi aata hoga. yaqeen jaaniye --- yeh baat maiN nahiiN kah rahaa, yeh baat
> Khud aap ke pati-dev ne mujh se kahii hai! :-)

Oh dear. But of course!! My anger is selective Raj uncle, 90% of the time it is directed towards your source of information, and justifiably so!

Here is a JE she'r:

uThhaa kar kyuN na pheNkeN saarii chiizeN?
faqat kamroN meN Tehlaa kyuN kareN ham??

Don't get me started on that!! :-)

The remaining 10% of my krodh is brought on by a breed of politicians and their sheeple followers. Some of them make me so mad, I want to punch them. Can you imagine, a totally non-violent, gentle me having such intense emotions? :)

Seriously Raj uncle, I still remember the exact moment I felt real anger for the first time, I even remember the name of the street I was driving on. I was in my mid twenties. It was a brand new emotion for me, I had never felt it prior to that. So, I am not a naturally angry person. I can conquer it, but it feels good sometimes. I get tired of being the nice guy all the time. :)

> 3. lobh --- ZS, yeh lobh nahiiN to aur kyaa hai -------
> "aap ne mujhe 5 meN se 4.5 marks diye haiN, please change it to 4.6
> OR
> aap ne mujhe 4.9 points diye haiN, please change it to 4.95, etc."!
> aap yeh nahiiN samajhtiiN k jitne marks aap ko diye jaate haiN, un meN pahle hi se izaafa kiyaa hota hai kyuuN-k ham laakh koshish kareN to bhi apni "personal feelings" ko nazar-aNdaaz nahiiN kar paate. goyaa, ham bhi to "attachment" ke jaal meN phaNse huye haiN naa? :-)

Oh 'lobh' in that sense, I see.
I was actually thinking of being greedy in a different sense. I generally have no greed towards material things, money has never really impressed me.
I could try to work on other types of 'lobh'. I guess I could live with an occasional 'B'. :)

> 4. ahankaar --- ZS, yeh ahankaar nahiiN hai to aur kyaa hai -------
> "your best student ever,
> aap ki zahiin-tareen shaagirda,
> the senior-most student of Irfan sahib (senior-most in an army of 2), :-)
> jo she'r maiN aek baar sun leti huuN , voh hamesha ke liye mujhe yaad ho jaata hai (matlab us ka chaahe aaye na aaye), :-)
> mujh ko har mauq'e ke she'r muNh zabaanii yaad haiN ( baHr aur vazn meN chaahe na hoN). Khair, yeh aek "judii" baat hai. :-)

I knew this was coming! voh kyaa hai naa:

"............................................. magar kuchh kuchh
baRhaa bhi dete haiN ham zeb-e-daastaaN ke liye!" :-))

You see, I already listed 'ahankaar' harder to give up than kaam, krodh and lobh.
Raj uncle, you know I never put others down to raise my self esteem. But yes, I admit I could try to be more modest. But then it wouldn't be me! My best friend G thinks that is a distinct part of my charm! :)

> A lot more after hearing your "far-fetched defenses"!

See, no defenses, just honest answers. The other four vices can possibly be dealt with, but what is the use, I am so doomed by 'moh'.

> chaliye, jaane se pahle aek she'r hi sunte jaaiye -----
>
> Qais ki baateN sunte jaao, in meN ma'ani mat DhuuNDo
> is paagal ko hosh gaNvaaye aek zamaana beet gayaa! :-)

> aap ka shubh-chintak, Raj uncle

I actually found your comments quite meaningful. :)

In any case, would we really want that reformed Zoya, devoid of most worldly vices????
That'll spell the end of this thread for sure, she won't be requesting any more Bollywood songs or quoting any relevant asha'ar. Sounds kind of boring. :-))

_________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here is the "Duplicate" song. Whoever posted the track, changed a few lines of the opening part in the lyrics from male to female, and I kept it as is. I am joined by a singer whom you haven't heard before. Hope you enjoy it: https://www.smule.com/recording/jenny_1007-udit-n-alka-y-full-mere-mehboob-mere-sanam/1216696826_4194899951

I have this she'r to go with this song:

jo sunte haiN to maiN mamnuun huuN un kii inaayat kaa
kahuuN kyaa ab ki mauqa' hii nahiiN baaqii shikaayat kaa (Natiq Gulaothi)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 1:22:16 AM UTC-5, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
>

> Here is the "Duplicate" song. Whoever posted the track, changed a few lines of the opening part in the lyrics from male to female, and I kept it as is. I am joined by a singer whom you haven't heard before. Hope you enjoy it: https://www.smule.com/recording/jenny_1007-udit-n-alka-y-full-mere-mehboob-mere-sanam/1216696826_4194899951

aadaab Irfan, sahib,

You are right about labeling this song 'catchy', it sure is. Fun stuff. This is another one of those songs that I can play over and over again, always puts me in a cheerful mood. :)

It is probably harder to sing that it seems, pretty fast paced. As always, you have done a very good job, and so has the lady singer. My sincere thanks to both of you. Seems like you have a great group of singers to collaborate with, such fun!

>
> jo sunte haiN to maiN mamnuun huuN un kii inaayat kaa
> kahuuN kyaa ab ki mauqa' hii nahiiN baaqii shikaayat kaa (Natiq Gulaothi)
>

bahut Khuub!

aur is naghme ko sun kar mujhe Jigar Muradabadi ke yeh asha'ar yaad aa rahe haiN:

laakhoN meN intiKhaab ke qaabil banaa diyaa
jis dil ko tum ne dekh liyaa, dil banaa diyaa

pehle kahaaN yeh naaz the, yeh ishva-o-adaa
ham ko dua'eN do tumheN qaatil banaa diyaa!

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Thanks again, Irfan sahib. We are all caught up with my duet list now.
I'll be back, and promise to keep it easy next time. Just let me know when it gets old and you want to bail out. :-)

Best regards,

________Zoya

[Zoya]

Irfan sahib, aadaab,

As promised, I am going to make it very easy for you this time around. In fact, so easy that I don't even have a list. :)

I would like you to post recordings of a few songs that are your personal favorites. These songs can be solo or duets, maybe some that you have already recorded. Or maybe a song or two that you particularly like and have been thinking of recording, now is a good time.

Let us see what songs you share, and what related asha'ar we come up with.

Looking forward to your selection,

_____Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Actually you made it more difficult for me! Now it is my job to pick the song and make sure it's a good one. :) Jokes apart, I will take this opportunity to share some of my favorite songs that I believe have wonderful poetry. Let me start with an excellent song/nazm by Javed Akhtar, beautifully composed by RD Burman and soulfully rendered by Kishore da for the film "Duniya" (1984.) Here is my humble attempt: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-main-aur-meri-awargi/1216696826_4206163779

Now let me tell you what this song/nazm reminds me of. It's another nazm by none other than Javed sb's maternal uncle and one of the most prominent Urdu poets, Majaz. Incidentally his classic nazm "aawaara" aka "ai Gham-e-dil kyaa karuuN, ai vahshat-e-dil kyaa karuuN" was also featured in a film titled "Thokar" (1953.) It was composed by Sardar Malik and sung by Talat Mehmood. Like uncle, like nephew!

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 11:12:25 AM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Actually you made it more difficult for me! Now it is my job to pick the song and make sure it's a good one. :) Jokes apart, I will take this opportunity to share some of my favorite songs that I believe have wonderful poetry.

Thanks for indulging me, as always. :)

Let me start with an excellent song/nazm by Javed Akhtar, beautifully composed by RD Burman and soulfully rendered by Kishore da for the film "Duniya" (1984.) Here is my humble attempt: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-main-aur-meri-awargi/1216696826_4206163779

OMG! What an amazing song. You know what, this is the first time I am hearing this song, in fact I had never even heard of this movie. The older 'Duniya' with Vyajynthimala, yes, but not this one.

Excellent lyrics, and such soulful singing. Irfan sahib, you have done such an amazing job singing this song that I have no desire to listen to the original. I want to save this in my memory as 'your song'. I am being totally honest when I say that it is your best recording so far in this series.

Thank you so much for introducing me to this gem. Every line is soul stirring, I felt like I was actually on this journey along with the poet/singer. And when you sang "jab keh ke voh dilbar gayaa, tere liye maiN mar gayaa", I actually had tears in my eyes. :(

> Now let me tell you what this song/nazm reminds me of. It's another nazm by none other than Javed sb's maternal uncle and one of the most prominent Urdu poets, Majaz. Incidentally his classic nazm "aawaara" aka "ai Gham-e-dil kyaa karuuN, ai vahshat-e-dil kyaa karuuN" was also featured in a film titled "Thokar" (1953.) It was composed by Sardar Malik and sung by Talat Mehmood. Like uncle, like nephew!

Absolutely. Of course this song immediately brings Majaz's nazm to mind. I have always loved listening to it in Talat Mehmood's voice. A true classic.

This song also reminds me of a Mohsin Naqvi ghazal, which is just as much Ghulam Ali's:

yeh dil yeh paagal dil miraa, kyuN bujh gayaa aavaargii
is dasht meN ik shahr thaa, voh kyaa huaa aavaargii

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Irfan sahib, I don't think I can listen to this song more than twice in a row, it is doing a number to my heart, I have to get away from it for a while and then listen to it again. This is perhaps the best compliment I can give you on this recording.

Oh and I had said no more requests right away, but now I really want to listen to another, sort of similar song in your voice. It is a relatively newer song, and another one of my favorites :

"aavaarapan, banjaarapan...." --- movie: Jism, Singer: KK, Lyricist: Sayeed Quadri

No rush, you can get to this one later, unless it is on your favorite list too, which sounds like a distinct possibility. :)

In gratitude,

________Zoya

[Zoya]

A follow up to my own post:

Irfan sahib, I was curious about the movie 'Duniya' and checked out its details. Since yesterday, I have been wondering how come a movie buff like me was totally unfamiliar with this movie that had excellent music, and starred legendary actors Dilip Kumar and Ashok Kumar, along with some other popular names.

I have now figured out the answer. This movie was released in late summer/early fall 1984. That was a very turbulent year in Punjab, I don't think any movies were being played in cinema halls in Punjab around that time. In fact no Punjabi movies were even filmed for almost a decade following 1984.

I strongly recommend that when you get a chance, please watch the movie 'Punjab 1984', starring Kiron Kher and Diljit Dosanjh as her son. It is a gut wrenching film portraying what people in Punjab went through during that time period, exceptional acting by both of the lead actors. The movie is in Punjabi, I think you will be able to understand most of the dialogue, closed captions in English should also be available.

Bye for now,

_________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thank you so much for your generous appreciation! I am truly humbled. I understand the circumstances in which you missed the 1984 "Duniya." I will certainly check out "Punjab 1984." Will also share the recording of "aawaraapan banjaaraapan" soon. And yes, you guessed it right. It's my favorite, too! :)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Here is my attempt at "aawaarapan banjaaraapan:" https://www.smule.com/recording/jism-kk-awarapan-banjarapan/1216696826_4216309646

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Monday, November 22, 2021 at 10:16:41 AM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Here is my attempt at "aawaarapan banjaaraapan:" https://www.smule.com/recording/jism-kk-awarapan-banjarapan/1216696826_4216309646

Thanks a lot for this recording. The lyrics as well as the tune of this song have a haunting effect on the listener, especially me, and it stays for a long time after the song has finished playing. I could feel in your singing that you can probably also relate to this effect. You have done a commendable job and preserved the soul of the original. Haunting, as I said.

The one she'r that this song always reminds me of is by Nida Fazli. Actually, this is my single most favorite Nida Fazli she'r, it wowed me the first time I read it, and still does:

bahut mushkil hai banjaaraa mizaajii
saliiqaa chaahiye aavaargii meN

Isn't it just 'wow'?!

Now one more. I watched a live online mushairaa this past weekend, one of the poets was Ammar Iqbal. This young poet is new for me. While listening to the song again in your voice, I suddenly remembered this Ammar Iqbal she'r:

dasht kii vusa'teN baRhaanii thiiN
meri aavaargii banaate hue

Interesting thought.

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

The ball is back in your court Irfan sahib, I will now wait for the next song from your personal favorites. TIA. :)

______Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for liking my humble attempt! Thanks also for the ash'aar you quoted! The Nida Fazli one is truly a masterpiece. And guess what, I, too, attended the musha'ira you mentioned, and was impressed by Ammar Iqbal.

Here is another song that I believe has beautiful poetry. It's a duet from the movie "Aitbaar" (1985.) The thing I admire most about this song is its fitness for the situation in the movie. Suresh Oberoi, who plays a singer in the movie, and Dimple Kapadia know each other before Dimple gets married to Raj Babbar. Suresh runs into Dimple some time later, and thinks she still has a soft corner for him. Dimple seems to confirm this belief in this song, but that's not the fact. You have to watch the movie to appreciate how well Hasan Kamaal has captured the situation in this song. By the way, "Aitbaar" is a well made adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder." Anyway, here is the link to the song: https://www.smule.com/recording/super-hd-asha-bhonsle-bhupinder-singh-awaaz-di-hai-aaj-ek-nazar-ne-aitbaar/946760262_3264123657

This song reminds me of this she'r:

aavaaz de rahii hai yih kis kii nazar mujhe
shaayad mile kinaaraa vahiiN Duub kar mujhe (Qamar Jalalabadi)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Friday, November 26, 2021 at 3:06:56 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Thanks for liking my humble attempt! Thanks also for the ash'aar you quoted! The Nida Fazli one is truly a masterpiece. And guess what, I, too, attended the musha'ira you mentioned, and was impressed by Ammar Iqbal.

You did too? Great! I love these Zoom musha'raas held early in the day in my time zone, I am really a morning person. I was particularly impressed by another young poet Tahzeeb Hafi, whose kalaam I have heard/read before also. I had to be somewhere at 11:30 am that day and sadly missed the last hour and hence the more senior poets.

Before we get away from 'aavaargii', here is a Tahzeeb Hafi she'r that I remember from last Sunday's musha'iraa:

yeh soch kar miraa sahraa meN jii nahiiN lagtaa
maiN shaamil-e-saf-e-aavaargii nahiiN lagtaa!

A slightly different spin, yes? I like it. :)

Moving to your latest recording soon,

________Zoya

[Zoya]

On Friday, November 26, 2021 at 3:06:56 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Here is another song that I believe has beautiful poetry. It's a duet from the movie "Aitbaar" (1985.) The thing I admire most about this song is its fitness for the situation in the movie. Suresh Oberoi, who plays a singer in the movie, and Dimple Kapadia know each other before Dimple gets married to Raj Babbar. Suresh runs into Dimple some time later, and thinks she still has a soft corner for him. Dimple seems to confirm this belief in this song, but that's not the fact. You have to watch the movie to appreciate how well Hasan Kamaal has captured the situation in this song. By the way, "Aitbaar" is a well made adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder." Anyway, here is the link to the song: https://www.smule.com/recording/super-hd-asha-bhonsle-bhupinder-singh-awaaz-di-hai-aaj-ek-nazar-ne-aitbaar/946760262_3264123657

Thank you so much for sharing this song, and describing the related situation in the movie.
First of all, please accept my compliments on another superb recording. The lady singer is amazing too, your voices are perfect foil for each other, great collaboration.

This song is also new for me, never heard it previously. Surprisingly, this is another movie that I am completely unfamiliar with, hadn't even heard its title until you mentioned it!
This has happened to me for the second time recently, which is unusual. It being a 1985 movie has something to do with it, the last one was 1984.

Irfan sahib, this coincidence really got me thinking hard. For the last couple of days, I have been trying to recall any familiar movies or songs from mid to late 1980s, and drawing pretty much a blank. I can readily remember many Hindi movies and songs from earlier and later eras, but almost nothing from that particular time period. I now realize that it was a transitional phase in my life, at many different levels, emotional, academic, social, cultural, political. Profound that your song selection led me to an important personal realization that I was not even consciously aware of. Unexpected, but very interesting discovery. Thank you. :)

> This song reminds me of this she'r:
>
> aavaaz de rahii hai yih kis kii nazar mujhe
> shaayad mile kinaaraa vahiiN Duub kar mujhe (Qamar Jalalabadi)

Nice! And very apt.

The she'r that came to my mind as I was listening to the song is one that I have known all my life. I have no idea who the poet is or where I had first read/heard it. One that has been in my memory forever and surfaces at random times. It is kind of innocently cute:

aavaaz dii hai tum ne k dhaRkaa hai dil miraa
kuchh Khaas farq to nahiiN donoN sadaaoN meN!

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

I am now really curious about your next song selection. Will it be from mid 1980s again or a different time? We'll see! :-))

Thank you, for everything.

________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

It was a coincidence that both the songs I presented were from mid-80's. I will take you a little farther back in time this time. :) But I will keep sharing rare gems as before. Frankly speaking, there are a number of Bollywood songs that are my absolute favorites due to excellent poetry in them (such as all songs by Sahir, Kaifi and Neeraj), but I am trying to introduce you to some that you may not have heard before. Speaking of Neeraj, this one is written by him. Just look at the word selection. I don't think anybody else can write this stuff except Neeraj. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/hq-mohammed-rafi-sahab-cha-cha-cha-md-rafi-mohd-rafi-%E2%81%BF%E1%B6%A6%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%87%E1%B5%98%CB%A2-wo-hum-na-the-cha-cha-cha-woh-hum/1216696826_4226916034

Here are a couple ash'aar that come to mind after listening to this song:

tujh se, qismat meN mirii suurat-e-qufl-e-abjad
thaa likhaa baat ke bante hii judaa ho jaanaa (Ghalib)

raah-e-ulfat na jis ne tai kii ho
vo nasheb-o-faraaz kyaa jaane (Jaleel Manikpuri)

to kyaa sach-much judaaii mujh se kar lii?
to Khud apne ko aadhaa kar liyaa kyaa? (Jaun Eliya)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7:35:06 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:
> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> It was a coincidence that both the songs I presented were from mid-80's.

It was a beautiful coincidence, thanks for taking me back to an era that seems to be lacking in my life long lyrical and musical journey.

> I will take you a little farther back in time this time. :)

Please do. :)

> But I will keep sharing rare gems as before. Frankly speaking, there are a number of Bollywood songs that are my absolute favorites due to excellent poetry in them (such as all songs by Sahir, Kaifi and Neeraj), but I am trying to introduce you to some that you may not have heard before.

I agree with you totally, these three poets are legendary. I can also usually spot their songs from a mile, each one of them is brilliant in his own distinctive style.

> Speaking of Neeraj, this one is written by him. Just look at the word selection. I don't think anybody else can write this stuff except Neeraj.

You are right, there is no one else like Neeraj. One of the words I like and he uses often in his lyrics is 'paalki'. Remember 'nayi umr ki nayi fasl' song "kaarvaaN guzar gayaa" and "jaise Radha ne maala japi Shyaam kii" from 'tere mere sapne', and of course the song linked in this thread, all three have the unique Neeraj touch and the word 'paalki'.

Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/hq-mohammed-rafi-sahab-cha-cha-cha-md-rafi-mohd-rafi-%E2%81%BF%E1%B6%A6%E1%B5%90%E1%B5%87%E1%B5%98%CB%A2-wo-hum-na-the-cha-cha-cha-woh-hum/1216696826_4226916034

OMG! What a song!!I absolutely love it. You will not believe this but it seems like we have been on the same page again. Just last week I was thinking about the movie 'cha cha cha'. This movie is from before my time, but in my childhood I was an All India Radio Urdu service junkie, and they used to play a song from this movie all the time. You can probably guess which particular song I am talking about: the Makhdoom Mohiuddin nazm "ik chameli ke maNDve tale". I grew up listening to this and absolutely love it, a true classic duet. So last week I was thinking that maybe I will ask you to record it with one of your lady collaborators? I am not sure how easy/hard it is to sing, will you please at least consider it?

So, a few years ago while searching for 'ik chameli ke maNDve tale' on the net, I also found the 'cha cha cha' song that you have recorded. I had not listened to it previously and not much since then, thank you so much for refreshing my memory. What a gem. You have sung it with such raw emotion, done full justice to the lyrics. Again, it is one of those songs that I can handle only sparingly, can't play it back to back. I actually started crying by the time you got to:
"tumhii the mere rahnumaa, tumhii the mere hamsafar
tumhii the meri raushnii, tumhii ne mujh ko dii nazar" :-((((

Thank you so much Irfan sahib for adding such an amazing song to this thread.

> Here are a couple ash'aar that come to mind after listening to this song:
>
> tujh se, qismat meN mirii suurat-e-qufl-e-abjad
> thaa likhaa baat ke bante hii judaa ho jaanaa (Ghalib)
>
> raah-e-ulfat na jis ne tai kii ho
> vo nasheb-o-faraaz kyaa jaane (Jaleel Manikpuri)
>
> to kyaa sach-much judaaii mujh se kar lii?
> to Khud apne ko aadhaa kar liyaa kyaa? (Jaun Eliya)

Such impactful asha'ar, the last two are on my favorite list. In fact, I have often quoted this JE she'r, sometimes to myself! "Khud apne ko aadhaa kar lenaa", such intensity, trademark JE.

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Irfan sahib, numerous asha'ar came to my mind also as I travelled through this Neeraj song, I consider such songs an emotional journey. I may later quote some other asha'ar this song evokes, but right now I want to share one of my own. This is one of my newer asha'ar, RK sahib wants me to write a complete ghazal in this zamiin. So far, I havenot been able to do so, mainly because I can't build on this thought, it is a complete story. The one she'r says it all:

tum nahiiN ho to ab voh maiN bhi nahiiN
voh jo maiN thii, tumhaare saath gayii :(

As always, thanks, for everything.

________ Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for your encouragement! I will certainly try to give "ik chameli ke..." a try. At this time there is no track out there with the female part done so I will have to post one with my part done and see if a female singer completes the song.

Today I am sharing another lesser known, but a beautiful song. It's written by a Bollywood stalwart who was a literary giant - Rajinder Krishan. It's from the movie "Sahib Bahadur" (1977.) Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-madan-mohan-rahi-tha-main-awaara-sahib-bahadur/1216696826_4226993769

I am always intrigued by two words this song has, "aavaaraa" and "shahr" so here is a she'r on each of those.

galii galii mirii rusvaaiyoN ke charche haiN
kahaaN kahaaN liye phirtii hai buu-e-aavaaraa (Khalil-ur-Rahman Azmi)

maqsad-e-ziist Gham-e-ishq hai sahraa ho ki shahr
baiTh jaayeNge jahaaN chaaho biThaa do ham ko (Ahsan Danish)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 10:47:36 AM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,
>

> Thanks for your encouragement! I will certainly try to give "ik chameli ke..." a try. At this time there is no track out there with the female part done so I will have to post one with my part done and see if a female singer completes the song.

Sounds good, already looking forward to it. :)

> Today I am sharing another lesser known, but a beautiful song. It's written by a Bollywood stalwart who was a literary giant - Rajinder Krishan. It's from the movie "Sahib Bahadur" (1977.) Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-madan-mohan-rahi-tha-main-awaara-sahib-bahadur/1216696826_4226993769

Once again, thanks for introducing me to a new song. I had heard the name of this movie previously, but not this song. As usual, you've done a great job with this one too, and I have no desire to listen to the original. You know what I found interesting, after the first two lines of the song, I didn't expect it to turn positive. I anticipated it to be in the same vein as some of my favorite classic songs like:

"jab tire shahr se guzartaa huuN
teri rusvaaioN se Dartaa huuN" (Saifuddin Saif)

and

"us bevafaa kaa shahr hai, aur ham haiN dosto" (Muneer Niyazi)

Rajinder Krishan's lyrics were a pleasant surprise, usually poets/singers associate 'us kaa shahr' with 'ronaa dhonaa'!

Talking about Rajinder Krishan, as you have said, he was a legendary poet/lyricist. His ghazals sung by Lata Mangeshkar from the movie 'aadaalat' are unparalleled. A duet from this movie, "zamiiN se hameN aasmaaN par biThaa kar giraa to na do ge" is also an old favorite of mine. Once upon a time, I used to listen to it often.

You know what comes next! Will you please add this song also to my next request list, hopefully one of the ladies in your group will collaborate. So, we now have two beautiful duets on my next list. No rush though, meantime I am really enjoying the lesser known songs from your list. :)

> I am always intrigued by two words this song has, "aavaaraa" and "shahr" so here is a she'r on each of those.
>
> galii galii mirii rusvaaiyoN ke charche haiN
> kahaaN kahaaN liye phirtii hai buu-e-aavaaraa (Khalil-ur-Rahman Azmi)

aaah, back to 'aavaaraa'. Sure. I too find this word intriguing, thanks for providing the opportunity to quote a couple more asha'ar:

ek hameN aavaaraa kehnaa koi baRaa ilzaam nahiiN
dunyaa vaale dil vaaloN ko aur bahut kuchh kehte haiN (Habib Jalib)

Now another absolute personal favorite:

kuchh mirii aavaargii kii rah muta'yan Khud hi kar
tuu kahaaN hotaa hai, kin galioN meN maiN ghuumaa karuuN?! (Riyaz Majeed)

> maqsad-e-ziist Gham-e-ishq hai sahraa ho ki shahr
> baiTh jaayeNge jahaaN chaaho biThaa do ham ko (Ahsan Danish)

Nice.

Allow me to wrap up with the maqtaa of a beautiful musalsal ghazal by Faraz:

ab us ke shahr meN ThehreN k kuucch kar jaayeN
Faraz aayo sitaare safar ke dekhte haiN!

My advice: Regardless of what Mr Rajinder Krishan says, 'kuuch karnaa' is usually the better option. :-)

> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Thank you, Irfan sahib.

Waiting for whatever song you decide to share next,

_________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Before I say anything else, I must first apologize for not saying anything about your excellent she'r (tum nahiiN ho...) you shared in your last to last post. If my memory serves me right, you had shared this she'r earlier as well and I had commended you for it, but this she'r deserves all the praise it can get so please accept my appreciation again. :) You are right, this she'r is a complete story. But isn't every she'r of a Ghazal so? I second RK sb and encourage you to try a Ghazal in this zamiin.

Now on to my next offering in this thread. I am sharing another "positive" song this time. Honestly, I believe it's sorrow that brings the best out of a poet. Probably that's why most of the songs with excellent poetry in them are sad songs, at least in my humble opinion. But I don't want to bring your spirits down every time I share a song! :) This one is by Kaifi Azmi and is from the movie "Do Dil" (1965.) Although most of Kaifi sb's iconic songs are sad songs, his class is visible even in this song where an aashiq is simply expressing his love for his beloved. One thing to note about "Do Dil" is that its music director was Hemant Kumar. Hemant da is better known as a singer, but he was a composer, too. This is one of those rare occasions where Hemant da used Rafi sb's voice. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-tera-husn-rahe-mera-ishq-rahe-do-dil-1965/1216696826_4241148234

One she'r this song reminds me of is:

maiN teraa ho chukaa huuN, zamaane se kyaa Gharaz
ai jaan-e-jaaN mujhe tire Gham kii talaash hai (Fana Bulandshahri)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Thursday, December 23, 2021 at 12:45:44 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab, Irfan sahib,

> Before I say anything else, I must first apologize for not saying anything about your excellent she'r (tum nahiiN ho...) you shared in your last to last post. If my memory serves me right, you had shared this she'r earlier as well and I had commended you for it, but this she'r deserves all the praise it can get so please accept my appreciation again. :)

Thank you so much Irfan sahib, and no need to apologize. :) Your appreciation is always priceless for me.

You are right, this she'r is a complete story. But isn't every she'r of a Ghazal so? I second RK sb and encourage you to try a Ghazal in this zamiin.

I'll try, it is generally hard for me to be in any sort of creative mood these days. One idea I had is to extend this she'r into a short nazm, let us see if that pans out. Some of my old short nazms, 'dastak', 'Khairiiyat', 'teri aavaaz' are my own personal favorites. Have you read any of those?

> Now on to my next offering in this thread. I am sharing another "positive" song this time. Honestly, I believe it's sorrow that brings the best out of a poet. Probably that's why most of the songs with excellent poetry in them are sad songs, at least in my humble opinion. But I don't want to bring your spirits down every time I share a song! :)

Yup..... "haiN sab se madhur voh giit jinheN ham dard ke sur meN gaate haiN"
But 'positive' sounds good right now, enough gloom and doom everywhere.

This one is by Kaifi Azmi and is from the movie "Do Dil" (1965.) Although most of Kaifi sb's iconic songs are sad songs, his class is visible even in this song where an aashiq is simply expressing his love for his beloved.

Interesting. Another movie and song I was not familiar with. Thank you.

One thing to note about "Do Dil" is that its music director was Hemant Kumar. Hemant da is better known as a singer, but he was a composer, too.

Of course. Hemant da was an amazing composer, one of his most notable movies as a music director being the classic 'nagin'. My dad has often told me that during his student days in the 50s, young men would sit on 'uchcha pul', the main bridge in downtown Ludhiana, and sing 'nagin' songs through the night! He also says that during the screening of the song "man Dole meraa tan Dole" snakes actually appeared in the now defunct 'Naulakhaa' cinema hall. I wish Afzal sahib were reading this message, I am sure he can add a few stories related to this movie.

This is one of those rare occasions where Hemant da used Rafi sb's voice. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-tera-husn-rahe-mera-ishq-rahe-do-dil-1965/1216696826_4241148234

What a nice song. Beautiful, and beautifully rendered by you. It has that charm of the old world romantic songs, slow and melodious. Soothing. Never heard the original, you say it is sung by Rafi, I somehow think Mahender Kapoor's voice would also be perfect for this kind of song.

> One she'r this song reminds me of is:
>
> maiN teraa ho chukaa huuN, zamaane se kyaa Gharaz
> ai jaan-e-jaaN mujhe tire Gham kii talaash hai (Fana Bulandshahri)
>
> niyaazmand,
> Irfan :Abid:

Irfan sahib, I know I know this song is supposedly positive, but the she'r that keeps coming to my mind after listening to it is not-so-positive. Just can't help it, so here:

kitni dilkash hai tuu, kitna dil juu huuN maiN
kyaa sitam hai k ham log mar jaayeN ge!

JE, who else can say this. :)

Thanks again for introducing me to some lesser known gems. Now waiting for the next one.

_______Zoya

[Zoya]

On Thursday, December 23, 2021 at 12:45:44 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Now on to my next offering in this thread. I am sharing another "positive" song this time. Honestly, I believe it's sorrow that brings the best out of a poet. Probably that's why most of the songs with excellent poetry in them are sad songs, at least in my humble opinion. But I don't want to bring your spirits down every time I share a song! :) This one is by Kaifi Azmi and is from the movie "Do Dil" (1965.) Although most of Kaifi sb's iconic songs are sad songs, his class is visible even in this song where an aashiq is simply expressing his love for his beloved. One thing to note about "Do Dil" is that its music director was Hemant Kumar. Hemant da is better known as a singer, but he was a composer, too. This is one of those rare occasions where Hemant da used Rafi sb's voice. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/mohammed-rafi-tera-husn-rahe-mera-ishq-rahe-do-dil-1965/1216696826_4241148234

> Irfan :Abid:

Irfan sahib,

I have to tell you about another coincidence. Guess what, a few days ago while channel surfing the tv guide on my Hindi pack, I noticed that one of the channels was playing 'Do Dil'! I had never even heard about this movie till you mentioned it, and here it was for me to watch, the Rafi song and all! :)

I also want to tell you that another song from this movie was familiar to me, I believe I used to hear it on AIR back in the day. I am talking about the duet "saaraa mora kajraa ChhuRaaya tuu ne". This song is an excellent example of how comfortable Kaifi Azmi sahib was writing in Hindi as well as Urdu.

I love such random coincidences. :-)

_________Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for sharing this! It's really interesting to know about these coincidences. And yes, "saaraa moraa kajraa" was perhaps the most famous song of "Do Dil."

I am sharing another song today. This is from the movie "Aaj Ki Radha" (1979) and is penned by Jaswant Rai Sharma aka 'Naqsh' Lyallpuri. The thing I find interesting and unique about this song is the carefree, almost selfish plea to keep moving regardless of what happens around you. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-clp-ye-mehfil-yun-hi-sajegi/1216696826_4268977991

One she'r this song reminds me of is:

daa'im aabaad rahegii duniyaa
ham na hoNge, koii ham saa hogaa (Nasir Kazmi)

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

On Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 1:55:01 PM UTC-6, Irfan Abid wrote:

> Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

aadaab Irfan sahib,

> I am sharing another song today. This is from the movie "Aaj Ki Radha" (1979) and is penned by Jaswant Rai Sharma aka 'Naqsh' Lyallpuri.

Ahh, another one of those songs I am not familiar with. Great!
I had not thought about any Naqsh Lyallpuri in a while. Now that you mention his name, a few of his songs are coming to my mind, maybe you will record one of those in future, we'll see. :)

The thing I find interesting and unique about this song is the carefree, almost selfish plea to keep moving regardless of what happens around you. Here is the link: https://www.smule.com/recording/kishore-kumar-clp-ye-mehfil-yun-hi-sajegi/1216696826_4268977991

You have aptly described the attitude of this song, kind of unusual. Also, you have rendered in very well. I have not heard the original song, but I am sure your version is pretty close to it. Thanks.

> One she'r this song reminds me of is:
> daa'im aabaad rahegii duniyaa
> ham na hoNge, koii ham saa hogaa (Nasir Kazmi)

But of course! You know how I love Nasir Kazmi in general.

And now the she'r this song immediately reminded me of, from one of Zauq's most famous ghazals:

dunyaa ne kis kaa raah-e-fanaa meN diyaa hai saath
tum bhi chale chalo yuN hi jab tak chalii chale

This one is a pretty good fit too, right?

Already waiting for whatever surprise you will pull out of what I now call your 'magician's bag'. :-)

________Zoya