Ghulam Ali-Hangam hai kyun...(Long!)

[Akash Sharma]

Tushar did a pretty good job of explaining the ghazal. I'll try to
finish the job. (I say try because a piece of work like a good ghazal lends
itself to different or even new interpretations all the time). Anyway, I am
not too good with unix so my attribution is primitive. But in this case, I
think it does the job.

T:
The first (er, second) couplet should be:
us mai se nahin matlab dil jis se ho begaana
maksood hai us mai se dil hi mein jo ???????? hai

A: I am pretty sure that the word is "bikti" which in all the times that
I have listened to this ghazal makes sense to me.

T:
The next couplet should start:
sooraj mein lage dhabbaa, kudrat ke karishme hain
although I am not too sure about "kudrat". Meaning: A spot across the sun
(eclipse?) is but another manifestation of nature (i.e of natural laws, not a
new miracle). [But when I say this] some people call me a kaafir. (Oh well,)
whatever Allah wishes.
In my humble opinion, the poet is humorously saying how an immature
appreciation of the world makes people see "kaafir"-ness in the wrong things.

A: The word "kudrat" means nature for sure. In this context, it can be
synonymous with God.

T:
The next almost certainly is:
naa tajrubaa-kaari se waa-iz ki ye baaten hain
is rang ko kyaa jaane poochho to kabhi pee hain
I don't know the exact meaning of tajrubaa-kaari, but here it means indulgence
(in drink). So the couplet means: The talk of the waa-iz (don't know for sure,
well, at least a wet-blanket anti-drink preachy guy) is because he hasn't
tried the stuff. What can he know about the the intoxication ("rang")?
Again, peena has a double-layered meaning.

A: Tajurbaa= Experience. Naa tajurbaa-kari means "lack of experience." Waa-iz
is a Muslim priest. ==> The priest talks in this way (against drinking) due
to his lack of experience. What does he know of this euphoria, ask him if he
has ever had a drink? (Digression: In Islam, alcohol is a no-no). But as Tushar
says, and I concur, double-layered meaning.

T:
Next:
har zarraa chamakta hai anwaar-e-ilaahi se
har saans ye kahti hai ham hai to khudaa bhi hai
Meaning: Every grain of sand shines with the glory of the one God (Allah).
Every living breath says, if I am, so is Khudaa. (i.e. affirms (or proves)
the existence of khudaa.)

A: I want to leave this one alone. It is the crux of the ghazal, and justies
the heretic behavior of the author/speaker. Tushar is almost on the money.
Some knowledge of Islam and Sufism required for a TRUE understading (something
that I can not claim).

Well that's that. I enjoyed this. To all the new and not so new ghazal lovers
out there I just want to say--Don't be discouraged if a ghazal is hard to
understand. Keep listening to several of them. Often the same words used in
a different way provide comprehension. And, of course, keep such discussions
going.
Akash
================================================================================ak...@brahms.udel.edu Thank you for making me suffer,
University of Delaware. Out of that suffering has come all that I know.

[Tushar Samant]

I had left out some words from "hangaamaa". Satish Pai from Purdue
wrote to me telling me what the words were, and I am sure he has got
the right ones.

The shair where there was doubt is:

us mai se nahin matlab dil jis se ho begaanaa
maksood hai us mai se dil hi mein jo khinchti hai

The other line is:

sooraj mein lage dhabbaa, fitrat ke karishme hain

The meanings remain roughly the same.

tushar

[Ajay Divakaran]

Sooraj Mein Lage Dhabba Kudrat Kay Karishmay hain
But hum ko kahe kafir Allah ki marzi hai
^^^
"But" means idol or statue. Note that Islam strictly prohibits
idolatry. So it is ironic that an idol, itself forbidden by Islam, is
telling the poet that he is an infidel or an unbeliever. The poet wryly says
that all these anomalies (like spots on the sun, and idols reproaching him for
lack of belief) are God's will. Kudrat Kay Karishmay hain could possibly
be translated as "such are the inexplicable Wonders of Divine Creation."

Bear with my attempt at translation:
Such are the inexplicable wonders of Divine creation that the effulgence
of the sun is tainted by a stain,
And that a graven image chides me for lack of faith is but God's will.

ajay

[yd9...@gmail.com]

"But hum ko kahein kaafir"
I think it is an indirect remark on those people who call themselves followers of the God, yet do not exhibit the quality of a good human being (which is what a true follower should be). This particular remark is expressed in various places in Sufi poetry.

[suhai...@gmail.com]

Ajay that is by far the best attempt to capture what the poet is saying and a fantastic translation

[vij...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, 21 November 1992 00:54:14 UTC, Akash Sharma wrote:
T:
> The first (er, second) couplet should be:
> us mai se nahin matlab dil jis se ho begaana
> maksood hai us mai se dil hi mein jo ???????? hai
>
> A: I am pretty sure that the word is "bikti" which in all the times that
> I have listened to this ghazal makes sense to me.
>

The word in fact is 'khiNchtii' hai. sharaab khaiNchanaa, AFAIK, is derived from the art of distilling alcohol at home. Once the ingredients had fermented, the liquor was drawn from the pitcher by using a plastic tube and the initial draw was done by putting one end of the pipe in the pitcher and by sucking on the other end to get the vacuum and gravity to draw the liquid part into a bottle. So the sucking part got the label, 'khaiNchanaa'. This Ghazal is by Akbar Allahabaadii.

Vijay

[vij...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 18 December 2013 14:33:07 UTC, yd9...@gmail.com wrote:
> "But hum ko kahein kaafir"
>
> I think it is an indirect remark on those people who call themselves followers of the God, yet do not exhibit the quality of a good human being (which is what a true follower should be). This particular remark is expressed in various places in Sufi poetry.

The beauty of any good poetry, but particularly Urdu Ghazal, is that different interpretations can be put on a verse. Often it is different than even what the writer intended. My personal take on this verse is that the word 'but' here is used to denote those of fairer sex. It is quite common to do so. The other word for 'but' i.e. 'sanam' has virtually become synonymous with 'beloved' or the desired one. Knowing that the Ghazal is by Akbar Allahabaadi, I feel that he has played on the words 'but', 'kaafir' and 'Allah'. The word 'kaafir' other than its religious meaning as given above, is also a term used to chide someone in the game of 'husn-o-ishq'. So the meaning of the verse could be that even 'she', who her-self is a 'sanam', is calling me 'kaafir' (in the meaning of undesirable one). Well, so be it if it is 'Allah's' will!:-)

Vijay