meri khamoshiyon mein bhi fasana dhoondh leti hai

meri khamoshiyon mein bhi fasana dhoondh leti hai
badi shatir hai ye duniya bahana dhoondh leti hai

hakeekat zid kiye baithi hai chaknachur karne ko
magar har aankh phir sapna suhana dhoondh leti hai

uthati hai jo khatra har kadam par doob jaane ka
wahi koshish samundar mein khajana dhoondh leti hai

na chidiya ki kamai hai na karobar hai koi
wo keval haunsle se aabodana dhoondh leti hai

junoon manjil ka rahon mein bachata hai bhatakne se
meri deewangi apna thikana dhoondh leti hai

 - Rajendra Tiwari

dheere dheere

-ramdarash mishr

banaya hai maine ye ghar dheere dheere
khule mere khwabon ke par dheere dheere

kisi ko giraya, na khud ko uchala
kata zindagi ka safar dheere dheere

jahan aap pahunchenge chalaange laga ke
wahan main bhi pahuncha magar dheere dheere

pahadon ki koi chunauti nahi thi
uthata gaya yo hi sar dheere dheere

gira main kahin to akele mein roya
gaya dard se ghav bhar dheere dheere

one of papa’s favourite gazhals. wish i could lead a life like this. or be like him.
from the collection, ‘Ghazal…Dushyant Ke Baad’. edited by Deekshit Dankauri and published by Vani Prakashan. Sigma, its one of the collections i bought from the book fair last year. In two volumes, it contains on an average, 5 gazhals each by around 400 shayars following the era of Shri Dushyant Kumar. Get hold of it guys, as soon as you can.

ashaar mere yuun to zamaane ke liye hain

-Jan Nisaar Akhtar

ash-aar mere yuun to zamaane ke liye hain
kuchh sher faqat unako sunaane ke liye hain

ab ye bhii nahin thik ki har dard mita dein
kuch dard kaleje se lagaane ke liye hain

aankhon mein jo bhar loge to kaanton se chubhenge
ye khvaab to palakon pe sajaane ke liye hain

dekhuun tere haathon ko to lagata hai tere haath
mandir mein faqat deep jalaane ke liye hain

socho to badi cheez hai tahaziib badan ki
varanaa to badan aag bujhaane ke liye hain

ye ilm ka sauda ye risaale ye kitaabein
ik shakhs kii yaadon ko bhulaane ke liye hain

na garaj kisi se na vaasta mujhe kaam apne hi kaam se

-jigar muradabadi

na garaj kisi se na vaasta, mujhe kaam apne hi kaam se
tere zikr se, tere fikr se, tere yaad se, tere naam se

ye kitaabe-dil ki hain aayatein, main bataun kya, jo hai nisbatein*
mere sajda-e-dawam** ko tere naksh haye khiram se***
(* sambandh; **hamesha ki pooja; ***kadmon ke nishaan)

jo utha hai dard utha kare, koi khaak us se gila kare
jise zid ho husn ke jikr se jise chid ho ishq ke naam se

vahi chasm-e-hoor* fadak gayi, abhi pi na thi ki behak gayi
kabhi yakbayak jo chalak gayi kisi rind-e-mast ke jaam se
(* apsara ki aankh)

tu hazar ujr* kare magar, humein rashk aur hi hai jigar
tere iztrabe-nigah** se tere ehtiyaate kalaam*** se
(* inkaar; ** nigaah ki bechaini; *** khamoshi)

my favourite is the second one. so much my life these days

khair, i thought i’ll be starting the year with something sufi or spiritual. its another thing, that m already worshipping her these days. so these first two couplets become spiritual automatically. would like to have your comments on this.

i’ll be posting something by baba bulleshah in the coming days. before that, u might get to read from ‘color of magic’.

yahan har shaks har pal…

by Rajesh Reddy

yahan har shaks har pal haadsa hone se darta hai
khilona hai jo mitti ka fana hone se darta hai

mere dil ke kisi kone mein ek massom sa baccha
badon ki dekhkar duniya bada hone se darta hai

na bus mein zindagi iske na kaboo maut par iska
magar insaan phir bhi kab khuda hone se darta hai

ajab ye zindagi ki kaid hai, duniya ka har insaan
rihaai mangta hai aur riha hone se darta hai

like my all time favourite, second couplet here… life is staring hard at me, some truths, realities, screaming, compelling me to push limits, grow up, be mature or in other words… be like the normal world, like any other so called normal person… and am dead scared.

ye saara jism jhuk kar bojh se…

by dushyant kumar

ye saara jism jhuk kar bojh se dohra huya hoga
main sajde mein nahi tha, aapko dhoka huya hoga

yahan tak aate-aate sookh jati hain kai nadiyan
mujhe maloom hai paani kahan thehra hoga

gajab ye hai ki apni maut ki aahat nahi sunte
wo sab-ke-sab parishan hain wahan par kya huya hoga

tumhare shahar mein ye shor sun-sun kar to lagta hai
ki insaano ke jungle mein koi haanka huya hoga

kayi faake bitakar mar gaya, jo uske baare mein
wo sab kehte hain ab, aisa nahi, aisa huya hoga

yahan to sirf goonge aur behra log baste hain
khuda jaane yahan par kis tarah jalsa huya hoga

chalo, ab yadgaron ki andheri kothri kholein
kam-aj-kam ek wo chehra to pehchana huya hoga

hmmm. the noted emergency era poet, dushyant kumar has been my father’s favourite. he has written mostly
anti-establishment, political, revolutionary mindset ghajals. and is given the credit of bringing the ghajal in to hindi domain. this is a ghajal from his last and most celebrated collection, ’saaye mein dhoop.’ anybody who reads him today can feel the pain and anguish of those times, and wonder, how it still applies to today’s india.

dushyant ji says in his introduction to this collection, “…main sweekar karta hoon, ki urdu aur hindi apne-apne sinhasan se utarkar jab aam aadmi ke paas aati hain to unmein fark kar paana bada mushkil hota hai. meri neeyat aur koshish yahi rahi hai ki in dono bhashaon ko jyada se jyada kareeb la sakoon. isliye ye gajhlein us bhasha mein kahi gayi hain, jise main bolta hoon.”

i’ll be posting more from this excellent collection of words and thoughts. some of most favourite ‘ashaars’ are in there. this was an introduction for my dear freind ’sigma’. and yes twin, this time atleast, its not reflecting my state-of-mind. =)

is jagah thehroon ya wahan se sunoo

shaharyar

is jagar thehroon ya wahan se sunoo
main tere jism ko kahan se sunoo

mujhko aagaje-dastan hai azeez
teri zid hai ki darmiyan se sunoo

teer ne aaj kya shikar kiya
is ki tafseel main kahan se sunoo

raat kya kuch zameen par beeti
pehle tujhse phir aasman se sunoo

kitni masoom si tammanna hai
naam apna teri zaban se sunoo

was missing her this morning and thinking of what to put up here. opened up this collection of ghazals by shaharyar and this was the first page. yes twin, you were right.

kabhii yuun bhii aa merii aankh mein ke merii nazar ko khabar na ho

bashir badr

kabhii yuun bhii aa merii aankh mein ke merii nazar ko Khabar na ho
mujhe ek raat navaaz de magar uske baad sahar na ho [navaaz - to grant]

vo badaa rahiim-o-kariim hai mujhe ye sifat bhii ataa kare
tujhe bhuulne kii duaa karuun to duaa men merii asar na ho [rahiim-o-kariim - kind & generous; sifat - talent]

mere baazuon mein thakii thakii, abhii mahav-e-Khvaab hai chaandnii
na uthe sitaaron kii paalakii, abhii aahaton kaa guzar na ho

ye gazal ki jaise hiran kii aankhon mein pichhalii raat kii chaandnii
na bujhe Kharaabe kii roshanii, kabhii becharaag ye ghar na ho

vo firaaq ho yaa visaal ho, terii yaad mahakegii ek din
vo gulaab ban ke khilegaa kyaa, jo chiraag ban ke jalaa na ho

kabhii dhuup de, kabhii badaliyaan, dil-o-jaan se dono qubuul hain
magar us nagar mein na qaid kar jahaan zindagii kii havaa na ho

kabhii din kii dhuup mein jhuum ke kabhii shab ke phuul ko chuum ke
yuun hii saath saath chalein sadaa kabhii khatm apanaa safar na ho
[shab - night]

mere paas mere habiib aa zaraa aur dil ke qariib aa
tujhe dhadkanon mein basaa luun main ke bichhadane kaa kabhii dar na ho
[habiib - beloved]

apanii rusavaaii tere naam ka charchaa dekhuuN

parveen shakir

apanii rusavaaii tere naam ka charchaa dekhuuN
ek zaraa sher kahuuN aur main kyaa kyaa dekhuuN

niind aa jaaye to kyaa mahafilen barpaa dekhuuN
aaNkh khul jaaye to tanhaaii kaa sahara dekhuuN

shaam bhii ho gaii dhundhalaa gaii aaNkhen bhii merii
bhuulanevaale main kab tak teraa rastaa dekhuuN

sab ziden us kii main puurii karuuN har baat sunuuN
ek bachche kii tarah se use haNstaa dekhuuN

mujh pe chhaa jaaye vo barasaat kii Khushbuu kii tarah
ang ang apanaa usii rut men mahakataa dekhuuN

tuu merii tarah se yaktaa hai magar mere habib
jii men aataa hai koii aur bhii tujh saa dekhuuN

main ne jis lamhe ko puujaa hai use bas ek baar
Khvaab ban kar terii aaNkhon men utarataa dekhuuN

tuu meraa kuchh nahiin lagataa hai magar jaan-e-hayaat
jaane kyon tere liye dil ko dhaDakataa dekhuuN