12th May
#shairoftheday Jan Nisar Akhtar
Jan Nisar Akhtar was an important 20th century Indian poet of Urdu ghazals and nazms, and a part of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, who was also a lyricist for Bollywood.
In his career spanning four decade he worked with distinguished music composers like C. Ramchandra, O.P. Nayyar, N Dutta and Khayyam writing about 151 songs, notable among them were songs from his breakthrough film AR Kardar’s Yasmin (1955), Aankhon hi Aankhon Mein in Guru Dutt’s C.I.D. (1956), Yeh dil aur unki nigahon ke saaye in Prem Parbat (1974) and Aaja re in Noorie (1979) and his last unforgettable song Ae Dil-e-naadaan in Kamal Amrohi’s Razia Sultan (1983)
His notable poetry works include, Nazr-e-Butaan, Salaasil, Javidaan, Pichali Pehar, Ghar Angan and “Khaak-e-dil” (The Ashes of Heart”), a poetry collection for which he was awarded the 1976 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu by Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters
He was born in 1914, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, into a family of Sunni theologians, scholars and poets. His father Muzter Khairabadi was poet as was his father’s elder brother, Bismil Khairabadi, while his great grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, notably edited the first diwan of Mirza Ghalib on his request, and later became an important figure during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in his native Khairabad.
Jan Nisar passed his matriculation from Victoria Collegiate High School, Gwalior, and in 1930 joined Aligarh Muslim University, from where he did his B.A. Honours and M.A. degree, and started his doctoral work, but had to return to Gwalior due to family conditions
In 1943, he married Safiya Siraj-ul Haq, also an alumnus of AMU, and the sister of poet Majaz Luckknawi, their two sons, Javed and Salman were born in 1945 and 1946 respectively. Post-independence riots in Gwalior forced him to shift base to Bhopal, where he joined the Hamidia College as Head of Department of Urdu and Persian, later Safiya also joined the college. Soon they became part of the Progressive Writers’ Movement and subsequently he was made its president.
His poetry was secular and like many of progressive writers of his generation talked of freedom, dignity, economic exploitation and other issues gleaming of the leftist leanings.[10] Even his romanticism which was amply displayed in his ghazals, was replete with references to household and family life. His notable books include Nazr-e-Butaan, Salaasil, Javidaan, Ghar Angan and Khaak-e-Dil (all Urdu titles). One of his many famous couplets is :
Ashaar mere yuu.N to zamaane ke liye hai.n,
kuchh sher faqat unako sunaane ke liye hain
He even wrote and produced a film Bahu Begum (1967) starring Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari. During the period of four year to his death he published three collections of his works most important of them being, Khak-e-Dil (The Ashes of Heart”), which has his representative poems from 1935 to 1970, and which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award (Urdu) in 1976.
Jan Nisar was commissioned by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru to collate the best Hindustani poetry of last 300 years, and later the first edition of the book titled Hindustan Hamara (Our Hindustan) in two volumes was released by Indira Gandhi. It contained Urdu verses on a topics, ranging from love and praise for India and its history, to festivals like Holi and Diwali, on Indian rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna and the Himalayas.
He died in Mumbai, India on 19 August 1976, while he was still working on Kamal Amrohi’s film, Razia Sultan (1983). He was nominated posthumously for 1980 Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for “Aaja Re Mere Dilbar” from the film, Noorie.
His anthology, Hindustan Hamara was re-released in Hindi in 2006
Source: Wikipedia
Nazm and Ghazals
1.
Ye zakhm hi apna hissa hain,
in zakhmon par sharmayein kya
Kyon kehte huye sharmayein hum,
duniya ne humein thukraya hai
Har saans mein aisa lagta hai,
shola sa koi lehraya hai
Ye surkh jo rehti hain aankein,
zakhmon ne lahu chalkaya hai
Do ghav bane ho chehre par,
khud dekh lo hum dikhlayein kya
Ye zakhm hi apna hissa hain,
in zakhmon par sharmayein kya
Jheli hai saza khuddari ki,
par haath nahin phailaye hain .
Auron ke liye har dard saha,
us par bhi bure keh laaye hain
Teeron ka jinhein fun sikhlaya,
khud teer unhi se khaye hain .
Jo zakhm mile hain apno se,
un zakhmon ko ginwayein kya
Ye zakhm hi apna hissa hain,
in zakhmon par sharmayein kya
Aati thein sadayein jin ki kabhi,
khilwat mein bhi dil ke taaron se .
Hum jaan chidakte the jin par,
yaari na nibhi un yaaron se ..
Ye zakhm jo dil ne khaye hain,
gehre hain kayi talwaaron se ..
Maloom na ho jab apni khata,
hum uzar bhi lekar jayein kya ..
Ye zakhm hi apna hissa hain,
in zakhmon par sharmayein kya
2.
zindagii tanhaa safar kii raat hai
apne apne hausle kii baat hai
kis aqiide kii duhaa’ii deejiye
har aqiidah aaj be-auqaat hai
(aqiidah : belief; be-auqaat : without value)
kyaa pataa pahunchenge kab manzil talak
ghaTte-baRhte faasiloN kaa saat(h) hai
3.
bhuule na kisii haal meN aadaab-e-nazar ham
mur kar na tujhe dekh sake vaqt-e-safar ham
(aadaab : etiquettes; nazar : sight, view; vaqt-e-safar : departing time)
ai husn! kisii ne tujhe itnaa to na chaahaa
barbaad hu’aa tere liye kaun, magar ham
jiine ka hameN Khud na milaa vaqt to kyaa hai
logoN ko sikhlaate rahe jiine kaa hunar ham
(hunar : skill, excellence)
ab tere ta’lluq se hameN yaad hai itnaa
ek raat ko mehmaan rahe the tere ghar ham
(ta’lluq : relationship, acquaintance)
duniyaa kii kisii chhaaNv se dhundlaa nahiiN saktaa
aaNkhoN meN liye phirte haiN jo Khvaab-e-sehar ham
(Khvaab-e-sehar : dream of dawn)
vo kaunsii aahat thii jo Khvaabon mein dar aayii
kyaa jaaniye kyuun chaunk paRe picchle pehar ha
4.Qitaat
lamhaa lamhaa terii yaaden jo chamak uthtii hain
aisaa lagtaa hai ke urte hu’e pal jalte hain
mere Khvaabon mein ko’ii laash ubhar aatii hai
band aankhoN mein ka’ii Taj Mahal jalte hain
5.
tuu is qadar mujhe apne qareeb lagtaa hai
tujhe alag se jo sochuun, ajiib lagtaa hai
jise na Husn se matlab na ishq se sarokaar
vo shaksh mujh ko bahut bad-nasiib lagtaa hai
huduud-e-zaat se baahar nikal ke dekh zaraa
na ko’ii Ghair, na ko’ii raqeeb lagtaa hai
ye dostii, ye maraasim, ye chaahateiN ye Khuluus
kabhii kabhii ye sab kuch ajiib lagtaa hai
ufaq pe duur chamaktaa huvaa ko’ii taaraa
mujhe charaaGh-e-dayaar-e-Habeeb lagtaa hai
na jaane kab ko’ii tuufaaN aaye gaa yaaroN
buland mauj se saaHil qareeb lagtaa hai
6.
jaaiye baiThiye hukmraanoN ke biich
aap kyuuN aa gaye ham divaanoN ke biich
(hukmraanoN : rulers)
aur kyaa hai siyaasat ke baazaar meN
kuch khilone saje haiN dukaanoN ke biich
(siyaasat : politics)
thaa jinheN ishq kaa hauslaa uTh gaye
tazkire rah gaye daastoN ke biich
(hauslaa : ambition; tazkire : talks; daastaaN : stories)
ishq ke naam par aur to kyaa hogaa
dushmani ho gayii do gharaanoN ke biich
log baateN banaane pe aise tule
chhup gayii har haqiiqat fasaanoN ke biich
(haqiiqat : reality; fasaane : stories)
jalne vaaloN kii aaheN kahaaN jal sakiiN
ek dhuaaN hai abhii tak makaanoN ke biich
zindagaanii kii qadreN badalne lagiiN
log baNTne lage do zamaanoN ke biich
(qadreN : benchmarks, paradigms)
kam se kam ham meN ye hauslaa to rahaa
zindagii kaaT dii imtihaanoN ke biich
sher-o-fan kii sajii hai nayii anjuman
ham bhii baiThe haiN kuch nau-javaanoN ke biich
(sher-o-fan : poetry; anjuman : gathering)
7.
ujRii ujRii huii har aas lage
zindagii Ram ka ban-baas lage
(aas : hope; ban-baas : exile)
tuu ke bahtii huii nadiyaa ke samaan
tujhko dekhuuN to mujhe pyaas lage
(nadiyaa : river; samaan : similar; pyaas : thirst)
phir bhii chhuunaa use, aasaan nahiiN
itnii duurii pe bhii, jo paas lage
vaqt saayaa saa koii chhoR gayaa
ye jo ek dard kaa ehsaas lage
aik ek laher kisii yug kii kathaa
mujhko Gangaa ko’ii itiihaas lage
(yug : era; kathaa : story; itiihaas : history)
sher-o-naGhme se ye vahshat terii
Khud terii ruuh ka aflaas lage
(sher-o-naGhme : couplets and songs; vahshat : loneliness, dreariness; ruuh : soul; iflaas : poverty)
8.
zindagii ye to nahiiN tujhko saNvaaraa hii na ho
kuch na kuch teraa ehsaan utaaraa hii na ho
(ehsaan : benifincence)
kuu-e-qaatil kii baRii dhuum hai, chal kar dekheN
kyaa Khabar, kuuchaa-e-dildaar se pyaaraa hii na ho
(kuu-e-qaatil : home of the murderer; kuuchaa-e-dildaar : house of the beloved)
dil ko chhuu jaatii hai raat kii aavaaz kabhii
chauNk uThtaa huuN kahiiN tuune pukaaraa hii na ho
kabhii palkoN pe chamaktii hai jo ashkoN kii lakiir
sochtaa huuN tere aaNchal kaa kinaaraa hii na ho
zindagii ek Khalish de ke na rah jaa mujhko
dard vo de jo kisii suurat gavaaraa hii na ho
(Khalish : pricking)
sharm aatii hai ke us shah’r meN ham haiN ke jahaaN
na mile bhiik to laakhoN kaa guzaaraa hii na ho
10.
ashaar mere yuun to zamaane ke liye hain
kuch sher faqat unko sunaane ke liye hain
ab ye bhi nahin theek ki har dard mita den
kuchh dard kaleje se lagaane ke liye hain
aankhon men jo bhar loge to kaante se chubhenge
ye Khwaab to palakon pe sajaane ke liye hain
dekhun tere haathon ko to lagata hai tere haath
mandir men faqat deep jalaane ke liye hain
ye ilm ka sauda ye risaale ye kitaaben
ik shaKhs ki yaadon ko bhulane ke liye hain
