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This couplet is taken from a ghazal about love, loss, and despair. The lines seem to talk about how lonely the poet feels, no one will even look at him. But scratch the surface and you realize why no one looks at him, they do not like what they see about themselves in him; he’s … Continue reading
I don’t usually preface my verse. This is something I wrote sometime ago, I waited until I was in the mood to translate this into English, for those who read my posts but don’t know Hindustani. I’ve tried to keep a meter to the verse; this means, of course, that some of the couplets aren’t … Continue reading
Thanks to Kritika, who I can’t thank enough for letting me know that this event was being planned in my own town! A wonderful gathering of some great poets, and some terrific, terrific shayari. The rightmost gentleman is the oldest living Urdu poet in India, Gulzar Dehlvi. Aged 92, his voice belied his years. And … Continue reading
ग़ज़ल उसने छेड़ी मुझे साज़ देना ज़रा उम्र-ए-रफ्ता को आवाज़ देना Ghazal usne chhedi, mujhe saaz dena Zara umr-e-rafta ko awaaz dena She sings, someone hand me my lute Someone call back my departed youth!
My father bought this book last year and I took it along as a light read on a recent trip. And boy, was I glad I did! I must start though, by stating that if you’re into Urdu shayari deeply, this book does not have much to offer you. You would already know the life … Continue reading
है कहां तमन्ना का दूसरा क़दम या रब हमने दश्त-ए-इम्काँ को एक नक्श-ए-पा पाया Hai kahaan tamanna ka doosra qadam ya rab? Humney dasht-e-imqaan ko ek naqsh-e-pa paaya Where should my passion tread, O Lord! One step did all the world afford!
किताबों में पढ़ते थे हम एक हैं जहां ने सिखाया कि तन्हा हैं हम kitaabon mein padhtey they hum aik hain Jahaan ne sikhaya ki tanhaa hain hum Schoolbooks taught me, “we are one”. The world corrected, “you are alone”.
फरेब-ओ-तंज़ मिला मुझको हाल ए दिल जो कहा गिला-ओ-रंज मिला जो मैं चुप सा बैठ रहा When I cried, they gave me derision and lies And now you complain when I stifle my sighs?
जो अपनी आंख से अपने को देखा बस इक हैरान अजनबी पाया I look in the mirror and what do I see? A confused stranger stares back at me
हर तरफ़ हैं गूंजती ख़ामोशियां मेरी क्योंकर कहो आती नहीं आहो-फ़ुगां मेरी – Me My silence echoes all around, How can you not e’en hear a sound?
hbhatnagar 