Ashaar #018 - 'Khat'

Date: 13-Sep-2000
Topic: 'Khat'

What a response! I suppose 'Khat' is a topic dear to everyone. The 
recent developments have almost spelled the end of the traditional 
letter but I firmly believe in the magic of the written word, the 
personal touch of a hand written letter. 

Traditionally, in Urdu poetry, 'Khat' has been used to as a means 
of conveying the poet's desires to his beloved. Often, these heart-
wrenching and love-drenched missives are treated with indifference, 
dismissed without so much as a second glance, even returned unopened.

First, some ashaar by the master:


Contributed by Abhay Ghaisas:
----------------------------

Khat likhe.nge garche matalab kuchh na ho
ham to aashiq hai.n tumhaare naam ke
[Mirza Ghalib]

magar likhavaa_e koii usako Khat to hamase likhavaae
huii subah aur ghar se kaan par rakh kar qalam nikale
[Mirza Ghalib]

Gair phirataa hai liye yuu.N tere Khat ko ki agar
ko_ii puuchhe ki ye kyaa hai to chhupaa_e na bane
[Mirza Ghalib]

deke Khat muu.Nh dekhataa hai naamaabar
kuchh to paiGaam-e-zubaanii aur hai
[Mirza Ghalib]

Galat na thaa hame.n Khat par gumaa.N tasallii kaa
na maane diidaa-e-diidaar juu to kyo.nkar ho
[Mirza Ghalib]

ho liye kyo.n naamaabar ke saath saath
yaa rab apane Khat ko ham pahuu.Nchaaye.n kyaa
[Mirza Ghalib]


Contributed by Shuklas:
----------------------

qaasid ke aate aate Khat ik aur likh rakhuu.n
mai.n jaanataa huu.n jo vo likhe.nge jawaab me.n
[Mirza Ghalib]


And now, some ashaar by other poets:


Contributed by Kajal:
--------------------

tere Khushbuu mein base Khat mai.n jalaataa kaise 
pyaar me.n Duube hue Khat mai.n jalaataa kaise 
tere haatho.n ke likhe Khat mai.n jalaataa kaise 
tere Khat aaj mai.n gangaa me.n bahaa aayaa huu.N
aag bahate hue paanii me.n lagaa aayaa huu.N
[Rajendranath Rahbaar]


Contributed by Pradipmaya Maharana:
----------------------------------

vo Khat ke purze u.Daa rahaa thaa
havaao.n kaa ruKh dikhaa rahaa thaa
[Gulzar]



Contributed by Abhay Ghaisas:
----------------------------

husn thaa teraa bahut aalam fareb
Khat ke aane par bhii ik aalam rahaa
[Meer Taqi Meer]


tumhaare Khat me.n nayaa ik salaam kis kaa thaa
na thaa raqiib to aaKhir vo naam kis kaa thaa

hamaare Khat ke to purze kiye pa.Dhaa bhii nahii.n
sunaa jo tum ne baa-dil vo payaam kis kaa thaa
[Daag Dehlvi]


ho chukaa aish kaa jalasaa to mujhe Khat bhejaa
aap kii tarah se mehamaan bulaaye ko_ii
[Daag Dehlvi]


pa.Dh ke teraa Khat mere dil kii ajab haalat hu_ii
iztaraab-e-shauq ne ek hashr barapaa kar diyaa
[Hasrat Mohani]


merii shaam-e-Gam ko vo bahalaa rahe hai.n
likhaa hai ye Khat me.n ki ham aa rahe hai.n
[Akhtar Shirani]


Khat likh ke kabhii aur kabhii Khat ko jalaa kar
tanhaa_ii ko rangiin banaa kyo.n nahii.n lete
[Zafar Gorakhapuri]


kaise maane ke unhe.n bhuul gayaa tuu ai kaif
un ke Khat aaj hame.n tere sarahaane se mile
[Kaif Bhopali]

raaz kii baate.n likhii aur Khat khulaa rahane diyaa
jaane kyo.n rusvaa_iio.n kaa sil-silaa rahane diyaa
[Sabir Jalalabadi]


vo bhii shaayad ro pa.De viiraan kaaGaz dekh kar
mai.n ne use aaKhirii Khat me.n likhaa kuchh bhii nahii.n
[Zahur Nazar]


Khat diijiyo chhupaa ke mile vo agar kahii.n
lenaa na mere naam ko ai naamaabar kahii.n
[Mashraf Ali Khan "Fugaan"]


de.n bhii javaab Khat ki na de kyaa Khabar mujhe
kyo.n apane saath le na gayaa naamaabar mujhe
[Safi Lakhanavi]


likho salaam Gair ke Khat me.n Gulaam ko
bande kaa bas salaam hai aise salaam ko
[Momin]


likhaa vahii thaa ki jo thaa nasiib kaa likkhaa
balaa se, Khat kaa javaab us ne kuchh diyaa to sahii
[Qabil Dehlvi]


Khat to bhejaa hai par ab Khauf yahii hai dil me.n
mai.n ne kyaa us ko likhaa aur vo kyaa samajhegaa
[Majnu Azimabadi]


dono.n kaa ek haal hai ye mudda_aa ho kaash
vo hii Khat us ne bhej diyaa kyo.n javaab me.n
[Momin]


vaa.N se aayaa hai javaab-e-Khat ko_ii suniyo to zaraa
mai.n nahii.n huu.N aap me.n mujh se na samajhaa jaa_egaa
[Jurrat]

Gair ke dhoke me.n Khat le ke meraa qaasid se
pa.Dhane ko pa.Dh to liyaa naam magar chho.D diyaa
[Nizam Rampuri]


miT chale merii umiido.n kii tarah harf magar
aaj tak tere Khato.n se terii Khushbuu na ga_ii
[Akhtar Sheerani]


Contributed by Deepak Purohit:
-----------------------------

ek muddat se na qaasid hai na Khat hai na payaam
apane vaade ko tuu kar yaad mujhe yaad na kar
[Jaleel Manikpuri]

Khat ke purze aaye hai.n qaasid kaa sar tasviir-e-Gair
ye hai bhejaa us sitamagar ne mere Khat kaa javaab
[Unknown]

purza u.Daa ke Khat ke ye ek purzaa likh diyaa
lo apane ek Khat ke ye sau Khat javaab me.n
[Bismil Dehlvi]

allaah re fareb-e-tamannaa ki baarahaa
apane hii Khat ko le ke pa.Dhaa naamaabar se aap
[Ummid Amethawi]

kisii ko bhej ke Khat haaye ye kaisaa azaab aayaa
ki har ek puuchhataa hai naamaabar aayaa, javaab aayaa
[Ehsan Marharwi]

likh chuke ham jaa chukaa Khat gar yahii haalat rahii
haath me.n aayaa kalam aur shauq kaa daftar khulaa
[Fani Badayuni]

kyaa jaane likh diyaa kyaa use iztiraab me.n
qaasid kii laash aa_ii hai Khat ke javaab me.n
[Momin Khan Momin]

siyaahii aa.Nkh se le kar ye naamaa tum ko likhataa huu.N
ki tum naamaa ko dekho aur tumhe.n dekhen merii aa.Nkhe.n
[Unknown]

meraa Khat pa.Dh ke bole naamaabar se jaa Khudaa haafiz
javaab aayaa merii qismat se lekin laa-javaab aayaa
[Shakeel Badayuni]

ab vaham kaa ilaaj ke Khat deke un ke naam
aage chale hai.n chaar qadam naamaabar se ham
[Rasaa Rampuri]

ho sake to javaab de denaa
ye muhabbat kaa aaKhirii Khat hai
[Sanam Pratapgadhi]

ham ne maanaa ki nahii.n hotii muqammal taskiin
Khat ko bhii aadhii mulaaqaat kahaa jaataa hai
[Taabish Lucknawi]

jis par hamaarii aa.Nkh ne motii bichhaye raat bhar
bhejaa vohii kaaGaza use ham ne likhaa kuchh bhii nahii.n
[Bashir Badr]

qayaamat hai ye kah ke us ne lauTaayaa hai qaasid ko
ki un kaa to har ek Khat aaKhirii paiGaam hotaa hai
[Sheri Bhopali]

kyaa kyaa fareb dil ko diye iztiraab me.n
un kii taraf se aap likhe Khat javaab me.n
[Daag Dehlvi]

naamaabar tuu hii bataa tuu ne to dekhe ho.nge
kaise hote hai.n vo Khat jin kaa javaab aataa hai
[Qamar]

Khat Gair kaa pa.Dhate the jo tokaa to vo bole
aKhbaar kaa parchaa hai Khabar dekh rahe hai.n
[Daag Dehlvi]

tavaqqo hai dhoke me.n aakar vo pa.Dh le.n
ki likkhaa hai naamaa unhe.n Khat badal kar
[Ameer Minai]

leke Khat un kaa kiyaa zabt bahut kuchh lekin
thar-tharaate hue haatho.n ne bharam khol diyaa
[Jigar Moradabadi]

meraa Khat us ne pa.Dhaa pa.Dh ke naamaabar se kahaa
yahii javaab hai is Khat kaa ko_ii javaab nahii.n
[Ameer Minai]

aap kaa Khat nahii.n milaa mujh ko
daulat-e-jahaa.N milii mujh ko
[Aseer Lucknawi]



Hope you enjoyed all these ashaar on 'Khat'. The topic 
for the next issue of Ashaar is "Khaamoshii" (silence). 
The deadline for sending in your favourite ashaar on 
this topic is September 18th.