Meg Index | June 2000 Index

Date: 6-Jun-2000
Poet: Majrooh Sultanpuri

Majrooh Sultanpuri recently passed away. This post 
is dedicated to him. 

Asrar ul Hasan Khan (Majrooh's real name) was born 
in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh in India in 1919. After 
an education in Urdu, Persian and Arabic, he formally
studied the Unani system of medicine and graduated 
in 1938 as a 'hakim'.

He practised medicine for a year before he started 
his career as a full-time poet. His mentor, or 'ustad'
was Jigar Moradabadi. In 1945, he wrote his first
film song "Gam diye mushtaqil...", which was sung 
by K.L.Saigal and catapulted him to the forefront of
film lyricists, a career which spanned more than five
decades. His contributions to films and to the world 
of Urdu poetry were recognized and rewarded with 
the Dadasahib Phalke award (1994) and the Iqbal 
Sammaan (1993) respectively.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was among the foremost poets of 
modern progressive poetry. He believed that no great
art was possible without social content. Ali Sardar 
Jafri in his foreword for Majrooh's book "Never Mind 
Your Chains" calls him "younger brother in poetry 
and struggle". Majrooh was not always pleased with 
the association of his poetry with his film work. 
However, this was more a reaction to society's 
hypocritical attitude of looking down on anything 
connected with the film world, than with any basis 
in fact.

Today's post is a collection of couplets (ashaar) 
taken from the above mentioned book which was
published in 1999 by Rupa Co.


shab-e-intazaar kii kash-ma-kash na puuch kaise sahar hu_ii
kabhii ik chiraaG jalaa diyaa kabhii ik chiraaG bujhaa diyaa


ab kaar_gaah-e-dahar me.n lagataa hai bahut dil
ai dost kahii.n ye bhii teraa Gam to nahii.n hai


sutuun-e-daar pe rakhate chalo saro.n ke charaaG
jahaa.N talak ye sitam kii siyaah raat chale


jalaa ke mashaal-e-jaa.N ham junuu.N sifaat chale
jo ghar ko aag lagaaye hamare saath chale


ham bhii hameshaa qatl huye aur 
tum ne bhii dekhaa duur se lekin
ye na samajhanaa ham ko huaa hai 
jaa.N kaa nuksaa.N tum se ziyaadaa


rok sakataa hame.n zi.ndaa.N-e-balaa kyaa majaruuh
ham to aavaaz hai.n diivaar se chhan jaate hai.n

ham hai.n mataa-e-kuuchaa-o-baazaar kii tarah
uThatii hai har nigaah Khariidaar kii tarah


zabaa.N hamaarii na samajhaa yahaa.N ko_ii majaruuh
ham ajanabii kii tarah apane hii vatan me.n rahe


shab-e-zulm narGaa-e-raahazan se 
pukaarataa hai ko_ii mujhe
mai.n faraaz-e-daar se dekh luu.N 
kahii.n kaaravaan-e-sahar na ho


mai.n hazaar shakl badal chukaa 
chaman-e-jahaa.N me.n sun ai sabaa
ke jo phuul hai tere haath me.n
ye meraa hii laKht-e-jigar na ho


vo lajaaye mere savaal par
ke uThaa sake na jhukaa ke sar
u.Dii zulf chehare pe is tarah
ke shabo.n ke raaz machal gaye


mujhe sahal ho ga_ii.n manzile.n
vo havaa ke ruKh bhii badal gaye
teraa haath haath me.n aa gayaa
ke chiraaG raah me.n jal gaye


Gam-e-hayaat ne aavaaraa kar diyaa varnaa
thii aarazuu ke tere dar pe subah-o-shaam kare.n


taqadiir kaa shikavaa be-maanii
jiinaa hii tujhe manzuur nahii.n
aap apanaa muqaddar ban na sake
itanaa to ko_ii majabuur nahii.n


ye shauq-e-qaamayaab ye tum ye fizaa ye raat 
kah do to aaj rok duu.N ba.Dhakar sahar ko mai.n 


duaa detii hai.n raahe.n aaj bhii mujh aablaa-paa ko 
mere qadamo.n kii gul_kaarii bayaabaa.N se chaman tak hai 


mai.n akelaa hii chalaa thaa jaanib-e-manzil magar
log saath aate gaye aur kaaravaa.N banataa gayaa


dekh zi.ndaa.N se pare ra.ng-e-chaman josh-e-bahaar 
raqs karanaa hai to phir paao.n kii za.njiir na dekh 


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