Ranjish Hi Sahi - Syed Ahmed Shah 'Faraz' - From Vineeta Sastry

Runa Laila
Music by Nasir Bazmi


Mehdi Hasan


Asha Bhonsle's modern version


From the Pakistani Film Mohabbat sung by Mehdi Hasan


Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa
(Let it be anguish, come still atleast to torment my heart)
aa phir se mujhe chhod ke jaane ke liye aa
(Come, even if to leave me again)

pehle se maraasim na sahi phir bhi kabhi to
(If not for our past association)
rasm-o-rahe duniya hi nibhaane ke liye aa
(Come to fulfill the rituals of the world)

kis kis ko bataayenge judaai kaa sabab ham
(To whom all must I explain the reason of separation)
tu mujh se khafaa hai to zamaanay kay liye aa
(Come, despite your displeasure, atleast for the sake of the world)

ab tak dil-e-khush-feham ko tujh se hain ummeedain
(Till now, my heart suffers from some expectations from you)
ye aakhari shammain bhi bujhaane ke liye aa
(Come to snuff even these last candles of hope)

kuchh to meri pindaar-e-mohabbat ka bharam rakh
(Respect a little the depth of my love for you)
tu bhi to kabhi mujh ko manaane ke liye aa
(Come someday to placate me as well)

ek umr se hun lazzat-e-giryaa se bhi mehruum
(Too long have I been deprived of the pathos of longing)
aye raahat-e-jaan mujh ko rulaane ke liye aa
(Come my love, if only to make me weep again)


रंजिश ही सही दिल ही दुखाने के लिए आ
आ फिर से मुझे छोड़ के जाने के लिए आ ।

रंजिश=enmity

पहले से मरासिम न सही फिर भी कभी तो
रस्म-ओ-रह-ए-दुनिया ही निभाने के लिए आ ।

मरासिम=agreements/relationships, रस्म-ओ-रह-ए-दुनिया=customs and traditions of the society

किस किस को बताएँगे जुदाई का सबब हम
तू मुझ से ख़फ़ा है तो ज़माने के लिए आ ।

सबब=reason, ख़फ़ा=angry

कुछ तो मेरे पिन्दार-ए-मुहब्बत का भरम रख
तू भी तो कभी मुझ को मनाने के लिए आ ।

पिन्दार=pride

एक उम्र से हूँ लज़्ज़त-ए-गिरिया से भी महरूम
ऐ राहत-ए-जाँ मुझ को रुलाने के लिए आ ।

लज़्ज़त-ए-गिरिया=taste of sadness/tears, महरूम=devoid of, राहत-ए-जाँ=peace of life

अब तक दिल-ए-ख़ुश’फ़हम को तुझ से हैं उम्मीदें
ये आख़िरी शम्में भी बुझाने के लिए आ ।

दिल-ए-ख़ुश’फ़हम=optimistic heart, शम्में=candles

Syed Ahmad Shahor Ahmed Faraz was considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century. Faraz is his pseudonym 'takhallus', whereas his real name is Syed Ahmed Shah. Ahmed Faraz died at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on August 25, 2008

Faraz, who has been compared with Mohammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times, with a fine but simplistic style of writing, even common people can easily understand and identify with. Ethnically a Pashto-speaking Pashtun, Ahmed Faraz learned and studied Persian and Urdu at the Peshawar University where he taught these subjects later.

Early Life: He was born on January 14, 1934 Nowshera, Pakistan and brother of Syed Masood Kausar. In an interview with Rediff he recalls how his father, a teacher, once bought clothes for him on Eid. He didn't like the clothes meant for him, but preferred the ones meant for his elder brother. This lead him to write his first couplet:

Layen hain sab ke liye kapre sale se (He brought clothes for everybody from the sale)
Layen hain hamare liye kambal jail se (For me he brought a blanket from jail)

He was told by his parents once to learn mathematics from a female class fellow during the summer vacation. "I was weak in mathematics and geography. I still don't remember maps and roads".

Instead of learning mathematics he played bait-bazi with her, a game in which one person recites a couplet and the other one recites another couplet starting from the last letter of the previous one. He always lost, even though he memorized hundreds of couplets for her, but when he started manufacturing his own couplets she couldn't catch him anymore. Coming from a respectable family of Syeds, descendents of ''Haji Bahadar" a famous saint of Kohat, he moved to Peshawar with entire family. Studied in famous Edwards College, Peshawar and then did his Masters in Urdu and Persian. Initially Syed Ahmad Shah Faraz thus became Ahmed Faraz.

During his college time, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri were the best progressive poets, who impressed him and became his role models. Ahmed Faraz initially worked as a script writer at Radio Pakistan Peshawar and then moved on to teach Urdu at Peshawar University. In 1976 he became the founding Director General (Later Chairman) of Pakistan Academy of Letters.

Faraz Passed away at a local Islamabad Hospital on August 25, 2008

Political Life: Outspoken about politics, he went into self-imposed exile during the Zia-ul-Haq era after he was arrested for reciting certain poems at a mushaira criticizing the military rule. He stayed for three years in Britain, Canada and Europe before returning to Pakistan, where he was initially appointed Chairman Academy of Letters and later chairperson of the Islamabad-based National Book Foundation for several years. He has been awarded with numerous national and international awards.
He was inspired from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto And Pakistan People's Party. When he was not well on July 2008. Pakistan People's Party Aranged program for pray to Ahmed Faraz on Karachi He was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004, in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with the government and its policies.

"My conscious will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us. The least I can do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose fundamental rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to associate myself in any way with the regime..." a statement issued by the poet.

About his current writings he says: "I now only write when I am forced to from the inside."

Maintaining a tradition established by his mentor, the revolutionary Faiz Ahmed Faiz, he wrote some of his best poetry during those days in exile. Famous amongst poetry of resistance has been "Mahasara"

One amongst his great ghazals is the famous Ranjish Hi Sahi. He has so far written 13books and all put together comes as "Shehr e Sukhn aarasta hai" his latest publication so far