Mayray Hum-nafas Mayray Hum-nawaa - From Vineeta Sastry

Vineeta I met a decade ago. I was surprised to hear her sing with her sister, Hindustani Khayals, for a Telugu it was way out of territory! Not only is she one of the best singers I have ever heard but she is someone with a wide range of interests, awareness, people skills, all with a sense of sweetness and femininity that's usually missing in most other 'smart' women of her kind. I am very proud to have her as my 'maradalu', sister-in-law.


Begum Akhtar



Farida Khannum

Poet:Shakeel Badayuni
Singer:Begum Akhtar,Farida Khanum


Mere Humnafas, Mere Humnawa,
Mujhe Dost Ban Ke Daga Na De
Main Hoon Dard-e-Ishq Se Jaan-Valab,
Mujhe Zindagi Ki Dua Na De


Mere Daagh-e-Dil Se Hai Roshni,
Isi Roshni Se Hai Zindagi
Mujhe Darr Hai Ae Mere Chaaragar,
Yeh Chiraag Tu Hi Bujha Na De


Mujhe Ae Chhod De Mere Haal Par,
Tera Kya Bharosa Hai Chaaragar
Yeh Teri Nawazish-e-Mukhtasar,
Mera Dard Aur Badha Na De


Mera Azm Itna Buland Hai
Ke Paraaye Sholo-n Ka Darr Nahin
Mujhe Khauf Aatish-e-Gul Se Hai,
Yeh Kahin Chaman Ko Jala Na De


Woh Uthein Hain Leke Hom-o-Subu,
Arrey O 'Shakeel' Kahan Hain Tu
Tera Jaam Lene Ko Bazm Mein
Koi Aur Haath Badha Na De!

Shakeel Badayuni
(August 3, 1916 – April 20, 1970) was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.
Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadiri wanted him to have a good career, thus he arranged Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Hindi tuition for Shakeel at home. His inclination towards poetry was not hereditary like other shayars. One of his distant relatives, Zia-ul-Qadiri Badayuni was a religious shayar. Shakeel was influenced by him and the contemporary environment of Badayun led him to Sher-o-Shayari.

When he joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936, he started participating in inter-college, inter-university mushairas and won frequently. In 1940, he married Salma, who was a distant relative of his and they had been living in a common house since childhood, however, the purdah system was vogue in their family and they were not close. After completing his B.A., he moved to Delhi as a supply officer, but continued participating in mushairas, earning fame nation-wide. Those were the days of shayars who wrote about the downtrodden sections of society, their upliftment, the betterment of society and all. But Shakeel had an altogether different taste - his poetry was more often not romantic and close to heart. Shakeel used to say:

Main Shakeel Dil Ka Hoon Tarjuma
Keh Mohabbaton Ka Hoon Raazdaan
Mujhe Fakhr Hai Meri Shayari

Shakeel moved to Bombay in 1944 to write songs for films. He met film producer, A.R. Kardar and music composer, Naushad who asked him to sum up his poetic skills in one line. Shakeel wrote, Hum dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek aag Laga Daingay. Naushad immediately signed him for Kardar's film, Dard (1947). The songs of Dard proved to be very successful especially Uma Devi (Tun Tun)'s Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Only a few are so lucky that they attain success in their first film, but Shakeel deserved success which started with Dard and continued on over the years.

Together, he and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos in the industry. Among the stupendous scores they churned out together, are those of Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), and Mughal-e-Azam (1960), that stand out. Other films they scored together include Dulari (1949), Shabab (1954), Ganga Jamuna (1961), and Mere Mehboob (1963). Although Badayuni worked most extensively with Naushad, he also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar as well. His lyrics for the song Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music both won Filmfare Awards for the hit film Gharana. His other notable film with Ravi is Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), while Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song from Chaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered by Mohammed Rafi, won Badayuni the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961.

Shakeel penned numbers for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popular ghazals which are still sung by vocalists like Pankaj Udhas and others. Shakeel shared a close friendship with Naushad, Ravi and Ghulam Mohammed, with whom he enjoyed his life to the fullest. Unlike other shayaars, he wasn't an alcoholic.

Shakeel Badayuni succumbed to diabetes complications at the age of fifty-three on April 20, 1970, leaving behind his wife, a son and a daughter. His friends, Naushad, Ahmed Zakaria, and Rangoonwala formed a trust called Yaad-e-Shakeel after his death and this trust is now the source of some income to his bereaved family.


Begum Akhtar or Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (October 7, 1914 – 1974) was an Indian vocalist of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.

Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen. She also acted in several Bollywood films, including Mumtaz Beghum (1934), Jawaani Ka Nasha(1935), King for a Day (1933, director : Raaj Hans). She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by Govt. of India Today her name is almost synonymous with the concept of ghazal gayaki, and her imitable style of singing which immortalized her, and gave her the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals)

Begum Akhtar was born in Bada Darwaza, Town Bhadarsa, Bharatkund, Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh. Her father Asghar Hussain, a young lawyer who fell in love with her mother Mushtari and made her his second wife, subsequently disowned her and his twin daughters Zohra and Bibbi (Akhtar)

Akhtar was barely seven when she was captivated by the music of Chandra Bai, an artist attached to a touring theatre group. However, at her uncle's insistence, she was sent to train under Ustad Imdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent from Patna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan of Patiala. Later, she travelled to Calcutta with her mother and learnt music from classical stalwarts like Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan of Lahore, and finally she became the disciple of Ustad Jhande Khan.

Her first public performance was at the tender age of fifteen. She took the music world by storm. The famous poetess, Sarojini Naidu, appreciated her singing during a concert which was organised in the aid of victims of a Bihar earthquake of 1934. This encouraged her to continue singing ghazals with more enthusiasm. She cut her first disc for the Megaphone Record Company, at that time. A number of gramophone records were released carrying her ghazals, dadras,thumris, etc.

She was raped by one of her patrons and gave birth to a daughter. In her later life as a respectable married woman she had to pretend the daughter was her cousin.

Begum Akhtar's good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. When she heard great musicians like Gauhar Jan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career in Indian classical music. Her supreme artistry in light classical music had its moorings in the tradition of pure classicism. She chose her repertoire in primarily classical modes: a variety of raags, ranging from simple to complex. After the advent of talkie era in India, Beghum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in thirties. East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in "King for a Day" (alias Ek Din Ka Badshah) and Nal Damayanti in 1933.

Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Subsequently Beghum Akhtar moved back to Lucknow where she was approached by the famous producer-director Mehboob Khan, as a result of which she acted in "Roti" which was released in 1942 and whose music was composed by maestro Anil Biswas. "Roti" contained six of her ghazals but unfortunately due to some trouble between producer and director, Mehboob Khan subsequently deleted 3-4 ghazals from the film. All the ghazals are available on Megaphone gramophone records. Beghum Akhtar, meanwhile, left Bombay and returned to Lucknow.

In 1945, Akhtaribai married a barrister, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, and became known as Begum Akhtar. However, after marriage, due to her husband's restrictions, she could not sing for almost five years and subsequently, she fell ill, that is when her return to music was prescribed as a befitting remedy, and in 1949 she returned to the recording studios.She sang three ghazals and a dadra at Lucknow Radio Station. She wept afterwards and returned to singing in concerts, a practice that lasted until her death.

Her voice matured with time, adding richness and depth. She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, singing them in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit. She was a regular performer on All India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were raag based.

During her last concert in Ahmedabad, she raised the pitch of her voice as she felt that her singing had not been as good as she had wanted it to be. She was not feeling well on the fateful day. The additional demand and stress that she put herself under resulted in her falling ill and was rushed to the hospital.

She died on October 30, 1974, in the arms of Nilam Gamadia, her friend, who invited her to Ahmedabad, which has become her final performance.

Dil Dhadaknay Ka Sabab Yaad Aaya - From Vineeta Sastry

Noor Jehan



Asha Bhonsle / Ghulam Ali


Poet:Nasir Kazmi
Singer:Noor Jehan, Asha Bhonsle, Ghulam Ali
Raag:Jog

Dil Dhadkane Ka Sabab Yaad Aaya
Woh Teri Yaad Thi Ab Yaad Aaya


Aaj Mushkil Tha Sambhalana Aye Dost
Tu Musibat Mein Ajab Yaad Aaya


Haal-e-Dil Hum Bhi Sunate Lekin
Jab Woh Rukhsat Huey Tab Yaad Aaya


Phir Kayee log Nazar Se Gujare
Phir Koi Sharab-e-Tarab Yaad Aaya


Din Gujara Tha Badi Mushkil Se
Phir Tera Wada-e-Shab Yaad Aaya


Tera Bhula Hua Paimane-e-Wafa
Mar Rahenge Agar Ab Yaad Aaya


Baith Kar Saaya-e-Gul Mein Nasir
Hum Bahot Roye Woh Jab Yaad Aaya

Nasir Kazmi
Born Syed Nasir Raza Kazmi
December 8, 1925(1925-12-08)
Muhalla 'Qazi Wara', the house of his Grandfather (nana) Nayaz Nabi Bin Bu Ali Bakhsh, Kaneez Manzil, Ambala, Punjab, India
Died March 2, 1972 (aged 46)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Education National High School Peshawar, D.B.Middle Schhol Dakshai, Muslim High School Ambala, Islamia College Lahore, Government College Lahore(after partition for sometime).
Genres Ghazal
Spouse(s) Shafiqa Bano (Shafiqa Taskeen) D\O Sayed Anwar-ul-Haq Bin Abdul Azeez
Children Two Sons; Basir Sultan Kazmi & Hassan Sultan Kazmi,Tas Three Grandchildren: Irtiza Hassan Kazmi, Amna Hassan Kazmi & Wajiha Basir.
Relative(s) Mother:Kaneeza Muhammadi, Father: Sayed Muhammad Sultan Bin Sharif-ul-Hassan. Younger brother: Ansar Raza Kazmi.

Influences[show]
Mir Taqi Mir

Influenced[show]
Urdu poetry


Syed Nasir Raza Kazmi
(1925-1972) (Urdu: سید ناصر رضا كاظمی ) was a renowned Urdu poet of Pakistan. He was one of the greatest poets of this era, especially in the use of "ista'aaray" and "chhotee beher".

Kazmi was born on December 8, 1925 at Ambala in British India. He was educated at Ambala, Simla and Lahore. He returned to Ambala in 1945 and started looking after his ancestral land. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he came to Lahore. He did some journalistic work with Auraq-e-Nau as an editor and became editor-in-chief of the magazine Humayun in 1952. Later he was associated with Radio Pakistan, Lahore and other literary publications and organizations.

Nasir Kazmi started his poetic life in 1940 by following the style of Akhtar Sherani and wrote romantic poems and sonnets. Later he began writing ghazals under the guidance of Hafeez Hoshyarpuri. He was a great admirer of Mir Taqi Mir and probably the melancholy and "Ehsaas-e-Mehroomi" in his poetry was a direct result of that. His tutor in poetry was Hafeez Hoshyarpuri, who himself used a lot of symbols from nature in his poems.

'Yaad ke benishan jazerun se
Teri awaz arahi hai abhi...'
Nasir, few days before his death, said in a TV interview by Intezaar Hussain, that 'horse riding, hunting, wandering in a village, walk along the river side, visiting mountains etc were my favourite pastimes and probably this was the time when my mind got nourishment for loving nature and getting close to the expression of poetry. All my hobbies are related with fine arts, like singing, poetry, hunting, chess, love of birds, love of trees etc... i started poetry because I used to reflect that all the beautiful things those I see, and those in nature are not in my hands, and they go away from me. Few moments, that time which dies, cannot be made alive. I think can be alive in poetry, that is why I(Nasir) started poetry!' Nowadays, very few people may remember that Nasir used to hum his poetic verses and that humming had much attraction in it.

'Phir kaga bola ghar ka suna angan mei
Rut ayi peeley phulun ki, Tum Yad Aye...'
He migrated from Ambala, India to Lahore Pakistan in August 1947. He also worked as a Staff Editor in Radio Pakistan. He used to sit at Tea House and wander at Mall Rd, Lahore with his friends. He was fond of eating, wandering and enjoying life. Normally people take him as a sad poet but most of his poetry is based on romantic happiness and the aspect of hope.

'Yaas mei jab kabhi aansu nikla
Ik nayi aas ka pehlu nikla'
His last four books tragically were published after his death. He died in Lahore on March 2, 1972 due to stomach cancer. Few people know that he did some great translations of English poets, especially his translation of Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by the title of "Brooklyn Ghaat Ke Paar" is a real masterpiece and worth reading


Noor Jehan
was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. She is renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia and was given the honorific title of Mallika-e-Tarranum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم, English: the queen of melody).

Born in a family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of Pakistan including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages,[1] she is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director.

In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award for her acting and singing capabilities.

Born in Kasur, Punjab, British India[2] and was one of the eleven children of professional musicians Madad Ali and Fateh Bibi.

The family would often perform at theaters, although only Wasai's eldest sisters would go on to pursue a career in acting. Two of her sisters, Eidan Bai and Haider Bandi, were successful actors at the rural Taka Theatre in Lahore.

Wasai began to sing at the age of five or six years old and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who was also a native of Kasur. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music and the classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, and khyal. At the age of nine, Wasai drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, who would later introduce her to stage in Lahore. He composed some ghazals, naats and folk songs for her to perform, although she was more keen in breaking into acting or playback singing. Once her vocational training finished, Wasai pursued a career in singing alongside her sisters in Lahore and would usually take part in the live song and dance performances prior to screenings of films in film theatres.

The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in hope of developing the movie careers of Wasai and her sisters. During their stay in Calcutta, the renowned singer Mukhtar Begum, encouraged Wasai and her two older sisters to join film companies and recommended them to various producers. She also recommended them to her husband, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who owned a maidan theatre (a tented theatre to accommodate large audiences). It was here that Wasai received the stage name Baby Noor Jehan. Her older sisters were offered jobs with one of the Seth Sukh Karnani companies, Indira Movietone and they went on to be known as the Punjab Mail.[1] Wasai would later adopt Mukhtar Begum's way of performance and sari attire.

In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed Pind di Kudhi in which Jehan acted along with her sisters.She next acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer, Damodar Sharma.Baby Noor Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). After a few years in Calcutta, Noor Jehan returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, Ghulam Hairder composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity. She then recorded her first song Shala Jawaniyan Mane for Dalsukh M. Pancholi's movie Gul Bakavli.

Prior to Khandaan Jehan was cast as a child artist. It was in 1942 that she played the main lead opposite Pran. Khandaan's success saw her shifting to Bombay (now Mumbai), where she shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. In 1945 Jehan player the lead role, alongside Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, in the movie Badi Maa.

In 1945, she achieved a milestone, when she sung a Qawwali with Zohrabai Ambalewali and Amirbai Karnataki which was "Aahen Na Bhareen Shikave Na Kiye". This was the first ever Qawwali recorded in female voices in South Asian films.

Noor Jehan's last film in India was Mirza Sahibaan (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's brother Trilok Kapoor. Noor Jehan sang 127 songs in Indian films and the number of talking films she made from 1932 to 1947 was 69. The number of silents was 12. Fifty-five of her films were made in Bombay, eight in Calcutta, five in Lahore and one in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma.

After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Jehan decided to move to Pakistan along with her husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. She left Bombay and settled in Karachi with her family.

Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chanwey (1951), opposite Santosh Kumar, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first female director. Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dopatta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chanwey (1951).

Her penultimate film as an actress/singer was Mirza Ghalib (1961).This contributed to the strengthening of her iconic stature. She gained another audience for herself. Her rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Mujshe pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang is a unique example of tarranum, reciting poetry as a song. Noor Jehan last starred in Baaji in 1963, though not in a leading role. Noor Jehan bade farewell to acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930 to 1963). The pressure of being a mother of six children and the demanding wife of a hero (Ejaz Durrani) forced her to give up her career. Noor Jehan made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu, four in Punjabi.

After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback for a Pakistani film was for Jan-e-Bahar (1958), in which she sung the song Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, picturised on Musarrat Nazir. She received many awards, including with the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966, Pakistan's top civil award.

In the 1990s Jehan also sang for then débutante actresses Neeli and Reema. For this very reason, Sabiha Khanum affectionately called her Sadabahar (evergreen). Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.

Jehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie where she met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in New Delhi and was received by Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai.

In 1986, on a tour of North America, Jehan suffered from chest pains and was dignosed with angina after which she underwent a surgery to install a pacemaker. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On Saturday afternoon, December 23, 2000, Noor Jehan died from heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and she was buried at the Gizri Graveyard near the Saudi Consulate in Karachi.

Ey Jazba - E - Dil Agar Main Chahoon...From Vineeta Sastry

Nayyara Noor

Poet:Behzad Lakhnavi
Singer:Nayyara Noor
Raag:Kafi
Taal:Dadral


ai jazbaa-e-dil gar mei.n chaahuu.n har chiiz muqaabil aa jaa'ye
manzil ke liye do gaam chaluu.n, aur saamne manzil aa jaa'ye


haa.n yaad mujhe tum kar lenaa, aawaaz mujhe tum de lenaa
is raah-e-muhabbat mei.n koii, darpaish jo mushkil aa jaa'ye


ai dil kii Khalish chal yuu.n hii sahii, chaltaa to huu.n unkii mehfil mei.n
us vaqt mujhe chau.nkaa denaa, jab ra.ng pe mehfil aa jaa'ye


ai rahbar-e-kaamil chalne ko, tayyaar to huu.n par yaad rahe
us vaqt mujhe bhaTkaa denaa, jab saamne ma.nzil aa jaa'ye


aataa hai jo tuufaa.n aane do, kashtii ka khudaa khood haafiz hai
mushkil to nahii.n in maojo.n mein, behtaa huu'aa saahil aa jaa'ye


From: www.anindianmuslim.com


Great Urdu poets: Behzad Lakhnavi
Behzad Lakhnavi is one of my favourite poets. I fell in love with his poetry after watching Merchant Ivory's film Muhafiz, when I was in my early teens. Apart from Faiz, the film had Bahzad's ghazals.

hameN kis tarah bhuul paayegii duniyaa
ki DhuunDhe se hamsaa na paayegii duniyaa

qayaamat kii duniyaa meN hai dil-farebii
qayaamat meN bhii yaad aayegii duniyaa

What is the purpose of life? It intrigues all of us. So much effort man makes on this earth but isn't it all futile in a way. The poets and writers leave behind their works and wonder what will happen to them? Will their writings help the future generations in understanding the world. The writer derives satisfaction in the fact that words written by them would guide and inspire the coming generations and immortalise the writer.

Click to read the ghazal in Urdu, Hindi and Roman scripts.

I especially like his ghazal, which I have earlier posted on this blog.

aye jazba-e-dil gar main chahuuN har chiiz muqaabil aa jaye
manzil ke liye do gaam chaluun aur saamne manzil aa jaye

Click to read

Another ghazal of Behzad Lucknawi is as follows:

diivaanaa banaanaa hai to diivaanaa banaa de
varnaa kahiiN taqdiir tamaashaa na banaa de


aye dekhne vaaloN mujhe haNs haNs ke na dekho
tum ko bhii mohabbat kahiiN mujh saa na banaa de


maiN DhuuNDh rahaa huuN merii vo shamaa kahaaN hai
jo bazm kii har chiiz ko parwaanaa banaa de

Essentially a poet of love, Bahzad is also remembered for his 'naats'. I have heard from elders that his naats were daily broadcast on radio in the morning in the decades of 60s and 70s.

Another ghazal has the following couplets:

mujhe kar ataa sirf baar-e-mohabbat
maiN bandaa huuN parvardigaar-e-mohabbat

maiN ek but* ko Khud hii Khudaa kah rahaa huuN
ajab chiiz hai aitbaar-e-muhabbat
(but=idol, बुत)

Ey Eshgh Humay Barbaad Na Kar...From Vineeta Sastry

Nayyara Noora


Akhtar Sheerani
singer: Nayyara Noor

Ae Ishq hamein barbad na kar, barbad kar

Aye Ishq Na Chairr Aa Aa Ke HaMein,
HuM Bhule Huwon Ko Yaad Na Kar,
Pehle Hi Bahut Nashaad Hai HuM,
Tu Aur HaMein Nashaad Na Kar,
QisMat Ka SitaM Hi KaM Nahi Kuch,
Ye Taaza SitaM Ijaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
3
Raaton Ko Uth Uth Rote Hain,
Ro Ro Kar Duwayein Karte Hain,
Aankhon Mein Tasavvur Dil Mein Khalish,
Sar Dhunate Hai Aahein Bharte Hai,
Aye Ishq Ye Kaisa Rog Laga,
Jeete Hain Na ZaaliM Marte Hain,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
4
Aankhon Ko Ye Kya Aazaar Hua,
Har Jazb-E-Nihaan Par Ro Dena,
Aahang-E-Tarab Pe Jhuk Jaana,
Aawaz-E-Fugaan Par Ro Dena,
Parbat Ki Sada Par Ro Dena,
Mutrib Ke Bayan Par Ro Dena,
Ehsaas Ko GaM Buniyaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
4
Wo Raaz Hai Ye GaM Aah Jise,
Paa Jaye Koi To Khair Nahi,
Aankhonse Jab Aansu Behte Hai,
Aa Jaye Koi To Khair Nahi,
ZaaliM Hai Ye Duniya Dilko
Yahan Bhaa Jaye Koi Khair Nahi,
Hai ZulM Magar Fariyaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
5
Duniya Ka TaMasha Dekh Liya,
GaMgeen Si Hai Betaab Si Hai,
UMMid Yahan Ek WahaM Si Hai,
Taskeen Yahan Ek Khwaab Si Hai,
Duniya Mein Khushi Ka NaaM Nahi,
Duniya Mein Khushi Nayaab Si Hai,
Duniya Mein Khushi Ko Yaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar...



from: www.anindianmuslim.com
Akhtar Shirani: Poet of Romance
Great Urdu poet Akhtar Shirani passed away this month nearly 60 years ago but his unrequited love affair, letters purportedly written by him and the mystery of 'Salma', still evoke tremendous interest among readers.

Shirani was the most popular poet of his generation. His famous romantic Nazms include 'Aye Ishq kahiiN le chal', 'Jahaan Rehana rahti thi' and Salma. Along with Majaz, he is also referred to as Keats of Urdu poetry.

tum afsaana-e-Qais kyaa puuchhte ho
idhar aao, ham tumko lailaa banaa deN
(Akhtar Shirani)

He is referred to as 'Shahzada-e-Ruman' (Prince of Romance) and Shaaer-e-Husn-o-Javaani (Poet of youth and beauty). After failing to get his lady love, Akhtar had drowned himself into liquor and died at an early age (43).

He was the son of the renowned scholar Mahmood Sheerani who taught at Oriental College but unlike his father, Akhtar lived a bohemian life. Even sixty years after his death, publishers in India and Pakistan continue to cash in on his 'colourful life'.

A periodical in India claims that in the special issue it would name the woman who was referred to as Salma. Another publication in Pakistan prints some 'hitherto hidden' letters of correspondence for the first time and a weekly boosts its sales with a special report claiming that he didn't die but had committed suicide.

The truth is that contrary to popular perception, Akhtar's life was not at all as colourful. One of his couplets:

baad az gham-e-judaai-e-Salmaa mere liye
yaad-e-zubuur-o-maatam-e-shaivan hai aajkal

The man who used to gift away a note of Rs 50 to a pan walla because of the latter's tehzib of giving paan, spent the latter part of his youth and the last years in utter distress. He may have initially turned to liquor to forget Salma.

But his son's (Javed Mahmood alias Zuboor) sudden demise, the suicide of close friend Mirza Shuja Khan Shaivan, the incident of his son-in-law Naziruddin Shirani getting drowned in the Yanas river and that his daughter became widow at a young age, broke him. His strained relations with his father also added to Akhtar's frustration.

Shorish Kashmiri wrote that it was better not to see Akhtar. In his poetry he looks like a Greek God and in real life he is merely an 'echo of apology'. If you come across him in real life and someone tells you that he is the great Akhtar Sheerani, you will feel cheated, said Shaukat Thanvi. Thanvi vouches for the fact that Shirani was never seen in 'Aalam-e-Hosh' (he was always intoxicated).

Akhtar was in Tonk (Rajasthan) at the time of partition and was seriously ill. Rumours spread that he was killed along with his entire family while crossing the border. Jang published an article titled "Where is Akhtar Shirani?". Another paper published a letter of Dr Ahmar.

But as news reached Shirani, he said:

laao to qatl-naama meraa maiN bhii dekhuuN
kis kis kii mohar hai sar-e-mahzar lagii huii

Akhtar passed away in September in 1948. He was brought to hospital in an unconscious state. The photographs of Akhtar on his hospital bed were published in papers. Mukhtar Tonki writes in Aiwan-e-Urdu that stories were fabricated even after his death. It was said that his body was found on the street and taken to mortuary with nobody identifying it, that he committed suicide et al.

In 2004, weekly magazine 'Lahore' published letters to 'unravel' the truth about his mystery love and death. And later Takhliq also printed similar story. Munshi Abdul Baseer wrote the Nazm in which each stanza's letters alternately added up to 1948 and the corresponding Hijri year.

aye ishq kahiiN le chal is paap kii bastii
nafrat-gah-e-aalam se laanat-gah-e-hastii se
nafs parastoN se, is nafs parastii se
duur aur kahiiN le chal
aye ishq kahiin le chal....

The Nazm 'Jahaan Rehana rahtii thii..' is quite long as well. It starts with the following lines:

voh is vaadii kii shahzaadii thii aur shaahaana rahtii thii
kaNval ka phuul thii, sansaar se be-gaana rahtii thii
nazar se duur, misl-e-nikhat-e-mastaana rahtii thii
yahii vaadii hai voh hamdam jahaaN Rehaana rahtii thii...

And the Nazm 'Salma'

bahaar-e-husn ka tuu Ghuncha-e-shaadaab hai Salma
tujhe fitrat ne apne dast-e-rangiiN se saNvaaraa hai
bihisht-e-rang-o-buu ka tuu saraapa ek nazaaraa hai
terii suurat saraasar paikar-e-maahtaab hai Salma
jism ek hujuum-e-resham-o-kamKhwaab hai Salma
shabistaan-e-javaanii ka tuu ek zinda sitaaraa hai tuu
is duniaa meN bahar-e-husn-o-fitrat ka kinaaraa hai tuu
is sansaar meN ek aasmaanii Khwaab hai Salma...

Daud Khan, who became famous as Akhtar Shirani, was born in 1905 in Tonk (Rajasthan) and just two years after his father's death, the poet of romance also passed away in Lahore on September 9, 1948.

aye vaae Akhtar huaa ham se judaa ab
lagaa haaye teer-e-qazaa kaa nishaana


13 September, 2007 08:43
Anonymous said...
During the time of HH Nawab Hafiz Mohammed Sa'dat Ali Khan Bahadur Jung of Tonk State,British India, Late Janab Allah Bakshe Akhter Shirani sahab attended Mushayara. He came late, so he put his right hand on the frame(Chaukhat) of Sheeshal Mahal, Nazar Bagh Palace, and stand keep quiet. HH Nawab Sahab called him" Gharib Khane mein tashrif laeeye". Akhter Sahab replied"Mein Amir Khanoh mein nahin jata to Gharib khane mein kya au". Nawab Sahab was so pleased with his reply and started laughing. Told to me by 80 years old Nisar Ahmed Khan Tonki, presently residing in Ahmedabad(Gujarat),India.Artist Mr.Maqbool Fida Hussain used to come to Tonk from Indore, to listen Akhter Sahab's Kalsm in early forties.

My father, Justice Mohammed Rafique, was the Chief Justice Of Tonk High Court, before partition, and Akhter Sahab was very good friend of my father. My father's uncle Khan Bahadur Mohammed Moula Buksh,M.A.(Oxford), F.L.Sc.(USA),was the development officer of Tonk State, later he was the chief conservator of forests in earstwhile Nizam State(Hyderabad Deccan).My eldest sister was the Mayor of Ahmedabad(2003-2005). You can contact me on my address:
Naved Rafique
B-1/1, Modern Flats
Behind N.I.D.
Paldi
Ahmedabad - 380 007.
India.
email:navedrafique@yahoo.co.in
tonkindia@yahoo.co.in

Mohabbat Karnay Walay Kum Na Hongay - From Vineeta Sastry

Farida Khannum



Iqbal Bano


Mehdi Hassn


Lyrics:HAFEEZ HOSHIARPURI

Mohabbat karne waale kam na honge
teri mehfil mein lekin hum na honge

zamaane bhar ke gham ya ek tera gham
ye gham hoga to kitne gham na honge

dilo'n ki uljhanein badhti rahengi
agar kuch mashvare baaham na honge

agar tu ittefaaqan mil bhi jaaye
teri furqat ke sadme kam na honge

'Hafeez' unn se main jitna badgumaa'n hoon
wo mujh se iss qadar barham na honge.

Aaj Jaanay Ki Zidd Na Karo - From Vineeta Sastry

Farida Khannum


Habib Wali Mohammed


Written by Fayyaz Hashmi

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho
Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo

Haaye mar jaayein ge
Hum to lutt jaayein ge
Aisi baatein kiya na karo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo

Tumhi socho zara
kyu\'n na rokein tumhey
jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jaatey ho tum
jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jaatey ho tum
tum ko apni qasam jaan-e-jaa\'n
baat itni meri maan lo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo


Waqt ki qaed mein zindagi hai magar
Waqt ki qaed mein zindagi hai magar
chand gharriya\'n yahi hain jo aazaad hain
chand gharriya\'n yahi hain jo aazaad hain
inko khho kar kaheen jaan-e-jaa\'n
umr bhar na tarastey raho
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo

Kitna masoom aur rangeen hai yeh sama
husn aur ishq ki aaj me\'raj hai
husn aur ishq ki aaj me\'raj hai
kal ki kis ko khabar jaan-e-jaa\'n
rok lo aaj ki raat ko
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho
Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo

The Lyrics:
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Today/Tonight, don’t insist on leaving
Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho
Sit here close to me
Haaye mar jaayein ge
I will die
Hum to lutt jaayein ge
I will be lost
Aisi baatein kiya na karo
Don’t say such things
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Tonight, don’t insist on leaving

Tumhi socho zara
Just ponder for a second
kyu’n na rokein tumhey
Why shouldn’t I stop you?
jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jaatey ho tum
When my life leaves every time you go
tum ko apni qasam jaan-e-jaa’n
I swear to you, my love
baat itni meri maan lo
Listen to my one request
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Tonight, don’t insist on leaving

Waqt ki qaed mein zindagi hai magar
Life is trapped in time’s prison but
chand gharriya’n yahi hain jo aazaad hain
These are the few moments that are free
inko khho kar kaheen jaan-e-jaa\’n
By losing them, my love
umr bhar na tarastey raho
Don’t start a life of regret
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Tonight, don’t insist on leaving

Kitna masoom aur rangeen hai yeh sama
How innocent and colorful is the weather
husn aur ishq ki aaj me\’raj hai
It is the reign of beauty and love
kal ki kis ko khabar jaan-e-jaa\’n
Who knows what tomorrow will bring
rok lo aaj ki raat ko
Let’s stop this night right here
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Tonight, don’t insist on leaving


Farida Khanum (born 1935) is a Pakistani Ghazal singer from Punjab. The Times of India has called her "Malika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazal)
In 2005, she was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian honour by President Pervez Musharraf.

She was born in Calcutta and raised in Amritsar. She migrated to Pakistan after partition of India in 1947.She started learning Khayal from her sister Mukhtar Begum at age seven and later learnt classical music from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan.
Farida Khanum gave her first public concert in 1950.

The ghazal she is most associated with is "Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo