A Landmark Ghazal by Hasrat Mohani.
A very common Ghazal, and by my understanding of the people response, its very under estimated also. Hope this article will dust off any misconceptions, of this gem being a mediocre literal piece!
First the Ghazal in all its opulence,
Chupke chupke raat din aansoon bahaana yaad hai
Hum ko ab tak aashiqui ka woh zamaana yaad hai
Tujh se milte hi woh bebaak ho jaana mera
Aur tera daanton mein woh ungali dabaana yaad hai
Chori chori hum se tum aa kar mile the jis jagaah
Muddatein guzareen par ab tak wo thikaana yaad hai
Khench lenaa wo mera parde ka konaa daffatan
Aur dupatte mein tera woh munh chhupaana yaad hai
Tujh ko jab tanhaa kabhii paana to az raah-e-lihaaz
Haal-e-dil baaton hi baaton mein jataanaa yaad hai
Aa gaya gar vasl ki shab bhi kahin zikr-e-firaaq
Woh tera ro-ro ke bhi mujhko rulaana yaad hai
Dopahar ki dhoop mein mere bulane ke liye
Woh tera kothe pe nangey paaon aana yaad hai
Dekhanaa mujhako jo bargashtaa to sau sau naaz se
Jab manaa lenaa to phir Khud ruuTh jaanaa yaad hai
Wo tere sukhe labo.n kaa thar-tharaanaa yaad hai
Baah-a-zaaraa.N iztiraab-o-sad-hazaaraa.N ishtiyaaq
Baavajuud-e-iddaa-e-ittaqaa ‘Hasrat’ mujhe
Hum ko ab tak aashiqui ka woh zamaana yaad hai
Aur tera daanton mein woh ungali dabaana yaad hai
Remark: Ghulam Ali Saa'b has added 'kuch' in the intial line of the Sher.
Tujh se milte hi woh kuch bebaak ho jaana mera
I think it was done to probably set the lyrics to the tune.
Chori chori hum se tum aa kar mile the jis jagaah
Muddatein guzareen par ab tak wo thikaana yaad hai
And even now, although its been a long time (Muddatein guzareen), I still very much remember that place, very clearly in my thoughts!
Imagine the poet sitting and just flipping back through his memories and as each page passes by, he tries to re-create it and soaks in that nostalgic euphoria that memories weave in front of him! Romance at its best.
Khench lenaa wo mera parde ka konaa daffatan
Aur dupatte mein tera woh munh chhupaana yaad hai
Haal-e-dil baaton hi baaton mein jataanaa yaad hai
Woh tera ro-ro ke bhi mujhko rulaana yaad hai
Woh tera kothe pe nangey paaon aana yaad hai
Dekhanaa mujhako jo bargashtaa to sau sau naaz se
Jab manaa lenaa to phir Khud ruuTh jaanaa yaad hai
Beautiful Thoughts!
Here poet says, that whenever you saw me upset(bargashtaa meaning upset here) , with all your love(sau sau naaz se), you used to cheer me up. Then as soon, you could see that I was doing fine, you turned upset! As if my turn was over and now it was your turn, and I should cheer you up and pamper you. (Jab manaa lenaa to phir Khud ruuTh jaanaa yaad hai )
Beautiful, isn't? Moments of love, of care, of simplicity, but so charming and so very well expresses. It just re-instills your faith on the fact that Love is all about these small precious moments of togetherness..!
Try to picture these moments. One cannot help but soak in the wonderful emotion that poet weaves here. Simple moments, but so very touching and real!
Waqt-e-ruKhsat alvidaa kaa lafz kahane ke liye
Wo tere sukhe labo.n kaa thar-tharaanaa yaad hai
In the moment-to-depart(Waqt-e-ruKhsat) , when the time to say good bye(alvida) for the day came(alvidaa kaa lafz kahane ke liye) , I still remember, how your lips would get dry (sukhe labo.n kaa meaning dry lips) and would shiver(thar-tharaanaa), as if they just could not utter the word. I still remember how weak you went!
How touching! Mesmerising.. As if you see all this happening in-front of you!
My favourite sher of the ghazal.
Baah meaning : Lust (positive way).
Zaar in -a-zaara- meaning : Desire
Iztiraab meaning: Anxiety
Poet says - I still very much remember the times I first felt for you(Tujhase vo pahale pahal dil kaa lagaanaa yaad hai ). It was a feeling fueled by lustful desires and anxiety(Baah-a-zaaraa.N iztiraab). An un-explainable restlessness that overtook everything within. It was a time marked with hundred-thousand(sad-hazaaraa.N) desires and longing( ishtiyaaq) for you!
I don't think anyone can put this feeling in words more beautifully than Hasrat Saa'b has done. Very truly emoted! One must take keen observation that Hasrat Sa'ab was never shy of expressing his feelings through poetry. Here he uses strong words like 'Baah' - which were necessary to emote the truthfulness of the situation.
In this 'maqta' of the ghazal, Hasrat Sa'ab again proves his worth. Wonderful sher.
Baavajuud-e-iddaa-e-ittaqaa meaning - In-spite(Baavajuud) of my claims(iddaa) of abstinence.(ittaqaa ). Poet speaks to himself and says- Hasrat, in-spite of all your claims that I do not remember, and I have long forgotten - the fact is that with all sense and sensibility(havas ), I still remember very clearly the promise(ahad) of love that I did then. This tale of love(fasaanaa) is very clearly etched out in my memories, and that, will always remain the truth!
I hope you agree that Hasrat Mohani Sa'ab has truly penned a masterpiece in form of this ghazal. With Ghulam ali singing this - you can easily picture the while tale happening in front of your eyes.
Romance at its purest.
-Amit