Eminent poet Bashir Badr's ghazal: Jo chhoR diya phir use muR kar nahiiN dekha...

Bashir Badr is among the generation of Urdu poets who made their mark on the literary scene in the decade of 1960s.

Badr was born in 1935. He studied at AMU, Aligarh. He lived in Meerut and later shifted to Bhopal, where he now resides. Bashir Badr has a long list of publications in his name.

Several of his poetry collections were printed in the devanagari script and this is a reason for his popularity among Hindi-knowing masses too.

Read his ghazal:

आँखों में रहा, दिल में उतर कर नहीं देखा 
कश्ती के मुसाफिर ने समंदर नहीं देखा 

बे-वक़्त अगर जाऊँगा सब चौंक पड़ेंगे 
एक उम्र हुई दिन में कभी घर नहीं देखा 

जिस दिन से चला हूँ मेरी पे नज़र है
आँखों ने कभी मील का पत्थर नहीं देखा

महबूब का घर हो कि बुज़ुर्गों की ज़मीनेँ 
जो छोड़ दिया फिर उसे मुड़ कर नहीं देखा 

पत्थर मुझे कहता है मेरा चाहने वाला 
मैं मोम हूँ उसने मुझे छू कर नहीं देखा 

बशीर बद्र 



Now read the ghazal in Roman transliteration:

aa.nkhoN me.n rahaa, dil me.n utar kar nahiiN dekha
kashti ke musaafir ne samandar nahiiN dekhaa

be-waqt agar jaaungaa, sab chaunk paDenge
ek umr huii din me.n kabhii ghar nahiiN dekhaa

jis din se chalaa huuN meri manzil pe nazar hai
aaNkhoN ne kabhii meel ka patthar nahiiN dekhaa

mahbuub ka ghar ho ki buzurgo.n kii zamiineN
jo chhoR diyaa phir use muR kar nahiiN dekhaa

patthar mujhe kahtaa hai meraa chaahne waala
maiN mom huuN usne mujhe chhuu kar nahiiN dekhaa

Bashir Badar

Ada Jafri's ghazal: Do char qadam ham bhi tere saath chale hain...

Ada Jafri, 90, [she spelt it Jafarey] was born in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in undivided India on August 22, 1926. She began penning poetry at an early age.

In fact, she was just nine when she wrote her first verse. Previously she wrote under the name, Ada Badayuni'. After partition, she migrated to Pakistan.

She is considered the foremost among women poets in Urdu. She won many prestigious literary awards and has four poetry collections to her credit. She passed away in Karachi [Pakistan] on March 16, 2015.

ये फख्र तो हासिल है, बुरे हैं कि भले हैं
दो चार क़दम हम भी तेरे साथ चले हैं

जलना तो चिराग़ों का मुक़द्दर है अज़ल से
ये दिल के कँवल हैं कि बुझे हैं न जले हैं

थे कितने सितारे कि सर-ए-शाम ही डूबे
हंगाम-ए-सहर कितने ही खुर्शीद ढले हैं

जो झेल गए हंस के कड़ी धूप के तेवर
तारों की खुन्क छाँव में वोह लोग जले हैं

एक शमा बुझाई तो कई और जला लीं
हम गर्दिश-ए-दौराँ से बड़ी चाल चले हैं

अदा जाफरी


Now read her ghazal in Roman English script:

Ye fakhr to haasil hai, bure hain ki bhale haiN
do chaar qadam ham bhii tere saath chale haiN

jalnaa to chiraaGho.n ka muqaddar hai azl se
ye dil ke kanwal haiN ki bujhe haiN na jale haiN

the kitne sitaare ki sar-e-shaam hii Duube
hangaam-e-sahar kitne hii Khurshiid Dhale haiN

jo jhel gaye ha.ns ke kaDii dhuup ke tevar
taaro.n kii Khunk chhao.n meiN voh log jale haiN

ek shamaa bujhaai to kau aur jalaa lein
ham gardish-e-duaraaN se baRii chaal chale haiN

Adaa Jafri

Mini Urdu-English dictionary

[Sahar: Dawn, Khursheed: Sun, Khunk: Cold]

Famous Urdu poet Kalim Ajiz' ghazal: Tum qatl karo ho ki karamaat karo ho...

Kalim Ajiz [proununciation: Kaleem Aajiz] who was born in Telhara [Nalanda] in Bihar, was a renowned Urdu poet.

He passed away in Hazaribagh [Jharkhand] in February 2015. Ajiz was 90. A poet in classical mould, he inspired generations of Urdu poets and readers.

A retired professor, he enriched Urdu literary world for almost seven decades. Ajiz' first collection of poetry was released by former president of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad in 1976. Read this unique ghazal:

दिन एक सितम, एक सितम रात करो हो
वोह दोस्त हो, दुश्मन को भी मात करो हो

हम ख़ाक-नशीं, तुम सुख़न-आराए-सर-ए-बाम 
पास आके मिलो, दूर से क्या बात करो हो 

हम को जो मिला है वोह तुम्हीं से तो मिला है
हम और भुला दें तुम्हें? क्या बात करो हो

दामन पे कोई छींट न खंजर पे कोई दाग़ 
तुम क़त्ल करो हो कि कोई करामात करो हो 

बकने भी दो 'आजिज़' को जो बोले है बके है
दीवाना है, दीवाने से क्या बात करो हो

कलीम आजिज़ 

Now read the same ghazal in Roman English script:

din ek sitam, ek sitam raat karo ho
voh dost ho, dushman ko bhi maat karo ho

ham khaak-nashee.n, tum sukhan-aaraa-e-sar-e-baam
paas aa ke milo, door se kyaa baat karo ho

ham ko jo milaa hai voh tumhiiN se to mila hai
ham aur bhilaa dein tumhein! kyaa baat karo ho

daaman pe koii chhiinT na Khanjar pe koii daaGh
tum qatl karo ho ki koii karaamaat karo ho

bakne bhii do 'aajiz' ko jo bole hai bake hai
diivaana hai, diivaane se kyaa baat karo ho

Kalim Aajiz