I fear it will all change…

I am always amazed at the improvisation that the great singers introduce into their vocal renditions every time they get to expound on the same raag, cheez, or ghazal. They take the liberty -and at will dwell much longer on a few words, a line or even introduce lines/pieces of verse written by someone else. This happens frequently with the great ghazal singers, Ghulam Ali does it more often than Mehdi Hassan sahab or Jagjit Singh ji, to name a few exponents of the same genre. The great vocalists take liberty with the presentation depending on their mood at the moment and the same raag by the same vocalist creates a different level of satiation and impact at different times.

Let’s listen in to a ghazal by Ghulam Ali. I bumped into it early this morning while looking for something else and will use it to illustrate my point. The straightforward rendition in the studio version is so good, direct, short and sweet. https://youtu.be/lusxUXxSQJI?si=fFQJ1APqbSeFFafg

मैं नज़र से पी रहा हूँ ये समाँ बदल न जाए

अनवर मिर्जापुरी

मैं नज़र से पी रहा हूँ ये समाँ बदल न जाए

न झुकाओ तुम निगाहें कहीं रात ढल न जाए

मेरे अश्क भी हैं इस में ये शराब उबल न जाए

मेरा जाम छूने वाले तेरा हाथ जल न जाए

अभी रात कुछ है बाक़ी न उठा नक़ाब साक़ी

तेरा रिंद गिरते गिरते कहीं फिर सँभल न जाए

मेरी ज़िंदगी के मालिक मेरे दिल पे हाथ रखना

तेरे आने की ख़ुशी में मेरा दम निकल न जाए

मुझे फूँकने से पहले मेरा दिल निकाल लेना

ये किसी की है अमानत मेरे साथ जल न जाए

किसी खौफ़ से नशेमन मैं बना सका न ‘अनवर’,
ये निगाहें अहल-ए-गुलशन कहीं फिर बदल न जाये

A longer rendition from a live concert is more relaxed and sounds different with the flavour of Darbari raag. Ghulam Ali liberally introduces various ash’aar by others too. You’ll get the deja vu like feeling when you hear them. But he introduces the maqta which is missing in the studio recording. https://youtu.be/A3zq26FjXlQ?si=n0TBgxL5JvgVhh89

It isn’t at all fair to compare two greats, but Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hassan have entirely different effects on my mind. I love Ghulam Ali in the first half (or two thirds) of his career when he did some more honest, straightforward singing than in the latter part, when gimmicky vocal moves took over his unquestioned singing abilities, very sadly.

Just to round it off, check out the same ghazal in Tilang by Mehdi Hassan sahab. It sounds so very different due to his vocal style and timbre. https://youtu.be/FBuUYTzW4ug?si=8BZVLGnUwe8Lff8X

It changes the tone and creates an entirely different mood from the first notes of the harmonium at the very introduction. An amazing one, too. So very different, especially because he intersperses the ash’aar with lines in Punjabi by other poets.

Have a great day ahead, and hope you enjoyed the variations by the two leading exponents from the neighbourhood (infested by serpents of a particularly venomous variety that actually seek to ban all musical forms).

Stay healthy and happy. A drought looms large in my state and I pray to the supreme being to mitigate the suffering…

Your smiling gaze….

I woke up with this song playing in my head and actually wrote it on the metro ride to the hospital. An amazing paean to love and longing rendered by easily the best ghazal singer I’ve heard in my life, Khansahab Mehdi Hassan. The three essential and ideal components of a good ghazal are all in place for an unforgettable piece of musical magic: great verse, a melodious composition and of course sublime vocals. Khansahab renders it in his typical unhurried fashion at length. https://youtu.be/GHP-mSmr9hY?si=KQbmLP8UmzQBoNql

जब तिरे नैन मुस्कुराते हैं

• अब्दुल हमीद अदम

जब तेरे नैन मुस्कुराते हैं

ज़ीस्त के रंज भूल जाते हैं

क्यूँ शिकन डालते हो माथे पर

भूल कर आ गए हैं जाते हैं

कश्तियाँ यूँ भी डूब जाती हैं

नाख़ुदा किस लिए डराते हैं

इक हसीं आँख के इशारे पर

क़ाफ़िले राह भूल जाते हैं

The ghazal, rendered in a rarely performed raag, Sehra, always makes me introspective and calms me. The ghazal is pretty straightforward and should be very easy to understand. Sultan Khan on the Sarangi and Kamran Hassan on the Harmonium provide wonderful instrumental accompaniment. Check this rendition from another live concert. The vocals are divine but he has clearly not understood the meaning of the word विहंगम!

But he being who he is/was and the levels of education in the land of the impure are far below where they should be, so we will just overlook that jarring part. https://youtu.be/AVqtFf6WqrI?si=S1t9MQdHah093uFY

Enjoy this short, lovely, meaningful ghazal. Stay healthy and happy. El Nino has affected India but we can’t do anything much about things that originate in South America that harm India . The humorous aspect of a South American export is seen in the asinine and puerile behaviour of India’s most famous dimpled dolt (who has currently hidden them under a luxuriant facial fungus- hope he becomes Asaram’s next door neighbour soon)

Hoping for a miracle…

I woke up this morning (in the morning of course, unlike the most famous dimpled dopehead dolt) & found this melody playing inside my head. An amazing piece of verse by Qateel Shifai that’s been rendered by my favourite Jagjit Singh (how I miss him with hundreds of millions of his diehard fans). I had first heard his shorter studio recording on his albums and fallen in love with the verse, the uncomplicated composition and of course the divine singing. A few years ago, I chanced upon a longer rendition from a live program which was digitally restored that sounds just awesome in its languorous, utterly unhurried manner. https://youtu.be/uVLtkELMZpI?si=sjCNqpMN6aI7ydKy

The verse is just sublime. Have a look in its original form. (Most vocal renditions will only include a few ash’aar out of the entire ghazal)

ये मो’जिज़ा भी मोहब्बत कभी दिखाए मुझे :

क़तील शिफ़ाई

ये मो’जिज़ा भी मोहब्बत कभी दिखाए मुझे

कि संग तुझ पे गिरे और ज़ख़्म आए मुझे

मैं अपने पाँव तले रौंदता हूँ साए को

बदन मेरा ही सही दोपहर न भाए मुझे

ब-रंग-ए-ऊद मिलेगी उसे मेरी ख़ुश्बू

वो जब भी चाहे बड़े शौक़ से जलाए मुझे

मैं घर से तेरी तमन्ना पहन के जब निकलूँ

बरहना शहर में कोई नज़र न आए मुझे

वही तो सब से ज़ियादा है नुक्ता-चीं मेरा

जो मुस्कुरा के हमेशा गले लगाए मुझे

मैं अपने दिल से निकालूँ ख़याल किस किस का

जो तू नहीं तो कोई और याद आए मुझे

ज़माना दर्द के सहरा तक आज ले आया

गुज़ार कर तेरी ज़ुल्फ़ों के साए साए मुझे

वो मेरा दोस्त है सारे जहाँ को है मा’लूम

दग़ा करे वो किसी से तो शर्म आए मुझे

वो मेहरबाँ है तो इक़रार क्यूँ नहीं करता

वो बद-गुमाँ है तो सौ बार आज़माए मुझे

मैं अपनी ज़ात में नीलाम हो रहा हूँ ‘क़तील’

ग़म-ए-हयात से कह दो ख़रीद लाए मुझे

An amazing ghazal rendered beautifully by Jagjit Singh. The meaning is pretty straightforward and should not pose too much trouble.

The same ghazal has also been sung by Mehdi Hassan and has a slightly different flavour. https://youtu.be/o0bP-C6XP_o?si=M5nP2oMVn-w6lAw9

Both great ghazal singers who have devoted themselves to the genre for their lifetimes and elevated it to an art form. Jagjit Singh, ever the large hearted great human being, went to Paapistan to help raise funds for Mehdi Hassan in 2004 when the latter was crippled by a stroke and despite his fame, popularity and large number of albums/ concerts that he had earned from, had managed to land up in dire financial straits, thanks to having 17 children.

“The small gift I gave Mehdi Hassan saab was not from an Indian to a Pakistani but to a great artist from someone who’s been inspired by  him.. ”

 Stay happy, folks and decide which version you like more

It rained and how…..

It rained virtually incessantly throughout the weekend, with just  brief spells of respite in between. It was breezy as well with what felt like gusts of icy winds coming down the mountains and chilling me to the bone.

I did a Webinar with an all India group of cardiologists on Saturday evening shivering inside an all weather jacket. I admire the sagacity of the ancient masters who devised raags to depict various times and seasons. The right raag at the right time will evoke the perfect feeling in the listener’s body and mind. It somehow just doesn’t seem right if you listen to a late night raag first up. So also the association with the season. If it is monsoon and raining, it has to be Megh or some form of Malhar. Just check out this melody in Megh. https://youtu.be/AtUVPL4E2CU

Wonderful verse by Farhat Shahzad.

कोंपलें फिर फूट आईं शाख़ पर कहना उसे
वो न समझा है न समझेगा मगर कहना उसे

वक़्त का तूफ़ान हर इक शय बहा कर ले गया
इतनी तन्हा हो गई है रहगुज़र कहना उसे

जा रहा है छोड़ कर तन्हा मुझे जिसके लिये
चैन न दे पायेगा वो सीम-ओ-ज़र कहना उसे

रिस रहा हो ख़ून दिल से लब मगर हँसते रहे
कर गया बरबाद मुझको ये हुनर कहना उसे

जिसने ज़ख़्मों से मेरा 'शहज़ाद' सीना भर दिया
मुस्करा कर आज प्यारे चारागर कहना उसे

The heart and soul of a good ghazal has to be an excellent piece of verse that must be savoured word by word, line by line, just as one would enjoy a fine beverage. It isn’t meant to be gulped down thirstily, one has to spend time checking out nuances of each syllable. That verse rendered languidly by a great vocalist who spends time expounding the nuances of each word, going through the ash’aar slowly, sometimes returning to one that’s already been recited. A set of five ash’aar is the bare minimum to put a ghazal together. Mehdi Hassan is the undisputed master of the genre, alone at the top.

I recently heard a very interesting rendition in Megh. A Jugalbandi of a kind between two of my favourite artistes. Pandit Jayateerth Mevundi with Pandit Pravin Godkhindi. Pandit Jayateerth Mevundi is one of the best disciples of Bharatratna Swarbhaskar Bhimsen Joshi. And one which has absorbed all the wonderful teachings of the teacher. It is impossible for anyone to be able to come anywhere close to Bhimsen ji. But this wonderful singer could easily lay claim to the throne. The tonal quality of his accomplished and undeniable vocal skills are reminiscent of the great man. That class is clearly reflected in the truly fantastic singing of a very humble singer. This is really well complemented by the flautist Pandit Pravin Godkhindi who is truly wonderful. https://youtu.be/f5NRAVadPug

Have a wonderful day and week ahead, folks. Tomorrow is the day we finally were relieved of the rapacious British rule. We will never give in to their collaborators’ evil design. Nor will we bow down to the international cabal who seek to impose a new world order based on their own greedy designs and plans. Let me wish for a new era of peace, stability and prosperity to dawn upon my country.

You give me the blues…

I was actually listening to this ghazal when the message from my learned senior friend from Philadelphia arrived with the link to the same ghazal.

Spooky? Coincidence?? Happenstance??? Telepathy???? ESP?????

I’ve experienced this multiple times with him so I won’t offer an explanation. The ghazal is sublime, truly amazing. https://youtu.be/7R2WLFcsZB4

The verse by Fayyaz Hashmi is absolutely masterly, I feel I should savour it word by word, turning it around in my mouth like sipping a fine , vintage , rare wine.

हमें कोई ग़म नहीं था ग़म-ए-आशिक़ी से पहले

फय्याज हाशिमी

हमें कोई ग़म नहीं था ग़म-ए-आशिक़ी से पहले

न थी दुश्मनी किसी से तेरी दोस्ती से पहले

है ये मेरी बद-नसीबी तिरा क्या क़ुसूर इस में

तेरे ग़म ने मार डाला मुझे ज़िंदगी से पहले

मेरा प्यार जल रहा अरे चाँद आज छुप जा

कभी प्यार था हमें भी तेरी चाँदनी से पहले

मैं कभी न मुस्कुराता जो मुझे ये इल्म होता

कि हज़ार ग़म मिलेंगे मुझे इक ख़ुशी से पहले

ये अजीब इम्तिहाँ है कि तुम्हीं को भूलना है

मिले कब थे इस तरह हम तुम्हें बे-दिली से पहले

The words just drip and ooze droplets of pain from every syllable, every letter, the angst of longing and intensity of passion clearly palpable. The unchallenged King of Ghazals, Khansaheb Mehdi Hasan saheb sings it with a poignant, gnawing pain that cuts through straight to the heart. Predominantly based on Ahiri Todi, to me each ash’aar is laden with profound meaning. To me the best one is, undoubtedly मैं कभी न मुस्कुराता जो मुझे ये इल्म होता, कि हज़ार ग़म मिलेंगे मुझे इक ख़ुशी से पहले…..

With all these stalwarts, I love the live versions a tad more than the studio recordings.

The maestros, relieved of temporal constraints, really take off to mesmerize the audience.

Take a look at one of the live renditions. https://youtu.be/7R2WLFcsZB4

Stay happy folks, I will spend the rest of the day with my best friend..

This ghazal is dedicated to none other than the friend I would love to meet the most from the US, Nick Maneckshaw

Mere trivialities….

I woke up eager to listen to this amazing voice. I had heard the last ghazal rendered by him 4, maybe 5 days ago, and I was already developing symptoms of withdrawal. Suddenly this popped up on YouTube and pacified my jangling senses. https://youtu.be/eqGE-MaEl8I

Wonderful piece of verse that describes a recurring and extremely common situation in all our lives.

गो ज़रा सी बात पर बरसों के याराने गए……. खातिर ग़ज़नवी

गो ज़रा सी बात पर बरसों के याराने गए

लेकिन इतना तो हुआ कुछ लोग पहचाने गए

गर्मी-ए-महफ़िल फ़क़त इक नारा-ए-मस्ताना है

और वो ख़ुश हैं कि इस महफ़िल से दीवाने गए

मैं इसे शोहरत कहूँ या अपनी रुस्वाई कहूँ

मुझ से पहले उस गली में मेरे अफ़्साने गए

वहशतें कुछ इस तरह अपना मुक़द्दर बन गईं

हम जहाँ पहुँचे हमारे साथ वीराने गए

यूँ तो वो मेरी रग-ए-जाँ से भी थे नज़दीक-तर

आँसुओं की धुँद में लेकिन न पहचाने गए

अब भी उन यादों की ख़ुश्बू ज़ेहन में महफ़ूज़ है

बार-हा हम जिन से गुलज़ारों को महकाने गए

क्या क़यामत है कि ‘ख़ातिर’ कुश्ता-ए-शब थे भी हम

सुब्ह भी आई तो मुजरिम हम ही गर्दाने गए

A sublime rendition based on Ahiri Todi, a morning raag.

The verse is simple enough to be understood , but some of you could have difficulty with some of the words or phrases, I will include my interpretation and would be happy to understand yours and learn from it.

‎
गो ज़रा सी बात पर बरसों के याराने गए
लेकिन इतना तो हुआ कुछ लोग पहचाने गए

It is sad that years of friendship were lost over mere trivialities (of misunderstanding), but I could actually recognize some people in their true colours

गर्मी-ए-महफिल फ़क़त इक नारा-ए-मस्ताना है
और वो ख़ुश हैं कि इस महफ़िल से दिवाने गए
The enthusiasm, the passion, the joy of meeting is but a drunken cry, but some are happy a few left the gathering

मैं इसे शोहरत कहूँ या अपनी रूसवाई कहूँ
मुझ से पहले उस गली में मेरे अफ़साने गए
Is it my fame or a disgrace, that stories and anecdotes about me reached there before I could

वहशतें कुछ इस तरह अपना मुक़द्दर बन गईं
हम जहाँ पहुँचे हमारे साथ वीराने गए
Loneliness has now become my fate. Wherever I went, I took my loneliness along..

यूँ तो मेरी रग-ए-जाँ से भी थे नज़दीक-तर
आँसुओं की धुँद में लेकिन न पहचाने गए
They were closer to me than my life blood (रग-ए-जाँ: biggest blood vessel that carries blood to the heart), my vision, clouded by my tears couldn’t recognize them

अब भी उन यादों की ख़ुश-बू जे़हन में महफ़ूज है
बारहा हम जिन से गुलज़ारों को महकाने गए
I still have carefully preserved those fragrant memories in my soul, which I carried many a time to gardens to make them smell better

क्या क़यामत है के ‘ख़ातिर’ कुश्ता-ए-शब थे भी हम
सुब्ह भी आई तो मुजरिम हम ही गर्दाने गए
It is a strange situation, “Khatir” we remained unfulfilled in love in the darkness of the night, and yet were blamed for the same in the morning

A lament of loneliness, poignant and touching

Worth a second listen in the maestro’s voice. I can never tire of him. https://youtu.be/Srgxam2_72U

Stay safe, folks. Stay healthy and happy. Keep in touch and enjoy the rains

The anguish of an extinguished ember

I had first heard this ghazal some thirty, thirty five years ago. I loved it then, and I have loved it ever since. Ahmad Faraz and the unquestioned emperor of ghazals, Khansaheb Mehdi Hasan have given us a number of really beautiful melodies that are eternal. This must surely rank right up there in that list. While Ranjish hi sahi is undoubtedly the most famous of these (& at least in India something of a signature song for the two), this is just as good.

The ghazal first: https://youtu.be/tqxxJPGHZRM

A wonderful combination of a very meaningful verse, a very melodious composition and the most soulful vocal rendition of the genre makes this truly sublime and unforgettable.

शोला था जल बुझा हूँ….

——– अहमद फ़राज़

शो’ला था जल-बुझा हूँ हवाएँ मुझे न दो
मैं कब का जा चुका हूँ सदाएँ मुझे न दो

जो ज़हर पी चुका हूँ तुम्हीं ने मुझे दिया
अब तुम तो ज़िंदगी की दुआएँ मुझे न दो

ये भी बड़ा करम है सलामत है जिस्म अभी
ऐ ख़ुसरवान-ए-शहर क़बाएँ मुझे न दो

ऐसा न हो कभी कि पलट कर न आ सकूँ
हर बार दूर जा के सदाएँ मुझे न दो

कब मुझ को ए’तिराफ़-ए-मोहब्बत न था ‘फ़राज़’
कब मैं ने ये कहा है सज़ाएँ मुझे न दो

A wonderful composition in the raag Kirwani. This is yet another very melodious raag which was taken into the Hindustani Classical Music from Carnatic Music, where it is called Keeravani. A quiet, introspective, even sombre raag, it is a sampoorna-sampoorna raag. In the aaroha as well as avaroha, the gandhar and dhaiwat are komal, others are shuddha. Usually sung late into the night, it is a truly wonderful, evocative raag.

Khansaheb’s rendition always sticks to the purity of the singing, the fidelity of the sur, and he bridges the domains of popular music and classical music beautifully. There cannot be a better example of this than this ghazal.

Amazingly, he actually found the core of the ghazal while he was bathing. That would make it the 2nd important discovery after the fable of Archimedes and Eureka in the bathtub that I know of. https://youtu.be/I9aRFj-opzg

An amazing story, indeed and had I not heard it myself from the horse’s mouth, I may have had great difficulty in accepting the explanation. I might’ve even dismissed it as wild conjecture. Truth is, sometimes stranger than fiction.

Stay blessed, folks. Stay happy and enjoy the rains and the amazing ghazal

Beyond my time…

I was humming this ghazal to myself last evening while walking Choco. I went to bed but didn’t play it. Amazingly there was a message in my inbox giving the link of the same song from my friend in Philadelphia, Nick Maneckshaw who I’ve not met face to face and loves shayari and therefore ghazals. He guides and encourages me in my dabs at writing verse.

The ghazal first. Written by Qateel Shifai, it is a wonderful composition in Bhimpalasi raag. This is a wonderful raag of the time I am posting this today (12 noon to 3 pm) thanks to fun and games in the morning. A raag belonging to the Kaafi Thaat, it is an Audav-Sampoorna raag with Rishabh and Dhaivat skipped in the Aaroha, and all seven notes present in the Avaroha. Further, Nishad and Gandhar are komal in both Aaroha and Avaroha. https://youtu.be/Ag8JpA02WjY

The ghazal by Qateel Shifai has act been used in a movie Azmat made in the wake of the liberation of Bangla Desh. The movie version has different instrumentation and is much shorter (just over 3 minutes)

ज़िन्दगी में तो सभी प्यार किया करते हैं

ज़िन्दगी में तो सभी प्यार किया करते हैं
मैं तो मर कर भी मेरी जान तुझे चाहूँगा

तू मिला है तो एहसास हुआ है मुझको
ये मेरी उम्र मोहब्बत के लिए थोड़ी है
इक ज़रा सा गम-ए-दौरा का भी हक है जिसपर
मैंने वो सांस भी तेरे लिए रख छोड़ी है
तुझपे हो जाऊंगा कुर्बान तुझे चाहूँगा
मैं तो मर…

अपने जज़्बात में नगमात रचाने के लिए
मैंने धड़कन की तरह दिल में बसाया है तुझे
मैं तसव्वुर भी जुदाई का भला कैसे करूं
मैंने किम्सत की लकीरों से चुराया है तुझे
प्यार का बन के निगेहबान तुझे चाहूँगा
मैं तो मर…

तेरी हर चाप से जलते हैं ख़यालों में चिराग़
जब भी तू आये जगाता हुआ जादू आये
तुझको छू लूँ तो फ़िर ए जान-ए-तमन्ना मुझको
देर तक अपने बदन से तेरी ख़ुशबू आये
तू बहारों का है उनवान तुझे चाहूँगा
मैं तो मर…

A think a hearing of another concert rendition won’t be out of place. https://youtu.be/PpX458JzOwM

The ghazal from my favourite ghazal maestro is dedicated to the one who thought of the exact same piece as I did last evening, Nick Maneckshaw. Stay healthy, Sir.

The one who went away…

Every 5th June since the last few years is another turn of the knife stuck in my soul. Although the first months of the lockdown had coincided with a gradual fading of his health, my brave and loyal son continued to soldier on, his expressive eyes telling me all that I dreaded ever since his doctor had told me what was in store. During the lockdown, he would hobble around on much shortened, gradually shrinking excursions. As a young energetic child he and I had trudged and even jogged at least 6-7 Km everyday, exploring every corner of the area. We had even gone around the hill abutting the Law College Road, braving the hostile reception we invariably got in Kanchan Gully from the aggressive strays that had bitten and savaged many a passer by. My stout stick was always ready to strike the snout of the strays whence they would retreat yelping, tails firmly between their hind legs reminding me of a set of  politician brothers from the South.

How does one ever get over the loss of a canine son? Probably never. Anyone who has ever had any bonding with one will know what I am speaking of. I can personally vouch for the truly unconditional love a dog will give to (usually undeserving) humans in its family. Canines will erase all negative emotions in no time at all and transmit only positive vibes all around, to all and sundry.

God made them purely to love the human race, and teach us values that we are forgetting fast: loyalty, faith, trust, unconditional love. After all God just turned around the letters to denote his messenger on the planet.

The Ghazal gave me enormous succour. The sublime, divine singing of the man with the most amazing voice, who has been singularly responsible for raising the art form to dizzying heights and bringing it out of the living rooms of the Urdu Speaking aristocratic / feudal elite from Uttar Pradesh into the mindspaces of the common man. While he stuck to rendering verse in Urdu and a few in Punjabi, the task was taken much further afield by his most illustrious colleague, Jagjit Singh, who truly took it to the billion plus Indian’s hearts, with his choice of words and languages used by the Hoi Polloi , in Hindi than the lingua franca of the feudal elite, Urdu alone. He reaped the just rewards as a result . https://youtu.be/MnN05red8Xgb

The ghazal is written by the same shaayar who wrote the very famous ghazal that is virtually Mehdi Hasan’s signature tune; Ranjish hi sahi, Ahmed Faraz….

Abke Hum Bichhde  is largely composed in Raga Bhoopeshwari, a very rarely performed and less known Hindustani raga. It is believed to have been created by Pandit Mani Prasad in the last century. Bhoopeshwari is a very evocative raga, expressing feelings of Karuna rasa. Paired with the beautiful Urdu lyrics of the ghazal, penned by Ahmed Faraz, the ghazal is more than just a song, but an experience, a journey, a dream, an emotional catharsis for a soul left to suffer forever in agony. I cannot think of a more apt song than this to sum up my feelings for my son…

अब के हम बिछड़े तो शायद कभी ख़्वाबों में मिलें

अहमद फराज

अब के हम बिछड़े तो शायद कभी ख़्वाबों में मिलें

जिस तरह सूखे हुए फूल किताबों में मिलें

ढूँढ उजड़े हुए लोगों में वफ़ा के मोती

ये ख़ज़ाने तुझे मुमकिन है ख़राबों में मिलें

ग़म-ए-दुनिया भी ग़म-ए-यार में शामिल कर लो

नशा बढ़ता है शराबें जो शराबों में मिलें

तू ख़ुदा है न मेरा इश्क़ फ़रिश्तों जैसा

दोनों इंसाँ हैं तो क्यूँ इतने हिजाबों में मिलें

आज हम दार पे खींचे गए जिन बातों पर

क्या अजब कल वो ज़माने को निसाबों में मिलें

अब न वो मैं न वो तू है न वो माज़ी है ‘फ़राज़’

जैसे दो शख़्स तमन्ना के सराबों में मिलें

So much pain and depth of emotions expressed by the poet and so beautifully, evocatively rendered by the undoubted Shehenshah-e-Ghazal.

The torment continues years on, those who mentioned the pain would abate with the passage of time truly do not know what they are talking about, or are just paying lip service. Nothing of the sort ever happens, the wound remains a festering sore but covered for all the world with a mask we have learnt to wear more effectively.

I then came across this amazing poem by Henry Scott- Holland

Death Is Nothing At All

By Henry Scott-Holland 

Death is nothing at all. 
It does not count. 
I have only slipped away into the next room. 
Nothing has happened. 

Everything remains exactly as it was. 
I am I, and you are you, 
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. 
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. 

Call me by the old familiar name. 
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. 
Put no difference into your tone. 
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. 

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. 
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. 
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. 

Life means all that it ever meant. 
It is the same as it ever was. 
There is absolute and unbroken continuity. 
What is this death but a negligible accident? 

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? 
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, 
somewhere very near, 
just round the corner. 

All is well. 
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. 
One brief moment and all will be as it was before. 
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Brilliantly written, precisely capturing my feelings for my departed son , or is it His feelings for me.

I hope that is the case.

I am sure he is waiting in the next room in his favourite posture with chin touching the floor and the two front paws next to his ears, patiently, for the first sign of movement on the other side of the door……

The song of (enforced) silence….

The morning was serene. The evening and the first part of the night had been spent in my passion: gazing at Selene. I will soon get an astrophotography setup and enjoy my latest passion even more.

Dark moisture laden clouds swept across the night skies, driven by a brisk breeze, creating a fascinating, captivating, enchanting celestial head and seek. Although the electrical supply went out around midnight, the 3KVA inverter meant we weren’t going to be plunged into the state of affairs as in our immediate Western neighborhood. Woke up to exchange some chat/banter with an alumni group which includes my teachers (& theirs too… The oldest members, Dr Govind Dhadphale and Dr Choudhary are well into their 90s and amazingly creative & an inspiration to youngsters like me – I have basically been a teenager for more than half a century ). A senior member, arguably the progenitor of the study and treatment of Sexual Medicine in the country, Dr Prakash Kothari sent a voice clip with a wonderful ash’aar. Dr Shilpa Saralaya is a young kid, my junior by more than a decade, is passionate about the art form. So here is a dedication to both of you lovely people. https://youtu.be/BdEYuLGC_zc

Great poetry is an inseparable part of ghazals and this is truly one example of that. For Ghazals to become timeless, they must have good, meaningful verse, a simple, uncomplicated, composition with very few instruments, as the much greater importance is to the vocalist.

What better male singer of Ghazals than the legendary Khansahab, who is alone at the pinnacle.

न सियो होंट न ख़्वाबों में सदा दो हम को

……… एहसान दानिश

न सियो होंट न ख़्वाबों में सदा दो हम को

मस्लहत का ये तक़ाज़ा है भुला दो हम को

जुर्म-ए-सुक़रात से हट कर न सज़ा दो हम को

ज़हर रक्खा है तो ये आब-ए-बक़ा दो हम को

बस्तियाँ आग में बह जाएँ कि पत्थर बरसें

हम अगर सोए हुए हैं तो जगा दो हम को

हम हक़ीक़त हैं तो तस्लीम न करने का सबब

हाँ अगर हर्फ़-ए-ग़लत हैं तो मिटा दो हम को

ख़िज़्र मशहूर हो इल्यास बने फिरते हो

कब से हम गुम हैं हमारा तो पता दो हम को

ज़ीस्त है इस सहर-ओ-शाम से बेज़ार ओ ज़ुबूँ

लाला-ओ-गुल की तरह रंग-ए-क़बा दो हम को

शोरिश-ए-इश्क़ में है हुस्न बराबर का शरीक

सोच कर जुर्म-ए-तमन्ना की सज़ा दो हम को

जुरअत-ए-लम्स भी इम्कान-ए-तलब में है मगर

ये न हो और गुनहगार बना दो हम को

क्यूँ न उस शब से नए दौर का आग़ाज़ करें

बज़्म-ए-ख़ूबाँ से कोई नग़्मा सुना दो हम को

मक़्सद-ए-ज़ीस्त ग़म-ए-इश्क़ है सहरा हो कि शहर

बैठ जाएँगे जहाँ चाहो बिठा दो हम को

हम चटानें हैं कोई रेत के साहिल तो नहीं

शौक़ से शहर-पनाहों में लगा दो हम को

भीड़ बाज़ार-ए-समा’अत में है नग़्मों की बहुत

जिस से तुम सामने उभरो वो सदा दो हम को

कौन देता है मोहब्बत को परस्तिश का मक़ाम

तुम ये इंसाफ़ से सोचो तो दुआ दो हम को

आज माहौल को आराइश-ए-जाँ से है गुरेज़

कोई ‘दानिश’ की ग़ज़ल ला के सुना दो हम को

Wonderful verse that weaves an alluring web that’s impossible to escape once entrapped. Ehsaan Danish is one of the most unique poets in Urdu poetry because he was basically a labourer, a mazdoor. He crushed stones for years but had a manic passion to learn and read whatever was available. Ehsaan Daanish’s poetry represents the struggle of a worker and he is therefore considered an important poet in Urdu literature.

Enjoy the verse. If I get the time, I will come back and dilate on some words and phrases some might have difficulty with.

Stay healthy, folks, rains are around the corner..