POST 59: Har Qadam Zehmaten , Har Nafas Uljhanen
हर कदम ज़हमतें हर नफस ऊलझनें
This is one of the many beautiful ghazals written by very popular shayar Shakeel Badayuni, which expresses the helplessness and anguish of the lover.
SHAKEEL was born in a really well off family. He was born on 3rdAugust, 1916. Unfortunately he died rather young at 54 on 20th April,1970. His father wanted him to be well groomed and had arranged Persian, Hindi, Urdu and Arabic tuition at home. His inclination towards shayari was not hereditary, but developed steadily. During his Aligarh days, Badayuni began learning Urdu poetry from Hakim Abdul Waheed ‘Ashk’ Bijnori. He joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936 and started participating in mushairas. He moved to Bombay in 1944, where the famous Naushad asked him to narrate his poetic skills in one line and Shakeel wrote ‘ Hum dard ka afsana dunia ko suna denge, har dil main mohabbat ki ek aag laga dengae’. That was the beginning of his film career.
Contrary to trend in those middle years of the 20th century, he did not write about the downtrodden, their misery or socialistic concerns, but concentrated on romance. He was proud of his romantic inclinations:
Main Shakeel dil ka hoon tarjumankeh mohabbaton ka hoon raazdaan
Mujhe fakhr hai meri shayari, merizZindagi se juda nahin.
He was very active in the Hindi film world.
A stamp in his honour was issued in the year 2013.
Munni Begum is a Pakistani singer who was born in Murshidabad West Bengal in 1946. Her parents moved to Dhaka, now Bangladesh in 1955. Her given name was Nadira Begum. She had her initial training in music under Ustad Khawaja Gulam Mustafa Warsi and launched her musical career in 1970 at Karachi, Pakistan.
This is such a good and sensitive ghazal but somehow no other singer of repute appears to have sung this ghazal!
Important words
ज़हमते:difficulty; नफस:moment;वक्फ:small gap between two continuous works; दरमाँ:treatment; चार:गर:treating doctor; लम्हा- ए मुख्तसर: a fleeting moment;मुतमईन: self satisficed; राएगाँ:ignore; सज़द:bowing,touching the forehead to the floor; ज़बी:forehead; सगें दर: stone at the floor of the entrance; तारीकियौं:darkness; ज़िया:light, brillance;जानिब रहीं वोह निगाहें ऐ करम:directed that sweet look, favourable look;
हर कदम ज़हमतें हर नफस ऊलझनें
जिन्दगी वक्फ है दर्दे सर के लियें
पहले अपने ही दरमाँ का ग़म था हमें
अब दवा चाहिये चार:गर के लिए!
Every step in life is a difficulty, every moment ,breath is a complication!
the entire life is like a small break between headaches!!
Previously I only suffered from my treatment
and now I need medication for my treating physician also!!
आज एक अजनबी से निगाहें मिली
सिर्फ एक लम्हा- ए मुख्तसर के लिए
जिन्दगी ईस तरह मुतमईन हो गई
जैसे कुछ पा लिया उम्र भर के लिए!
Today I looked into the eyes of a stranger,
for a very short span, for just a fleeting moment!
Still the life became so self satisfied, so complete ,
As though I have found something for the whole life!!
राएगाँ कीजिये आप सज़दै मेरे
मेरा क्या है मैं उठ कर चला जाऊगाँ
कल आप को ही ना कहना पडे
ईक ज़बी चाहिए सगें दर के लिए
Please do not ignore my obeisance
To me it does not matter, I would just get up and go!
tomorrow you may have to admit,
You need someone to rub his forehead on the stone of your entrance
मैने बख्शी है तारीकियौं को ज़िया
और खुद एक तजल्ली का मोहताज हूँ
रोशनी देने वाले को भी कम से कम
ईक दीया चाहिए अपने घर के लिए!
I have bestowed light to stretches of darkness,
Still I am deprived of a single ray of light!
Even the one who brings light for everyone,
also needs at least a small lamp for his own home
ऐ शकील उन की महफ़िल से भी क्या मिला?
और कुछ बढ गईं दिल की बेताबियाँ
सब की जानिब रहीं वोह निगाहें ऐ करम
हम तरसते रह गए ईक नज़र के लिए!
Oh Shakeel, what did I get from her congregation?
Only increased the impatience, desires, of my heart!
Her loving looks remained addressed to one and all,
While I remained deprived of even a single look of recognition!!
Please read this ghazal slowly so that the enjoyment will get multiplied. Enjoy the beauty and intricacies of the ghazal.
All the best
15.10.2021.This happens to be the birthday of my nephew Prateek Dayal. Happy birthday Prateek! I hope this ghazal makes it special!!
