Post 63: Kuch To Hawa Bhee Sard Thee , Kuch Tha Tera Khayal Bhee
कुछ तो हवा भी सर्द थी कुछ था तेरा ख़याल भी
Parveen Shakir was a Pakistani poet, who died rather young at the age of 42 ( 24.11.1952- 26.12.1994). She gave a distinctive feminine character to Urdu poetry and literature. She was a teacher and a civil servant, very well educated with two masters in English literature and linguistics and Ph.D. from Karachi University. She also obtained a MA degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. She qualified for Central Superior Service in 1982. Unfortunately she met with a fatal car accident on 12th December 1994. What an unfortunate end to a promising literary carrier!
She was awarded ‘ Pride of Performance’ by the Government of Pakistan, in 1990. In 2013 a postage stamp was issued in denomination of Rs 10, in her memory.
This is a ghazal written by a lady and the perspective is different. Ultimately she has emphasised in the last sher, that spiritual aspect is more important than the physical. Anyone who even partly understands women will know that it is true for them!!
Here she is reciting her own ghazal.
Important words: मलाल: repentance, frustration; जमाल: otherwordly beauty;गर्दिश-ए-माह-ओ-साल : misfortune running in months and years; शीशागरान-ए-शहर: City of those who make glassware; मुहाल: Impossible, difficult; मौज-ए-हवा-ए-कू-ए-यार: puff of the breeze from the neighbourhood of the loved; ख़्वाहिशों: desires; रूह: spirit
GHULAM ALI is now 81 plus! Still his singing is so fresh and captivating. We all have a feeling that he is a youngish man!!
कुछ तो हवा भी सर्द थी कुछ था तेरा ख़याल भी
दिल को ख़ुशी के साथ साथ होता रहा मलाल भी
The breeze was rather cold besides you were in my thoughts
The heart was happy but with that happiness there were a few regrets too!
बात वो आधी रात की रात वो पूरे चाँद की
चाँद भी ऐन चेत का उस पे तेरा जमाल भी
The episode was of midnight on a full moon night!
The moon was of the month of ‘Chaitra’ (late February- early March; ideal weather for an assignation!) and on top of that your unbelievable, otherworldly beauty!!
सब से नज़र बचा के वो मुझ को ऐसे देखते
एक दफ़ा तो रुक गई गर्दिश-ए-माह-ओ-साल भी
Avoiding everybody’s scrutiny, she would look at me so bewitchingly!
For once I felt as though the cycle of months and years long misfortune had broken!!
दिल तो चमक सकेगा क्या फिर भी तराश के देख लो
शीशागरान-ए-शहर के हाथ का ये कमाल भी
My heart can not be made to shine, still you may want to cut and polish it!
Experience the wonderful craftsmanship of the city of those who make glassware!!
उस को न पा सके थे जब दिल का अजीब हाल था
अब जो पलट के देखिये बात थी कुछ मुहाल भी
When I failed to win her love, the heart was in a strange turmoil!
Now that I look back, I realise it indeed was impossible!!
मेरी तलब था एक शख़्स वो जो नहीं मिला तो फिर
हाथ दुआ से यूँ गिरा भूल गया सवाल भी
My passion was her, the only her and when I failed to get her love !
Those hands raised in prayer fell so heavily that I even forgot what was I praying for !!
शाम की नासमझ हवा पूछ रही है इक पता
मौज-ए-हवा-ए-कू-ए-यार कुछ तो मेरा ख़याल भी
The innocent senseless evening breeze is asking for an address!
The breeze of the neighbourhood of my loved one please be kind to me!!
उस के ही बाज़ूओं में और उस को ही सोचते रहे
जिस्म की ख़्वाहिशों पे थे रूह के और जाल भी
I was in her arms and I kept on thinking of her!
There were spiritual considerations, connotations besides the requirements of the flesh!!
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has appeared in my blogs so often ,that I seem to have run out things to add anew! Still would like to mention that he was honoured in 2017, with the Music Day Blue Plaque by BBC for his contribution in introducing and making quwwali an international genre of music.
Azra Riaz is a Pakistani singer, who has been singing along with Ustad Salamat Ali. Not much is known about her but her singing has an appeal of its own.
Dr Shahid Kamal is a ghazal singer who seems to enjoy singing ghazals almost as much as his audience. In his early sixties he has sung some very soul touching ghazals.
Hina Nasrullah is an upcoming and promising artist who specialises in Sufi singing and is an established Naat Khawan( One who sings Naat- poems in praise of Allah). She has graduated with Urdu literature as her main subject.
I have brought this bouquet of ghazals in different shades of singing and earnestly hope it would bring you pleasure.
Take care!
15.12.2021
