POST 94: Ab kya bataun mein tere milne se kya mila?
अब क्या बताऊँ मैं तिरे मिलने से क्या मिला ?
Seemab Akbarabadi ( Born 05.06.1882 at Agra- Died of paralysis on 31.01.1951 at Sindh Pakistan) was a well respected poet , who started writing poetry even when he was in school. His father died in 1898 while Seenab was in college and had to get a job in railways at Kanpur. Later he became a disciple of Mirza Daag Dahalvi Khan (1831–1905) and left this railways job to travel to Ajmer looking for work.
what an interesting way of explaining the plight of a lover!
He traced his lineage to Abu Bakr, first Khalifa of Islam.
He wrote 75 books of poetry.
Important words:
इरफ़ान:intellect,wisdom,knowledge; इरफ़ान-ए-ग़म: knowledge, enlightenment of pain, sorrow; फ़क़ीर-आश्ना:lover of beggars; नियाज़-मंद:obdient, supplicating: मुद्दआ: matter, issue; नक़्श-ए-पा: footprint, tracks; ख़ुद-बीन: one who is so proud of himself he recognises no one EGOTIST! ख़ुद-शनास:one who recognises only himself EGOMANIAC ; ख़ुद-नुमा:swollen headed, conceited, self manifesting; इंसाँ: human; सरगश्ता:puzzled, confused;सरगश्ता-ए-जमाल:puzzled, confused bewildered by excess of beauty; हिजाब: a screen, veil, burqua; हुदूद-ए-तअय्युन: limits of assignment, मावरा: besides,away; ना-मुराद : unfortunate, unlucky; हुदूद: boundaries, limits; हुदूद-ए-ख़ुदी:limits of self importance; ने’मत-ए-इंसाँ-नवाज़: blessings of those who value human beings; ख़ुदाई:Gods kindness, the creation, the world; ए’तिराफ़:admission,confession; निशान-ए-वफ़ा:sign of fidelity, proof of faithfulness; शगुफ़्ता: cheerful; ग़म-आश्ना: drowned in sorrow.
Beautiful singer Dr. Radhika Chopra has sung and explained this gazal with rare insight.
K.L .Saigal ( Born 11.04.1904- died 18.01.1947) has sung this gazal in his landmark style and given it a soul of its own. He is recognised as the first singer actor superstar of Indian cinema. He started his carrier at Rs 200 per month in New Theatres at Calcutta and started interacting with the likes of Pankaj Mallick, K.C.Dey, Pahadi Sanyal and others.
अब क्या बताऊँ मैं तिरे मिलने से क्या मिला
इरफ़ान-ए-ग़म हुआ मुझे दिल का पता मिला
Now how do I explain what did I gain after meeting you?
Yes, I became knowledgeable about pain, sorrow and became aware of my heart!
जब दूर तक न कोई फ़क़ीर-आश्ना मिला
तेरा नियाज़-मंद तिरे दर से जा मिला
While I could not find any carer of beggars( actually lovers) !
Your supplicant (me) found your door!!
मंज़िल मिली मुराद मिली मुद्दआ मिला
सब कुछ मुझे मिला जो तिरा नक़्श-ए-पा मिला
I found the destination, my wishes fulfilled and found the issues resolved!
I got everything once I found your footsteps, your tracks!!
ख़ुद-बीन-ओ-ख़ुद-शनास मिला ख़ुद-नुमा मिला
इंसाँ के भेस में मुझे अक्सर ख़ुदा मिला
I found those who had a false sense of self importance, with a swollen head and who did not recognise any one but themselves, !
On the other hand I found the God in simple human beings!!
सरगश्ता-ए-जमाल की हैरानियाँ न पूछ
हर ज़र्रे के हिजाब में इक आइना मिला
Do not ask me the perplexities of those who are overwhelmed with beauty!
Concealed in a veil, even in the smallest particle became a mirror itself!!
पाया तुझे हुदूद-ए-तअय्युन से मावरा
मंज़िल से कुछ निकल के तिरा रास्ता मिला
On finding you unconcerned with the limits of the task in hand !
On leaving behind my destination I found the way to reach you!!
क्यूँ ये ख़ुदा के ढूँडने वाले हैं ना-मुराद
गुज़रा मैं जब हुदूद-ए-ख़ुदी से ख़ुदा मिला
Why those searching for God are unlucky, unfortunate?
I found the God, once I left behind my sense of self importance, selfishness,!!
ये एक ही तो ने’मत-ए-इंसाँ-नवाज़ थी
दिल मुझ को मिल गया तो ख़ुदाई को क्या मिला
This was only one blessing the humans were blessed with ( to be able to love) !
Once I found the love, what did the World get?
या ज़ख़्म-ए-दिल को छील के सीने से फेंक दे
या ए’तिराफ़ कर कि निशान-ए-वफ़ा मिला
Either scrape away from chest that wound of the heart !
Or confess that you got the proof of faithfulness!!
‘सीमाब’ को शगुफ़्ता न देखा तमाम उम्र
कम-बख़्त जब मिला हमें ग़म-आश्ना मिला
No one ever found Seemab (poet) cheerful in his entire life!
Whenever encountered he was found wallowing in grief!!
Shubha Joshi has sung this gazal in the film ‘Manto’, released in 2018, based on the life of author, story teller Saadat Hasan Manto. Here Ila Arun is portraying singer Jaddan Bai. The gazal has Sneha Khanwalkar as the Music director. The film was written and directed by Nandita Das. Shubha Joshi is an accomplished singer of Indian classical music, having studied music in MA and then trained under maestro Shobha Gurtu, Ustad Taj Muhammad Khan and others.
This is a beautiful gazal,extolling the travails of love ,subtle in its expressions. Hope you enjoy the singing of these stalwarts.
5th April was the birthday of my nephew Rachit. Happy birthday Rachit.
Take care! Is Corona coming back?
15.04.2023
