POST66: Sitaron se aagae jahan aur bhee hain
सितारों से आगे जहाँ और भी हैं
Allama Iqbal ( Born 9.11.1877- died 21.04.1938) , whose given name was Muhammed Iqbal Kt, was a Muslim poet. His call for a separate cultural and political identity for Muslims in India can be considered as the percussor for creation of Pakistan. His call as the President of the Muslim League meeting in 1930, at Allahabad, formed the framework for the ‘Two Nation Theory’ . On creation of Pakistan, he was named as the National Poet. Allama is an Islamic honorary title for a profound scholar , a great learned one.
He was a well educated person having obtained M.A. from Government College, Lahore ,a B.A. from University of Cambridge, in 1906 and Ph. D. from University of Munich, in 1908.
This is a very realistic ghazal that is grounded in facts of life. The theme is to challenge oneself to achieve greatness and full potential.
Important Words:
तही: superficial, empty; फ़ज़ाएँ:milieu, social environment; क़नाअत:contentment, satisfaction; आलम-ए-रंग-ओ-बू: world of colour and fragnance; नशेमन: nest,safe house; मक़ामात-ए-आह-ओ-फ़ुग़ाँ: place for crying and sighing, wailing. फ़ुग़ा means uncontrolled wailing; चीख पुकार; शाहीं: Eagle; परवाज़: to climb high; अजुंमन: gathering; राज़-दाँ: those who share secrets.
सितारों से आगे जहाँ और भी हैं
अभी इश्क़ के इम्तिहाँ और भी हैं
There are worlds even beyond the stars
Still there are several trials and tests in store for your love!
तही ज़िंदगी से नहीं ये फ़ज़ाएँ
यहाँ सैकड़ों कारवाँ और भी हैं
These weathers, circumstances are not because of empty ,superficial lives!
There are still hundreds of travellers and caravans !!
क़नाअत न कर आलम-ए-रंग-ओ-बू पर
चमन और भी आशियाँ और भी हैं
Do not be content with the present world of colour and fragrances, pleasures!
There are still many nests and gardens to savour !!
अगर खो गया इक नशेमन तो क्या ग़म
मक़ामात-ए-आह-ओ-फ़ुग़ाँ और भी हैं
Why grieve if a place for resting, a home, a nest is lost?
There are so many destinations ,places for crying and sighing, wailing!
तू शाहीं है परवाज़ है काम तेरा
तिरे सामने आसमाँ और भी हैं
You are the soaring eagle, climbing high is your job, your destiny!
There are still so many many heights ,skies for you to climb, conquer!!
इसी रोज़ ओ शब में उलझ कर न रह जा
कि तेरे ज़मान ओ मकाँ और भी हैं
Do not be entangled, lost in these routines of day and night!
There are other ages, seasons, realities and destinations for you!!
गए दिन कि तन्हा था मैं अंजुमन में
यहाँ अब मिरे राज़-दाँ और भी हैं
Gone are the days when I was alone and lonely in the congregation !
Now there are so many in this congregation , with whom I share my secrets, my feelings!!
Rahat Fathe Ali Khan ( born 9th December 1974) has been appearing regularly in my blogs. His youthful image makes him a favourite. He has won awards including Lux Style Awards, UK Asian Music Awards, ARY Film Awards, and Hum Awards. On June 26, 2019, Rahat was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the Oxford University in June 2019. He is popular as a Qawwal, belonging to a family with 600 years of heritage in classical & Sufi singing.
Asha Bhosle ( born 8th September 1933) is a personality which defines beauty of music. Her preparedness to try different genres of music is phenomenal.
An interesting fact: Bollywood singer Himesh Reshammiya had opined that late R.D. Burman , her husband, used to sing nasally. Asha responded by declaring: “If any one says Burman sa’ab sang through his nose, he should be slapped” WOW and WOW !!
Deedar Singh Pardesi ( born 1937) is a singer of Shabads and ghazals .He had started singing bhajans, folk songs and Shabads at the age of 5. Famous sarod player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan gifted him with his diamond ring and gold buttons and took him as his pupil, after listening to him sing ‘ Heer Waris Shah’.
His parents migrated to Nairobi in 1951. In Kenya he continued to sing on radio and TV and became very popular. He recorded songs with Philips Record Company in East Africa. At age of 39, he migrated to UK in 1975. He sang for several Hindi films like Anjana Safar, Do shikari, Mehman etc. He has retired and devotes his time to gardening and music.
Ghulam Abbas Khan ( born 28th February 1966 ) is an Indian singer of classical music, ghazals and Sufi singing, His training started under his father Padma Shri Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan, himself a renowned sarangi player and classical singer. The family had a long tradition of music under the Rampur -Sahaswan gharana. His grandfather Ustad Mushtaq Hasan Khan was the first recipient of Padma Vibhushan. Rampur -Sahaswan gharana claims its allegiance to Mian TanSen.
Pooja Gaitonde ( born 1993) is an Indian ghazal singer who is stepped in the tradition of Raagdari. She trained under late pandit S.C.R. Bhat, a classical singer of Agra gharana. Presently a disciple of Ustad Munnawar Masoom Sayeed Khan. She successfully fused the Sufi and Classical generes of music with electronic music to develop what is being called ‘ Sufi Jazz’.
This is a very popular ghazal but some of the words need an explanation to enjoy its beauty. I hope my attempted translation helps in adding to your enjoyment.
Take care!
When this blog appears at 10 a.m. , it would still be 31st January, in USA , that happens to be the birthday of my younger son in law, Yogesh, husband of Prerna. Happy birthday Yogesh!
