Sunday, July 09, 2006

Jagannath Azad's verse 'Bharat ke MusalmaaN'

In the aftermath of partition, when Muslims who had remained in India were feeling increasingly insecure, Urdu poet Jagannath Azad (son of renowned poet Tilok Chand Mahroom) had written this legendary Nazm.

In those turbulent days, Azad's voice of love and sanity had caught everybody's attention. He had seen the horrors of partition but this had strengthened his belief in humanity even more. Read this Nazm:

Bharat ke MusalmaaN

is daur meN tuu kyoN hai hiraasaaN aur pareshaaN
kya baat hai kyoN hai mutazalzal tera iimaN
daanishkada-e-dahar ki aye shama-e-farozaaN
Aye matla'-e-teziib ke khurshiid-e-darakhshaaN
Bharat ke MusalmaN

bharat ka farzand hai begaana nahiiN hai
yeh des tera ghar hai tuu is ghar ka makiiN hai
taabinda tere nuur se is ghar kii jabiiN hai
kis vaste afsurda-o-dilgiir-o-haziiN hai
Bharat ke MusalmaN

meraa hi nahiiN hai yeh gulistaan hai teraa bhi
har saro gul-o-lala-o-riihaaN hai teraa bhi
is Khhak ka har zarra-e-tabaaN hai teraa bhi
is bahar ka har gauhar-e-darakhshaan hai teraa bhi
daaman meN uTha le ye sabhi gauhar-e-darakhshaan
Bharat ke MusalmaN

mahaul ho to taza hawa tujh ko gavaara
darkaar hai tahziib ko phir teraa sahaara
kar aaj naye rang se dunia ka nazaara
chamkega phir ek baar tere bakht ka taara
ho jayegi taariikii-e-mahaul gurezaaN
Bharat ke musalmaN

gulzaar-e-tamanna ka nikharna bhi yahiin hai
daman-e-gul-e-maqsuud se bharna bhi yahiin hai
har mushkil-o-aasaan se guzarna bhi yahiin hai
jiina bhi yahiin hai marnaa bhi yahiin hai
kyoN manzil se bhatak jaaye woh insaaN
Bharat ke musalmaN......

Its a long poem but I reproduced some stanzas to pay
homage to a great poet. Azad died this month two years ago
after battling with cancer for long. He was 86.