An 85 Seconds Response to Despondency

Posted on March 20, 2010
Filed Under >Adil Najam, People, Poetry
14 Comments
Total Views: 37188

Adil Najam

I arrived back in Pakistan early on Friday and, as always happens, have been enjoying good food and frantic conversation ever since. The food I continue to enjoy. The conversations are increasingly disturbing. The palpable disenchatment, but even more than that a sense of despondency – the “we can do nothing” feeling – gets under your skin. And very quickly.

So, I did what I have done ever since I first stumbled upon this audio rendition back last August. I replayed and heard these 85 seconds of Zakintosh reciting his father’s wonderful poem.

[Audio:http://www.kidvai.com/windmills/Media/Latee fah.mp3]

For the last many months this little poem has provided me with frequent solace. Turning moments of despondency into a needed dose of introspection. I hope it might do so for our readers too.

If you have not heard it before, you must.

If you have heard it before, its certainly worth another listen.

It takes all of 1 minute and 25 seconds, and as we approach Pakistan Day, March 23, it is well worth hearing again. And again.

14 responses to “An 85 Seconds Response to Despondency”

  1. Dr. Azra Haq says:

    This is for Omer Salam Ansari and others with no audio attachments in their computers.
    Aik Latifa main sunaon, sunna chaho tum agar
    Sadiq aata hey ye bilkul ahle Pakistan per
    Aik din Akbar ne yeh Mula Dopiaza se kaha
    Hay wafadaar e haqumat jo bhe hay choota, bara
    Booley Mula youn yaqeen harghiz na laana chaheye
    Aik din sari reyayah aazamaana chaheye
    Dood se ye saamanee ka hauz bharwa deejiye
    Laa’en bhar ke ik ghara sab se ye farma deejiye
    Doseray din hauz main pani he pani tha bhara
    Ik zara se imtehaan main khul gaya khota khara
    Har koi samjah ke baqi loog jitne aa’ein gay
    Apne hisse ka ghara woh dood se bhar ja’ein gay
    Aik pani ka grara is main mil gaya mera too kiya
    Itni aamezish se akhir kaun parkha jaaey ga
    Tum ho Pakistan ke, ye hay tumhara he watan
    Iss ko rakho ya ujaro, hey tumhara he chaman
    Dooseray laten hain pani, unn ko be samjhaoo tum
    Unn ko samjhane se phelay, doodh khud to laao tum.

  2. ayesha says:

    Heard it for the first time and am blown away by the lucidity of the fact!!

  3. Watan Aziz says:

    Frankly, I debated with myself and I lost the debate.

    I have to ask.

    So, while the advice is good and valid, but if you see an obvious wrong should you not stop the person from the wrong direction?

    Or do I not?

    Take for example, the headline, “An 85 Seconds Response to Despondency”.

    Why the choice of this word? Why not Disconsolateness? Heartsickness? Depression? Blue Devils? Dejection? Sadness? Unhappiness? Despair? Disheartened?

    On the other hand, what if the same blog would have used the word Hope?

    “85 Seconds to Hope?”

    “85 Seconds to Strength!”

    “85 Seconds to Solutions!”

    “85 Seconds to Fulfillment!”

    “85 Seconds to Good Attitudes!”

    “85 Seconds Inspiration!”

    So, this begs the question, should I not ask or should I look for my own ghara? Should I say, “Adil, why spread Despondency instead of Hope?”

    After all, I do believe in audacity of hope.

  4. Baig says:

    Beautiful. Very very beautiful.

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