Adil Najam
February 13, 2011, marks the 100th birth anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
From the very first post on this blog, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his poetry has been a muse, a mentor, a monument, and a mirror to our thoughts, our wishes, our hopes and sometimes also our fears. In our posts, and also in the comments from our readers, probably no personality has been evoked more often or more fondly than Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
On this, his centenary birthday, what is the best way to remember Faiz Ahmed Faiz? We can remember his persona and personality, his politics and ideology, his life and times, his music and melody, and so much more. But there can be no greater tribute to a poet than through the power of his own poetry. And that we wish to offer as a tribute today.
Help us write this post today. Help us make this the most moving, the most authentic, and the most vital post of all. Tell us what is (are) your favorite verse(s) from Faiz Ahmed Faiz? And why? What moves you about them? What thoughts do they evoke? What sentiments do they invoke?
Let me get the ball rolling here.
Like many of you, I do not have a single favorite Faiz verse. Different verses play the chords of my sentiments at different times and in different situation. Right now one that is playing constantly in my head, is:
Halqa kee-aye baithay raho iss shammaa ko yaaro
Kuch rooshni baaqi tou hai, har chand kay kumm hai
Do share, dear readers, your favorite Faiz verses. At the very least this can become a special ‘Faiz Edition’ of bait baazi. At best it will become a people’s tribute to a people’s poet.
Raqeeb se! ….
tujh pe uthi hain wo khoi hui saghar aankhein
tujh ko maaloom hain kioon umr gawaan di hum ne
And Mozoo-e-sukhn – all of it, specially when Abida Parveen sings it.
For Saudi Arabian monarchy:
Jabb arz-i-Khuda kay qaabay say
Sabb butt uthwai jaein gay
Lao tou qatal naama mera, mein bhi dekh loun
kiss kiss ki muhr hai sar e maqtal lagi hoee
Here is my favorite. I actually first heard it from Adil years ago (who read it well):
sarfarashi kay andaaz badley gaye
dawat e qatl par, maqtal e shehr main
dall kar gardan mein koee touq aaa gaya
ladh kar koee kandhay pay darr aaa gaya
How apt for event in Egypt this week! And maybe Pakistan always.
raat youn dil mein teri yaad aaye
jaisey veranay mein chupkay say bahar aa jaye
jaisay sehraoun mein holay say chaley baad-e-nasim
jaisay bemar ko be-wajhah qarar aa jaye