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.
hum pe mushtarika haen ehsaan gham-e ulfat ke
itne ehsaan ke ginvaa’un tau ginva na sakoon
hum ne is ishq mein kya khoya hae kya seekha hae
juz teray aur ko samjha’un tau samjha na sakoon
—–
iss tarah apni khamushi goonji
jaise har simt se javaab aa’ye
kar raha tha gham-e jahan ka hisab
aaj tum yaad be hisab aa’ye
—–
hum se kehtay haen chaman vaal-e ghareebaan-e chaman
tum koi achcha sa rakh lo apne viraanay ka naam
Faiz un ko hae taqazaa’e vafa hum se jinhen
aashan ke naam se pyaara hae begaan-e ka naam
—-
jiss dhaj se koi maqtal mein gaya voh shaan salaamat rehti hae
yeh jaan tau aani jaani hae iss jaan ki to ko’ee baat nahin
How does one sum up a man who is larger than life? Faiz magnetic personality, his pure living and his heavenly writings had made him ever great emblem of Urdu literature.
Matta e lauh o qalam chhin gayi, tuo kya gham hai
Ke Khoon e dil main dubo li hain ungliyan main ne
Zabaan pe mohr lagi hai tuo kya, ke rakh di hai
Har aik halqa e zanjeer mein zuban main ne
If they snatch my ink and pen,
I should not complain
For I have dipped my fingers
In the blood of my heart,
I should not complain
Even if they seal my tongue
For every ring of my chain
Is a tongue ready to speak.
Faiz Ghar’ (http://www.faizghar.org) is a great initiative by his countless admirers (learned daughters Moneeza and Saleema) to keep his memory and mission alive, and I am sanguine it will be an eternal home for education, art and culture.
My Poem “In Remembrance of Faiz Ahmed Faiz Centenary”, I wish to offer a tribute today on his 100 year’s birthday.
Watch my dedicated video on YouTube.com
URL Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0CnFoD3fiE
آئیے ہاتھ اٹھائیں ہم بھی
ہم جنہیں رسم دعا یاد نہیں
ہم جنہیں سوز محبت کے سوا
کوئی بت، کوئی خدا یاد نہیں
جب ارض خدا کے کعبےسے سب بت اٹھواہے جایئنگے
ہم اہل صفا مردود حرم مسند پہ بٹھاے جایئنگے
سب تاج اچھالے جایئنگے سب تخت گراے جایئنگے
ہم دیکھیں گے، لازم ہے کہ ہم بھی دیکھیں گے