BY MONICCA C DIXIT 

 

 

 

 

THESE are the second verses of Sahir’s poem Farar from his book Talkhiyaan. These are not just lines but these define how Sahir viewed his own childhood. The reason for his embarrassment was the strenuous relationship his parents shared and also the ill-treatment of his mother at the hands of his father. Sahir was born, as Abdul Hayeeon in Ludhiyana, into a wealthy zamindar family. His mother Sardar Begum and father Chaudhary Fazal Mohammed separated when he was just a few-month-old. He was raised by his mother Sardar Begum. Sahir is often celebrated for his lyrics in the classic ‘Pyaasa’ and remembered for ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ by the younger generations. In the milieu of Sahir’s poetry one often overlooks his linguistic prowess. If one is to understand the linguistic prowess of Sahir, one just needs to hear the qawwali ‘Na to(h) karvan ki talash hai,’ from the movie ‘Barsat ki Raat’.

 

The qawwali sung by Mohmd Rafi, Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle, Sudha Malhotra and S. D. Batish; is twelve minutes long, written in 3 languages, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi and contains the philosophy of life, love and man’s relationship with God. The anguish, that one suffers keeping up with the expectations of the world from them. The anguish of not receiving the validation from dear ones even after making all the sacrifices and putting everyone else before self is so beautifully conveyed in the verses. “Naaz o andaaz se kehte hai ki jeena hoga Zeher bhi dete hain to kehte hain ki peena hoga Jab mai peeta hun to kehte hain ki marta bhi nahi Jab mai marta hun to kehte hain ki jeena hoga..” Sahir very subtly yet forcefully puts forth the idea of freedom to love in these verses of the qawwali. Love is neither bound by religion, nor caste, nor creed. The wise learned men are not fully aware of the power that existence of love can unleash. “Ishq aazad hai, ishq aazad hai Hindu na Mussalmaan hai ishq, Aap hi dharm hai aur, aap hi imaan hai ishq Jis se aagaah nahi sikha-o-barah aman dono Us haqiqat ka agar jaltaa hua elaan hai ishq, Ishq na puchhe deen dharam nu ishq na puchchhe jaataan” And in the final verse describes the relationship that God has with human beings. It’s not one of master and the subservient but a relationship of love.

 

A human should not be God fearing but God loving because God has nothing but love for His creations. Call the almighty by any name, the underlying message in their teachings is love. “Allaah rasul kaafar amaan ishq hai Yaane Hadis ishq hai Quraan ishq hai Gautam ka aur masih ka arman ishq hai Ye kaayanat jism hai aur jaan ishq hai Ishq sarmad ishq hi mansur hai Ishq moosaishq koh-e-tur hai Khaaq ko but aur but ko devta karta hai ishq Intahaa ye hai ke bande ko kudaa karta hai ishq.” If you are tormented by the challenges that life throws at you, if you ever feel lost and dejected, just put your headphones on and listen to “Na to(h)karvan ki talash hai” written by Sahir Ludhiyanvi and you will find the hope to fight on.