Waade

Tumne waade nibhaa liye saare,
Mere dard aazmaa liye saare;
Sulagti yaadon ke shahar mein ruk kar,
Siyaah daaman jalaa liye saare.

Dil tha ek shola magar beet gaye din: RIP Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan is no more with us. But perhaps that is an incorrect way to put it. Because Mehdi Hasan will remain with us, as long as there are those who value the perfection that he represented - of classical skill and an indescribably mellow voice in singing, of deep knowledge of the classical raagas in composing, and a broad yet refined poetic sensibility in choosing the poetry to sing...

Rarely does all this come together at all...and yet Mehdi Hasan represented the combination of all this at  its highest level. And in that sense, he was above all, the true Ghazal singer.

No wonder that a friend wrote to me about being devastated by this news...and also shared a wonderful and detailed article, linked here. What I particularly liked in this article was Mehdi Hasan's revelation of his own favourite ghazals:

-Zindagi mein to sabhi pyar kiya karten hai
-Gulon mein rang bhare
-Tu ne ye phool jo zulfon mein chhupa rakha
-Mujhe turn nazar se gira to rahe ho
-Pyar bhare do sharmeele nain.


Each one is a gem. My own debt to Mehdi Hasan is beyond description...listening to countless hours of his ghazals was an immersion into a unique world that not just resonated with, but also helped develop and refine my own poetry appreciation sensibility. A collection known as his "Finest Collection" was my long time companion.

I was glad to know that one of my own Mehdi Hasan favourites was among his own favourite list, and that is the one I recall today, to mark his remaining with us forever. I think this is one of the best examples of how the three things I mentioned above- singing, composing, and poetry- come together in a perfect blend. Even more interesting is that the composition was impromptu- on the spot in a live concert!

Tu ne ye phool jo zulfon mein chhupa rakha hai,
Ek diya hai jo andheron mei jalaa rakha hai...

Dil tha ek shola magar beet gaye din wo Qateel,
Ab kuredo na ise raakh mei kya rakha hai...

Sailaab

Barson tha muntazir- jawaab kyun na tab aaya,

Sawaal-o-mehr hi na pohunche, samajh ab aaya.

Muddatein dil ko patthar karne mein guzreen,

Kalaam-e-naazuk liye qaasid-e-lateef ab aaya.

Khud ko na kiya muaaf sadion mei aaj tak,

Chund maah der ho chuki thi laut ke jab aaya.

Us hi se keh ke har ek yaad hanste-rote hain,

Yaum-e-qayaamat sa lage hai jo waqt ab aaya.

Mujh hi se karte hain shikwe mere raqeeb ke,

Der hi sahi, durust inteqaam-e-rab aaya.

Teraa hi thaa, tujhe hi mil gayaa aakhir,

Kaar-e-jahaan do pal hi laga, waapas jab aaya.

Siyaah yaadon se ubhrun socha bhi gar ek roz,

Kis qadr rangeen tera khwaab-e-sailaab shab aaya. 

By Siyaah. 

----

Notes

This possibly still needs refinement, if not of ideas, at least of words. Look forward to technical corrections and suggestions by readers. 

Muntazir: Anxiously waiting

Mehr: Gift

Kalaam: Speech/Words

Qaasid: Messenger

Lateef: Delicate, Graceful

Yaum-e-Qayaamat: Day of Judgement

Raqeeb: Rival

Kaar-e-Jahaan: Work of the world [speaks to Iqbal's "Baagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun; Kaar-e-jahaan daraaz hai, ab mera intezaar kar"]. 

Sailaab: Flood

Shab: Night