Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. Khudrat (qudrat) ali KhaaN (xxxx-living), hyderabad, telaNgaana. I have been told that he has composed a lot and contributed extensively to mushaa’era, which have been very well received. But he has not collected his work for publication. vijay pargaoNkar is a dear friend and long-term well-wisher of urdushahkar. He has contributed his voice to several other posts. I have made my own politically slanted interpretation and am not sure if the shaa’er agrees with it.
1
vafaa¹ ki baat ho kya, kyuN vafa ki baat kareN
gunaahgaar² jo Thahre³, saza⁴ ki baat kareN    1.faithful (in love?, or loyalty to the country?), fidelity 2.sinner 3.declared, stand accused 4.punishment
What can I say about fidelity/loyalty. Why should I even talk about it. I stand accused of sinning (being unfaithful or being disloyal). Let us talk about punishment! The poet does not say what he has been accused of, why he has been declared a sinner or who has done it. It could well be the beloved, but ambiguity is a well-established tradition in urdu poetry. Is he saying that the government/society has declared him disloyal and is ready to punish? Is this a reflection of the political conditions in India today?
2
har ek dukh ki kasak¹ jis ke dam² se taaza³ hai
chalo phir aaj usi dilruba⁴ ki baat kareN     1.prick, pangs of pain 2.power, strength 3.fresh 4.beloved
Perhaps this is a conversation between friends/rivals all of them vying for the love of the beloved. But she is uniformly indifferent or even cruel to them. Any talk of her, causes pangs of pain, keeps it fresh, but the friends/rivals are willing to talk of her. Is ‘dilruba’ the homeland with the earlier concept of a secular India?
3
vo jis ke shor¹-e salaasal² meN qumriyoN³ ki chahak⁴
qafas⁵ meN aaj usi be-navaa⁶ ki baat kareN    1.sound, noise 2.chains 3.doves, used here to mean birds 4.chirping 5.cage, prison 6.voiceless, helpless
The poet and his friends are all birds in a cage. There is someone out there who is in chains. The sound/clang of his chain sounds like the chirping of birds i.e, he views the sound of chains in a positive light as the sound of protest. Whoever is in chains is not being heard, he is ‘be-navaa’. His cry of pain or his protests are ignored. In the cage, let us talk about the voiceless/helpless. This could again be a political statement – the poet and comrades are in prison; a new prisoner is being brought in; the sound of chains indicates his courageous resistance, which sounds pleasant and admirable.
4
tuyoor¹-e shaaKh Ghazal-KhwaaN², ravish-ravish³ naGhma⁴
havaa⁵-e gulshan⁶ o baad⁷-e sabaa⁸ ki baat kareN     1.birds 2.singing Ghazal 3.every path 4.song 5.atmosphere, ambience 7.breeze 8.morning breeze
Birds on branches sing/chirp Ghazal. A song can be heard on every path in the garden. Let us talk about the ambience of the garden and of the morning breeze. Perhaps the poet and friends are still in their cage, pining for their freedom in the garden.
5
vo gul-taraash¹, vo mahvash², vo paikar³-e raNgiiN
sahar-navaaz⁴ ki, saahir-numa⁵ ki baat kareN   1.rose sculpted, sculpted like a rose, beautiful 2.moon-faced 3.image, picture 4.enchantment nurturing 5.shape of magic, unbelievably beautiful
Let us talk about the beloved who is … sculpted like a rose, moon faced, embodiment of a colourful picture, creating a magic spell and enchantingly beautiful. This could also be interpreted as a political statement … the early concept of a secular homeland was enchantingly beautiful.
6
kahaaN vo qissa-e-ulfat¹, kahaaN vo zikr-e-habiib²
ahd³ ka kya kaheN, ham kya vafa⁴ ki baat kareN    1.story of love 2.talk of the beloved 3.times, age 4.fidelity
Where are those old stories of love, the erstwhile way of talking about the beloved. What can we say about the times, how can we talk about faith in love. There could also be a political intepretation, with the ‘habiib’ being the homeland. We can no longer narrate the old way of love of homeland. Times have changed. How can we talk about fidelity/loyalty.
7
fasaana-kaar¹-e junuuN², qissa³-e sahn⁴-e zindaaN⁵
dariida⁶ jaan, shikasta⁷ qaba⁸ ki baat kareN   1.fable creating 2.passion 3.story 4.yard 5.prison 6.injured, cut 7.torn 8.robe, clothes
The image is that of majnuN with his torn clothes, cuts on his feet, injured body. He is the one who caused the fable of passion to become popular. Perhaps he was even thrown into prison, thus making the story of the prison yard a part of the legend. That is what the poet wants to talk/write about, recite.