For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
اُس پر بھائی لِکّھا ہے ۔ مُنوّر رانا
۱
بس اتنی بات پر اُس نے ہمیں بلوائی لِکّھا ہے
ہمارے گھر کے اک برتن پہ آئی ایس آئی لِکّھا ہے
۲
یہ ممکن ہی نہیں چھیڑوں نہ تجھ کو راستہ چلتے
تجھے اے موت میں نے عمر بھر بھؤجائی لِکّھا ہے
۳
میاں مسند نشینی مفت میں کب ہاتھ آتی ہے
دہی کو دودھ لِکّھا دودھ کو بالائی لِکّھا ہے
۴
ہمارے ملک میں اِنسان اب گھر میں نہیں رہتے
کہیں ہندو، کہیں مسلم، کہیں عیسائی لِکّھا ہے
۵
یہ دکھ شاید ہماری زندگی کے ساتھ جائے گا
کہ جو دل پر لگا ہے تیر اُس پر بھائی لِکّھا ہے
उस पर भाई लिक्खा है – सय्यद मुनव्वर अली राना
१
बस इतनी बात पर उसने हमें बुल्वाई लिक्खा है
हमारे घर के एक बर्तन पे ‘आई एस आई’ लिक्खा है
२
ये मुमकिन ही नहीं छेढूं न तुझ को रास्ता चलते
तुझे अए मौत मैं ने उम्र भर भोजाई लिक्खा है
३
मियाँ मसनद-नशीनी मुफ़्त में कब हाथ आती है
दही को दूध लिक्खा, दूध को दूध लिक्खा है
४
हमारे मुल्क में इंसान अब घर में नहीं रहता
कहीं हिंदू, कहीं मुस्लिम, कहीं ईसाइ लिक्खा है
५
ये दुख शा’एद हमारी जिंदगी के साथ जाएगा
के जो दिल पर लगा है तीर उस पर भाई लिक्खा है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed munavvar ali-munavvar raana (1952-2024), raa’e bareili, kolkata, and lukhnau. He was a very popular and dominating presence on the mushaa’era circuit and wrote in hindi as well as urdu, using simple language. His larger family members moved to pakistan but his father chose to stay. He wrote a long book-length nazm called mohaajir-naama which is best understood as sorrow and regret at the differences and loss caused by partition. His bitterness is best understood when after being bestowed the sahitya akademi award for urdu literature in 2014, he returned it in 2015 to protest increasing intolerance. He remained defiant and controversial for the rest of his life.
1
bas itni baat par uss ne hameN ‘bulvaaii’1 likkha hai
hamaaray ghar ke ek bartan2 pe ‘aaii ess aaii’ likkha hai 1.to call, to summon, legal summons 2.utensil, dish 3.ISI
ISI is a mark of the Indian Standards Institute and used on those consumer products that pass minimum standards set by the Institute. It is also the initials of Inter Services Intelligence, an arm of pakistani espionage system. Thus, they have issued a summons for us to appear before law enforcement for the simple reason that one of the utensils in our household has ISI stamped on it. The implication is that any simple thing is used as excuse for discrimination and oppression.
2
yeh mumkin1 hi nahiN chheRuuN na tujh ko raasta chaltay
tujhe aye maut2 maiN ne umr-bhar3 bhojaaii4 likkha hai 1.possible 2.death 3.life-long 4.sister-in-law (brother’s wife)
I am not sure … but perhaps there is a tradition that there is always a little playful teasing going on with the brother’s wife. The poet says that that is how he treats death … playfully, whenever he comes across her in the street. Perhaps he means that streets are no longer safe for him and he has become cavalier about it.
3
miyaaN1 masnad-nashiini2 muft3 meN kab haath aati hai
dahii ko doodh likkha, doodh ko baalaaii4 likkha hai 1.slang form of address, friend 2.sitting on a throne or a seat of honour, political office 3.free of effort/charge 4.cream
O friend, you do not get political office free of charge. To say that ‘curds are milk and milk is cream’ is used here as an expression to mean – exaggeration, flattery and lies about the true state of things.
4
hamaare mulk meN insaan ab ghar meN nahiN rahtay
kahiiN hindu, kahiiN muslim, kahiiN iisaaii1 likkha hai 1.Christian
Our homeland is no longer a habitation of human beings. On every house is written – hindu, muslim or Christian i.e., communal identities have become more important than universal human identity.
5
yeh dukh shaa’ed1 hamaari zindagi ke saath jaa’ega
keh jo dil par lagaa hai tiir2 uss par bhaaii likkha hai 1.perhaps 2.arrow
This sorrow will perhaps stay with me as long as I live; the arrow that struck my heart had ‘brother’ written on it i.e., it was labelled as coming from a brother or intended for a brother. In Indian secular lexicon hindus and muslims are referred to as bhaaii-bhaaii. Thus, brother is shooting arrows at brother.
syed munavvar ali-munavvar raana (1952-2024), raa’e bareili, kolkata, and lukhnau. He was a very popular and dominating presence on the mushaa’era circuit and wrote in hindi as well as urdu, using simple language. His larger family members moved to pakistan but his father chose to stay. He wrote a long book-length nazm called mohaajir-naama which is best understood as sorrow and regret at the differences and loss caused by partition. His bitterness is best understood when after being bestowed the sahitya akademi award for urdu literature in 2014, he returned it in 2015 to protest increasing intolerance. He remained defiant and controversial for the rest of his life.
1
bas itni baat par uss ne hameN ‘bulvaaii’1 likkha hai
hamaaray ghar ke ek bartan2 pe ‘aaii ess aaii’ likkha hai
1.to call, to summon, legal summons 2.utensil, dish 3.ISI
ISI is a mark of the Indian Standards Institute and used on those consumer products that pass minimum standards set by the Institute. It is also the initials of Inter Services Intelligence, an arm of pakistani espionage system. Thus, they have issued a summons for us to appear before law enforcement for the simple reason that one of the utensils in our household has ISI stamped on it. The implication is that any simple thing is used as excuse for discrimination and oppression.
2
yeh mumkin1 hi nahiN chheRuuN na tujh ko raasta chaltay
tujhe aye maut2 maiN ne umr-bhar3 bhojaaii4 likkha hai
1.possible 2.death 3.life-long 4.sister-in-law (brother’s wife)
I am not sure … but perhaps there is a tradition that there is always a little playful teasing going on with the brother’s wife. The poet says that that is how he treats death … playfully, whenever he comes across her in the street. Perhaps he means that streets are no longer safe for him and he has become cavalier about it.
3
miyaaN1 masnad-nashiini2 muft3 meN kab haath aati hai
dahii ko doodh likkha, doodh ko baalaaii4 likkha hai
1.slang form of address, friend 2.sitting on a throne or a seat of honour, political office 3.free of effort/charge 4.cream
O friend, you do not get political office free of charge. To say that ‘curds are milk and milk is cream’ is used here as an expression to mean – exaggeration, flattery and lies about the true state of things.
4
hamaare mulk meN insaan ab ghar meN nahiN rahtay
kahiiN hindu, kahiiN muslim, kahiiN iisaaii1 likkha hai
1.Christian
Our homeland is no longer a habitation of human beings. On every house is written – hindu, muslim or Christian i.e., communal identities have become more important than universal human identity.
5
yeh dukh shaa’ed1 hamaari zindagi ke saath jaa’ega
keh jo dil par lagaa hai tiir2 uss par bhaaii likkha hai
1.perhaps 2.arrow
This sorrow will perhaps stay with me as long as I live; the arrow that struck my heart had ‘brother’ written on it i.e., it was labelled as coming from a brother or intended for a brother. In Indian secular lexicon hindus and muslims are referred to as bhaaii-bhaaii. Thus, brother is shooting arrows at brother.
