Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ananth iyer faani (1989-living) dehli, beNgaluru. BSc, Applied Physics followed by MBA. He manages partnerships in a fintech company and is also a writer and precussionist in karnaaTak music. I don’t know how he got interested in urdu but I find the combination of youth, non-muslim background and urdu fascinating. He started composing around 2022, because while interest in urdu poetry was always in the background, the urge to express began bubbling up from the inside. He chose ‘faani-mortal’ as his taKhallus as a contrast with ‘ananth-without end, immortal’.
1
kami alfaaz¹ ki puuri karegi
keh baat ab Khaamushi² puuri karegi   1.words 2.silence
The poet always imagines more profound thoughts, more beautiful imagery in his mind than he can express in words. Words can at best express incomplete thoughts/images. Sometimes it is the intensity of emotions that stand in the way of words. The gaps in the story left by words will be filled by silence … expressive looks, unsaid words, subtle gestures. Said jamuna parshaad raahi …
mu’aani-e tafsiir-e Gham gauhar ba-mizshgaaN ho gaiiN
Khaamoshi ki bazm meN aaNkheN suKhandaaN ho gaiiN
and asGhar gonDvi …
hota hai raaz-e ishq o mohabbat unhiiN se faash
aaNKhen zabaaN nahiN haiN magar be-zabaaN nahiN
even Ghalib struggled …
Ghalib nabuvad sheva-e man qaafiya bandi
zulmiist ke bar kilk o varaq meekunam imshab
O, Ghalib, it is not my practice to do word-smithing
It is cruelty that I visit on pen and paper tonight
2
kahaani meN haqiiqat¹ kam paRi hai
to is ko sansani² puuri karegi     1.truth, facts 2.fear mongering, dramatization, sensationalization
What a wonderful reflection on modern day news coverage and poll predictions. Truth/facts were not enough in telling the story. The gap will be filled by sensationalization.
3
udaasi¹ meN kami² jo rah gaii hai
use teri kami³ puuri karegi     1.sorrow, dejection 2.shortage 3.absence
The poet/lover is sorrowful and dejected, but someone (perhaps he himself) feels that this is not enough. He needs some more agony. The gap in agony will be filled by ‘your’ absence. Who is ‘your’ … the most obvious answer is ‘the beloved’, but the poet leaves the field wide open for his readers to fill in.
4
samundar¹ ki haiN kya kya KhwaahisheN² aur
unheN kab tak nadi puuri³ karegi     1.ocean, sea 2.wises, desires 3.complete, fulfil, satisfy
This also wonderfully wide open for interpretation … the ocean could be symbolic of capitalist greed, political power or even someone’s desire to learn. There are many rivers feeding this body of water, insatiable greed, lust for power, thirst for knowledge. The first two interpretations lead to a sense of exploitation of relatively powerless rivers compared to the powerful ocean/sea. The third interpretation leads to continuous striving and positive imagery.
5
mili kya aap ko voh chiiz faani¹
Ghazal jo aap ki puuri² karegi     1.pen-name of the poet 2.complete, make perfect
The word ‘kya’ can be interpreted in at least three different ways (a)straightforward question (b)sarcastic question/derisive comment or (c)a joyous exclamation of amazement, leading to three interpretations – (a)you keep composing Ghazal, O faani. Have you found the ingredient that will make your Ghazal perfect, (b)have you found the thing that will make your Ghazal stand out, make it different from what has been said in the past! Then, why do you keep writing the same old thing, (c)what a wonderful thought you have discovered O faani, the thought that will complete your Ghazal.