Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. baalmukund arsh malsiani (1908-1979) an illustrious son of an illustrious father labhuram josh malsiani (1884-1976) from malsian (now in Pakistan) moved to dehli and continued writing. He succeeded josh malihabadi as Editor of ‘aajkal’. Among his works is a thin booklet “aahaNg-e hijaaz” dedicated entirely to n’aat-e mohammadi. He writes with much feeling reaching across communal lines. This nazm is about gandhi’s assasination.
1
zamin-e hind tharraaii macha kohraam¹ aalam meN
kaha jis dam² jawaahar laal ne, “baapu nahiN hum meN”     1.calamity, mourning 2.moment, time
The land of hindostan trembled, intense mourning broke out, when jawaharlal announced that baapu was no more.
2
falak¹ kaaNpa sitaarauN ki ziya² meN bhi kami aaii
zamaana ro uTha duniya ki aaNkhauN meN nami³ aaii     1.skies, heavens 2.light 3.moisture
The skies trembled, stars dimmed the world broke down crying, all eyes filled with tears.
3
kamar TooTi vatan vaalauN ki ahl-e-dil¹ ke dil TooTe
hue afsurda² baaGh-e neki-o-Khoobi³ ke gul-booTe⁴      1.people of heart, loving people 2.wilted 3.good and bad 4.leaves and flowers
‘baaGh-e neki-o-Khoobi’ – the garden of good and evil, is the world. The flowers and young shoots of this garden wilted i.e. everyone was sad. Thus … the back of my countrymen was broken and the hearts of all loving people were ripped asunder. Sadness spread all over.
4
hameN kya ho gaya tha haaye ye kya Thaan li hum ne
Khuloos¹ o aashti² ke devta ki jaan li hum ne     1.sincerity, love 2.peace, harmony, accord
How low have we become, what have we done. We have killed the god of peace and harmony.
5
jo daulat luT chuki afsos¹ ab vaapas na aayegi
hazaarauN saal ro kar bhi use duniya na paayegi     1.alas
Alas, the treasure that we have lost we will never get back. Weeping for a thousand years will not return him to this world.
6
ye achchhi qaum¹ hai jo qaum ke sardar ko maare
ye achchha dharm² hai jo dharm ke avtaar³ ko maare     1.community, nation 2.faith 3.incarnation, personification
What kind of a nation is it that kills its leader. What kind of a faith is it, that kills the very embodiment of faith.
7
nigaah¹-e ahl-e-aalam² meN malaamat³ ka hadaf⁴ hum haiN
hamiN ne qatl baapu ko kiya hai na-Khalaf⁵ hum haiN     1.eyes 2.people of the world 3.accusation 4.target 5.undeserving of the legacy of a father
We are the target of accusation in the eyes of the world. We have killed our “father”, we are undeserving of his legacy.
8
hamiN haiN maslak¹-e mohsin² shinaasi³ chhoRne vaale
kinaare par pahuNchte hi safiina⁴ toRne vaale     1.way, rules of conduct 2.benefactor 3.knowing 4.boat
We are the ones who have changed the ways of knowing who our benefactor is. We are the ones who have destroyed the boat as soon as we reached the shore (independence).
9
umeed¹-e qaum² ki buniyaad³ thi jis ek bande⁴ par
Ghazab⁵ hai goliyaaN barsaa’eN hum us nek bande par     1.hope 2.community, nation 3.foundation, basis 4.person 5.curse
It is a curse that we should shoot bullets at the one noble person on whom depended the hope of the nation.
10
akeli jaan us ki bojh duniya bhar ka sahti¹ thi
magar jo baat kahta tha vo aaKhir ho ke rahti thi     1.bear
All alone, he bore the burden of the whole world and yet what he determined to do, he succeeded in doing it.
11
hazaarauN rahmateN¹ raah-e Khuda meN marne vaale par
husain ibn-e ali ki yaad taaza karne vaale par    1.blessings
A thousand blessings on the one who gave his life one the path of righteousness, the one who reminds us of husain ibn-e ali who also gave his life in karbala insisting on righteousness.