For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
درمیاں گر خدا نہ آ جائے ۔ روی سِنہا رویؔ
۱
خود کا بھی جائزہ لیا جائے
پھر زمانے سے کچھ کہا جائے
۲
بود گہرا ہے تیز رو ہے حیات
آئیے ڈوب کر بہا جائے
۳
خود میں گہرائیاں سمیٹے ہوں
کس بلندی کو اب چڑھا جائے
۴
یوں تو خلوت ہے بے نیازی ہے
شور ہر سمت کیوں بڑھا جائے
۵
روشنی تو خلا میں بھٹکے ہے
اور عالم یہ پھیلتا جائے
۶
ہم ہیں ناظر ہمیں نظارہ ہیں
درمیاں گر خدا نہ آ جائے
۷
تخم کیا بوئیے قدامت کا
کیوں نہ جنگل کو ہی چلا جائے
दरमियाँ गर ख़ुदा न आ जाये – रवी सिन्हा रवी
१
ख़ुद का भी जा’एज़ा लिया जाये
फिर ज़माने से कुछ कहा जाये
२
बूद गहरा है तेज़-रौ है हयात
आइये डूब कर बहा जाये
३
ख़ुद में गहराइयाँ समेटे हूँ
किस बुलन्दी को अब चढ़ा जाये
४
यूँ तो ख़ल्वत है बे-नियाज़ी है
शोर हर सम्त क्यूँ बढ़ा जाये
५
रौशनी तो ख़ला में भटके है
और आलम ये फैलता जाये
६
हम हैं नाज़िर हमीं नज़ारा हैं
दरमियाँ गर ख़ुदा न आ जाये
७
तुख़्म क्या बोइये क़दामत का
क्यूँ न जंगल को ही चला जाये
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ravi sinha ravi (1952-living) bihar, UP and dehli, physicist, writer, educationist and an activist-scholar associated with progressive and emancipatory movements for nearly four decades. PhD in theoretical physics, MIT. Worked in research and teaching institutions in Maryland, USA and later ahmedabad, gujarat, before resigning from his job to devote himself full time to writing, organizing and theorizing. He is the principal author of the book, Globalization of Capital, co-founder of the hindi journal, sandhan, and one of the founding members of the New Socialist Initiative – an informal group of intellectuals and activists. . Came to urdu late in life (at 65) to start on a new unexpected and challenging venture …
iss umr-e-Ghazal kii mahfil meN ek der se pahuNche shaa’er ko
maqte ki ghaRii aate-aate kahne ka saliiqaa aa jaa’e
His Ghazal maintain a progressive and enlightened outlook.
1
Khud1 ka bhii jaa’ezaa2 liyaa jaa’e
phir3 zamaane4 se kuchh kahaa jaa’e 1.self 2.assessment, evaluation 3.then, later 4.world
Let’s do some introspection, some self-assessment before we pass judgment on others.
2
buud1 gahraa2 hai tez-rau3 hai hayaat4
aa’iye Duub5 kar bahaa6 jaa’e 1.existence, being, life 2.deep 3.fast moving 4.life 5.dive, immerse 6.flow
This is a reflection on fast moving and deep flow of life. The poet invites us to jump in, dive and participate in life fully, go with the flow, rather than stand ashore and watch. Said jigar muradabadi …
ye ishq nahiiN aasaaN itna hi samajh liije
ek aag ka dariya hai aur Duub ke jaana hai
3
Khud1 meN gahraaiyaaN2 sameTe3 huN
kis bulandii4 ko ab chaRhaa jaa’e 1.self 2.depths 3.gathered 4.height
There are many mysteries gathered within the self that remain to be explored and understood. Reaching external heights does not seem necessary. Here external heights could very well imply the mysteries of ‘external’ divinity. Said mohammed iqbal-
apne man meN Duub kar paa jaa suraaGh-e zindagi
tuu agar mera nahiiN bantaa na ban apna to ban
In ‘sar paida kar’, shahed writes …
aab o hava, maah o Khala bas aseer kar chuke
shahed ana ko zer kare jo vo hunar paida kar
4
yuN to Khalvat1 hai be-niyaazii2 hai
shor3 har samt4 kyuN baRhaa jaa’e 1.seclusion, isolation 2.detachment, indifference 3.noise, disturbance 4.direction
Even though the poet is in seclusion, withdrawn and detached from the world, there is disturbance/tumult all around i.e., it is not possible to withdraw oneself and ignore the world; we are very much a part of it.
5
raushnii1 to Khalaa2 meN bhaTke3 hai
aur ‘aalam4 ye phailtaa5 jaa’e 1.light, knowledge 2.void 3.wander, lost 4.world, condition 5.spread, expand
The light of knowledge is lost, wandering in the void. While knowledge is lost, ‘this’ condition is spreading. What is ‘this’ – ignorance. If ‘aalam is interpreted as the world … while light that can guide and show the way is lost in the void, the world keeps spreading i.e., exploring all around in search of a path.
6
ham haiN naazir1 hamiiN2 nazaaraa3 haiN
darmiyaaN4 gar Khuda na aa jaa’e 1.observer 2.we ourselves 3.scene, the object that is observed 4.middle, obstacle
We could be the observer and we ourselves could be the observed if god did not become an obstacle. I am sure that there are many sophisticated/reverential interpretations that may talk about the union of the observer and observed i.e. god and creature implying that if the two merge then we see/experience the divine. But I prefer my irreverential reading that the concept of god prevents an understanding of the mysteries of the universe by simply assigning causality and washing hands of the effort to understand. Says shahed …
apni samajh ki hadd ko Khuda yuN banaa diya
aasaan tha yeh kahna keh voh hai hijaab meN
7
tuKhm1 kyaa bo’iye2 qadaamat3 kaa
kyuN na jaNgal ko hii chalaa jaa’e
1.seed 2.sow 3.antiquity
Why sow seeds of antiquity? Why not just go back to the jungle. I like to interpret this as a sarcastic observation on the politics of the day which plays up the glory of the past. If the past was so glorious, why not just go back to the jungle … implying perhaps rule of the jungle rather than civilization, primitive technology levels, primitive knowledge levels.
ravi sinha ravi (1952-living) bihar, UP and dehli, physicist, writer, educationist and an activist-scholar associated with progressive and emancipatory movements for nearly four decades. PhD in theoretical physics, MIT. Worked in research and teaching institutions in Maryland, USA and later ahmedabad, gujarat, before resigning from his job to devote himself full time to writing, organizing and theorizing. He is the principal author of the book, Globalization of Capital, co-founder of the hindi journal, sandhan, and one of the founding members of the New Socialist Initiative – an informal group of intellectuals and activists. . Came to urdu late in life (at 65) to start on a new unexpected and challenging venture …
iss umr-e-Ghazal kii mahfil meN ek der se pahuNche shaa’er ko
maqte ki ghaRii aate-aate kahne ka saliiqaa aa jaa’e
His Ghazal maintain a progressive and enlightened outlook.
1
Khud1 ka bhii jaa’ezaa2 liyaa jaa’e
phir3 zamaane4 se kuchh kahaa jaa’e
1.self 2.assessment, evaluation 3.then, later 4.world
Let’s do some introspection, some self-assessment before we pass judgment on others.
2
buud1 gahraa2 hai tez-rau3 hai hayaat4
aa’iye Duub5 kar bahaa6 jaa’e
1.existence, being, life 2.deep 3.fast moving 4.life 5.dive, immerse 6.flow
This is a reflection on fast moving and deep flow of life. The poet invites us to jump in, dive and participate in life fully, go with the flow, rather than stand ashore and watch. Said jigar muradabadi …
ye ishq nahiiN aasaaN itna hi samajh liije
ek aag ka dariya hai aur Duub ke jaana hai
3
Khud1 meN gahraaiyaaN2 sameTe3 huN
kis bulandii4 ko ab chaRhaa jaa’e
1.self 2.depths 3.gathered 4.height
There are many mysteries gathered within the self that remain to be explored and understood. Reaching external heights does not seem necessary. Here external heights could very well imply the mysteries of ‘external’ divinity. Said mohammed iqbal-
apne man meN Duub kar paa jaa suraaGh-e zindagi
tuu agar mera nahiiN bantaa na ban apna to ban
In ‘sar paida kar’, shahed writes …
aab o hava, maah o Khala bas aseer kar chuke
shahed ana ko zer kare jo vo hunar paida kar
4
yuN to Khalvat1 hai be-niyaazii2 hai
shor3 har samt4 kyuN baRhaa jaa’e
1.seclusion, isolation 2.detachment, indifference 3.noise, disturbance 4.direction
Even though the poet is in seclusion, withdrawn and detached from the world, there is disturbance/tumult all around i.e., it is not possible to withdraw oneself and ignore the world; we are very much a part of it.
5
raushnii1 to Khalaa2 meN bhaTke3 hai
aur ‘aalam4 ye phailtaa5 jaa’e
1.light, knowledge 2.void 3.wander, lost 4.world, condition 5.spread, expand
The light of knowledge is lost, wandering in the void. While knowledge is lost, ‘this’ condition is spreading. What is ‘this’ – ignorance. If ‘aalam is interpreted as the world … while light that can guide and show the way is lost in the void, the world keeps spreading i.e., exploring all around in search of a path.
6
ham haiN naazir1 hamiiN2 nazaaraa3 haiN
darmiyaaN4 gar Khuda na aa jaa’e
1.observer 2.we ourselves 3.scene, the object that is observed 4.middle, obstacle
We could be the observer and we ourselves could be the observed if god did not become an obstacle. I am sure that there are many sophisticated/reverential interpretations that may talk about the union of the observer and observed i.e. god and creature implying that if the two merge then we see/experience the divine. But I prefer my irreverential reading that the concept of god prevents an understanding of the mysteries of the universe by simply assigning causality and washing hands of the effort to understand. Says shahed …
apni samajh ki hadd ko Khuda yuN banaa diya
aasaan tha yeh kahna keh voh hai hijaab meN
7
tuKhm1 kyaa bo’iye2 qadaamat3 kaa
kyuN na jaNgal ko hii chalaa jaa’e
1.seed 2.sow 3.antiquity
Why sow seeds of antiquity? Why not just go back to the jungle. I like to interpret this as a sarcastic observation on the politics of the day which plays up the glory of the past. If the past was so glorious, why not just go back to the jungle … implying perhaps rule of the jungle rather than civilization, primitive technology levels, primitive knowledge levels.
