For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
دوزخ میں بھی جنّت ہوتی ہے ۔ رنگا چاری رنگاؔ
۱
ناصح کی نصیحت کچھ بھی نہیں، بیکار نصیحت ہوتی ہے
جب اُس کی عنائت ہوتی ہے، دوزخ میں بھی جنّت ہوتی ہے
۲
جب درد و الم میں گِھرتا ہے، جب سخت اذیّت ہوتی ہے
اُس وقت خدا یاد آتا ہے، اُس وقت عبادت ہوتی ہے
۳
ملتی ہے نظر سے جب کہ نظر، ٹکراتا ہے یہ دل دل سے اگر
پھر کیف سا جو چھا جاتا ہے، وہ چیز محبّت ہوتی ہے
۴
پروردۂ طوفاں جتنے ہیں، موجوں سے وہ کھیلا کرتے ہیں
طوفان سے ڈرنے والوں کو ساحل کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے
۵
معلوم یہی بس ہم کو ہوا، جب بھی کبھی ہم نے غور کیا
جو ہم پہ مصیبت ہوتی ہے، وہ دل کی بدولت ہوتی ہے
۶
اُمیدوں کی دنیا میں ہم ہیں، یہ آس لگائے بیٹھے ہیں
اب ہم پہ کرم فرماتے ہیں، اب ہم پہ عنائت ہوتی ہے
۷
رنگاؔ وہ ستم کے بانی ہیں، ڈھاتے ہیں ستم وہ شام و سحر
کب ظلم پہ نادم ہوتے ہیں کب اُن کو ندامت ہوتی ہے
दोज़ख़ में भी जन्नत होती है – रंगा चारी रंगा
१
नासह की नसीहत कुछ भी नहीं, बेकार नसीहत होती है
जब उस की इना’एत होती है, दोज़ख़ में भी जन्नत होती है
२
जब दर्द ओ अलम में घिर्ता है, जब सख़्त अज़िय्यत होती है
उस वक़्त ख़ुदा याद आता है, उस वक़्त इबादत होती है
३
मिलती है नज़र से जब के नज़र, टक्राता है ये दिल दिल से अगर
फिर कैफ़ सा जो छा जाता है, वो चीज़ मोहब्बत होती है
४
परवरदा-ए तूफ़ां जितने हैं, मौजौं से वो खेला करते हैं
तूफ़ान से डरने वालौं को, साहल की ज़रूरत होती है
५
मा’लूम यही बस हम को हुआ, जब भी कभी हम ने ग़ौर किया
जो हम पे मुसीबत होती है, वो दिल की ब-दौलत होती है
६
उम्मीदौं कि दुनिया में हम हैं, ये आस लगाये बैठे हैं
अब हम पे करम फ़र्माते हैं, अब हम पे इना’एत होती है
७
रंगा, वो सितम के बानी हैं, ढाते हैं सितम वो शाम ओ सहर
कब ज़ुल्म पे नादम होते हैं, कब उन को नदामत होती है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raNga chari raNga allahabadi (1931-????) worked as a head clerk, at the Govt Junior Basic Training College, jhaanNsi – a middle level job at best. But he was caught in the love of urdu and I found his diivan to be particularly erudite and was delighted to discover him. He learnt faarsi and urdu at home from his grandfather, munshi nand kishor who clerked for panDit motilal nehru. He names shu’ara sukhdev parshad bismil, and rajeshwar parshad soz as friends of his father with regular recitation sessions at their home. His brother put Ghazal to music and sang them. In 1956 he helped organize a major mushaa’era. zahoor nashtar salonavi, who saw this, encouraged him to compose and ended up being his ustaad. He published his diivaan, navaa-e dair o haram, in 1985.
1
naaseh1 ki naseehat2 kuchh bhi nahiN, bekaar3 naseehat2 hoti hai
jab us ki inaa’et4 hoti hai, dozaKh5 meN bhi jannat6 hoti hai 1.preacher 2.preaching, sermonizing 3.useless 4.blessing 5.hell 6.heaven
The sermonizing of the preacher amounts to nothing. He teaching is useless. If you have god’s blessing, then even in hell, there is heaven. This amounts to saying that orthodoxy, as a go-between is useless. god deals directly with us.
2
jab dard1 o alam2 meN ghirta3 hai, jab saKht4 aziyyat5 hoti hai
us vaqt Khuda yaad aata hai, us vaqt ibaadat6 hoti hai 1.pain 2.sorrow 3.surrounded 4.hard, much 5.pain, difficulty 6.prayer
When man is surrounded by pain and sorrow, when difficulties increase, at that time, he remembers god, that is when he begins to pray.
3
milti hai nazar1 se jab keh nazar, Takraata hai ye dil dil se agar
phir kaif2 sa jo chhaa jaata hai, vo cheez mohabbat hoti hai 1.eyes, glance 2.tranquility, comfort, joy
When eye meets eye, when heart beats against heart, then the joy that engulfs you is called love.
4
parvarda-e toofaaN jitne haiN, maujoN se vo khela karte haiN
toofaan se Darne vaaloN ko, saahil ki zaroorat hoti hai 1.foster, nurture 2.storms 3.waves 4.shore 5.necessity
Those who foster storms, play in the waves. They who are afraid of storms need a shore.
5
maa’loom1 yahi bas hum ko hua, jab bhi kabhi hum ne Ghaur2 kiya
jo hum pe musiibat3 hoti hai, vo dil ki ba-daulat4 hoti hai 1.learnt 2.think carefully 3.difficulty 4.because of
Whenever we have thought about it carefully, we have learnt that whenever we are in difficulties it is because of the heart. The ‘heart’ can be romantic love or love of material goods/desire.
6
ummeedoN1 ki duniya meN hum haiN, ye aas2 lagaaye baiThe haiN
ab hum pe karam3 farmaate4 haiN, ab hum pe inaa’et5 hoti hai 1.hopes 2.hope 3.kindness 4.bestow 5.benevolence
We live in a world of false hopes, hoping that “they” will bestow kindness now, now “they” will be benevolent. Here, “they” may refer to the beloved, or to politicians, or to the gods.
7
raNga1, vo sitam2 ke baani3 haiN, Dhaate haiN sitam vo shaam o sahar4
kab zulm pe naadim5 hote haiN, kab un ko nadaamat6 hoti hai 1.pen-name of poet 2.torture 3.cause, inventor 4.day 5.sorry 6.regret
This is probably directed at the beloved. O, raNga, the beloved is the inventor of torture, inflicting it day and night. When is she ever sorry about her oppression, when is she ever regretful.
raNga chari raNga allahabadi (1931-????) worked as a head clerk, at the Govt Junior Basic Training College, jhaanNsi – a middle level job at best. But he was caught in the love of urdu and I found his diivan to be particularly erudite and was delighted to discover him. He learnt faarsi and urdu at home from his grandfather, munshi nand kishor who clerked for panDit motilal nehru. He names shu’ara sukhdev parshad bismil, and rajeshwar parshad soz as friends of his father with regular recitation sessions at their home. His brother put Ghazal to music and sang them. In 1956 he helped organize a major mushaa’era. zahoor nashtar salonavi, who saw this, encouraged him to compose and ended up being his ustaad. He published his diivaan, navaa-e dair o haram, in 1985.
1
naaseh1 ki naseehat2 kuchh bhi nahiN, bekaar3 naseehat2 hoti hai
jab us ki inaa’et4 hoti hai, dozaKh5 meN bhi jannat6 hoti hai
1.preacher 2.preaching, sermonizing 3.useless 4.blessing 5.hell 6.heaven
The sermonizing of the preacher amounts to nothing. He teaching is useless. If you have god’s blessing, then even in hell, there is heaven. This amounts to saying that orthodoxy, as a go-between is useless. god deals directly with us.
2
jab dard1 o alam2 meN ghirta3 hai, jab saKht4 aziyyat5 hoti hai
us vaqt Khuda yaad aata hai, us vaqt ibaadat6 hoti hai
1.pain 2.sorrow 3.surrounded 4.hard, much 5.pain, difficulty 6.prayer
When man is surrounded by pain and sorrow, when difficulties increase, at that time, he remembers god, that is when he begins to pray.
3
milti hai nazar1 se jab keh nazar, Takraata hai ye dil dil se agar
phir kaif2 sa jo chhaa jaata hai, vo cheez mohabbat hoti hai
1.eyes, glance 2.tranquility, comfort, joy
When eye meets eye, when heart beats against heart, then the joy that engulfs you is called love.
4
parvarda-e toofaaN jitne haiN, maujoN se vo khela karte haiN
toofaan se Darne vaaloN ko, saahil ki zaroorat hoti hai
1.foster, nurture 2.storms 3.waves 4.shore 5.necessity
Those who foster storms, play in the waves. They who are afraid of storms need a shore.
5
maa’loom1 yahi bas hum ko hua, jab bhi kabhi hum ne Ghaur2 kiya
jo hum pe musiibat3 hoti hai, vo dil ki ba-daulat4 hoti hai
1.learnt 2.think carefully 3.difficulty 4.because of
Whenever we have thought about it carefully, we have learnt that whenever we are in difficulties it is because of the heart. The ‘heart’ can be romantic love or love of material goods/desire.
6
ummeedoN1 ki duniya meN hum haiN, ye aas2 lagaaye baiThe haiN
ab hum pe karam3 farmaate4 haiN, ab hum pe inaa’et5 hoti hai
1.hopes 2.hope 3.kindness 4.bestow 5.benevolence
We live in a world of false hopes, hoping that “they” will bestow kindness now, now “they” will be benevolent. Here, “they” may refer to the beloved, or to politicians, or to the gods.
7
raNga1, vo sitam2 ke baani3 haiN, Dhaate haiN sitam vo shaam o sahar4
kab zulm pe naadim5 hote haiN, kab un ko nadaamat6 hoti hai
1.pen-name of poet 2.torture 3.cause, inventor 4.day 5.sorry 6.regret
This is probably directed at the beloved. O, raNga, the beloved is the inventor of torture, inflicting it day and night. When is she ever sorry about her oppression, when is she ever regretful.
Fascinating eloquence…..easy to understand and uncomplicated.