maadari zabaaN-anand narain mulla

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “English” or “Notes” tab.

مادری زبان ۔ پنڈت آنند نارائین مُلّاؔ

منتخب اشعار و قطعات

۱

لبِ مادر نے مُلاّ جس میں لوریاں سُنائی تھیں

وہ دِن آیا ہے جب اُسکو بھی غیروں کی زباں سمجھو

۲

اُردو زبان غیر ہے یہ شوق سے کہے

مُلاّ سے لیکن آ کے نگاہیں ملائے تو

۳

مُلّا بنا دیا ہے اِسے بھی محاذِ جنگ

اِک صلح کا پیام تھی اُردو زباں کبھی

۴

معتوب شمع اُردو کو تربت پہ رکھ دیا

پروانے پھر بھی آئے تو تربت بھی چھین لی

۵

بزمِ ادبِ ہند کے ہر گل میں ہے خوشبو

ملاؔ گلِ اُردو کی مہک اور ہی کچھ ہے

۶

مٹتی ہوئی اُردو کے نام

 

اک موت کا جشن بھی منا لیں تو چلیں

پھر پونچھ کے اشک مُسکرا لیں تو چلیں

آ تجھ کو گلے لگا کے مِٹتی اُردو

اِک آخری گیت اور گا لیں تو چلیں

۷

آئندہ تاریخ کا ایک صفحہ

 

یہ سانحہ سالِ چہل و نو میں ہوا

ہندی کی چُھری تھی اور اُردو کا گلا

اُردو کے رفیقوں میں جو مقتول ہوئے

مُلّا نامی سُنا ہے شاعر بھی تھا

मादरी ज़बान – पंडित आनंद नरायन मल्ला

मुंतख़ब अश’आर और क़त’आत

लब-ए मादर ने मुल्ला जिस में लोरियाँ सुनाई थीं

वो दिन आया है जब उसको भी ग़ैरौं की ज़बां समझो

उर्दू ज़बान ग़ैर है ये शौक़ से कहे

मुल्ला से लैकिन आ के निगाहें मिलाए तो

मुल्ला बना दिया है इसे भी महाज़-ए जंग

एक सुलह का पयाम थी उर्दू ज़बां कभी

मा’तूब शम’अ उर्दू को तुर्बत पे रख दिया

पर्वाने फिर भी आए तो तुर्बत भी छीन ली

बज़्म-ए-अदब-ए-हिन्द के हर गुल में है ख़ुश्बू

मुल्ला गुल-ए-उर्दू की महक और ही कुछ है

मिट्ति हुई उर्दू के नाम

 

एक मौत का जश्न भी मना लें तो चलें

फिर पोंछ के अश्क मुस्कुरा लें तो चलें

आ तुझ को गले लगा के मिट्ति उर्दू

एक आख़्री गीत और गा लें तो चलें

आईंदा तारीख़ का एक सफ़ह

 

ये सानेहा साल ए चहल ओ नौ में हुआ

हिन्दी की छुरी थी और उर्दू का गला

उर्दू के रफ़ीक़ों में जो मक़तूल हुआ

मुल्लाह नामी सुना है शाएर भी था

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997) thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er. urdu lover. judge, parliamentarian and strong secularist. His love of urdu expressed in these selected ash’aar and qitaat is touching because of its sincerity and strength.
1
lab-e maadar1 ne mulla2 jis meN loriyaaN sunaaii theeN
vo din aaya hai jab usko bhi GhairauN3 ki zabaaN4 samjho
1.mother’s lips 2.name as well as pen name of the poet 3.others, foreigners 4.language
O mulla, you had heard lallabies from your mother’s lips in this tongue. The day has come when you have been forced to consider even this a foreign langauge.

2
urdu zabaan Ghair1 hai ye shauq2 se kahe
mulla se laikin aa ke nigaaheN3 milaaye to
1.other, foreign 2.with pleasure 3.eyes, look squarely in the eye
This is a very combative and challenging statement. He may with pleasure say that Urdu is a foreign language. But first he must come face to face with mulla.

3
mulla bana diya hai ise bhi mahaaz-e-juNg1
ek sulah2 ka payaam3 thi urdu zabaaN kabhi   
1.battle field 2.peace, reconciliation 3.message
O, mulla, they have made even this a battlefield. At one time, urdu language was a message of reconciliation and peace.

4
maa’tuub1 sham’a urdu ko turbat2 pe rakh diya
parvaane3 phir bhi aaye to turbat bhi chheen li    
1.derided, hated 2.grave 3.moths, lovers
They declared urdu an inferior/hated language and placed the lamp of urdu on a grave. But when moths still came to the lamp, they even took away the grave.

5
bazm1-e adab2-e hind ke har gul meN hai Khushbuu
mulla gul-e-urdu ki mahak3 aur hi kuchh hai  
1.gathering, collection, society 2.literature 3.fragrance
Every rose of the gathering of literature of India has a sweet smell. But, O, mulla, the fragrance of the rose of urdu is something else.

6
miTti hui urdu ke naam
ek maut ka jashn1 manaa leN to chaleN
phir poNchh2 ke ashk3 muskura leN to chaleN
aa tujh ko galey laga ke miTti4 urdu
ek aaKhri5 geet aur gaa leN to chaleN
1.celebration 2.wipe 3.tears 4.disappearing, fading 5.final
An ode/tribute/elegy to a fading Urdu. Let us perform a celebration/feast of death, wipe our tears and smile before we move on. “Celebration of death” is a juxtaposition of pain and pleasure as well as a sarcasm. Let us hug this fading Urdu and sing a final song before we move on.

7
aaiinda1 taareeKh2 ka ek safah3

ye saaneha4 saal e chahl5 o nau6 meN hua
hindi ki chhuri thi aur urdu ka galaa
urdu ke rafeeqauN7 meN jo maqtool8 hua
mulla naami suna hai shaaer bhi tha
1.future 2.history 3.page 4.tragedy, calamity 5.forty (farsi) 6.nine 7.friends 8.murdered, sacrificed
The poet envisions a page in history as will be written in the future about what is going on right then (1949). This was probably written in observation of debates about national language in the Constituent Assembly drafting the Constitution of India. “Hindustani” was being actively considered as a choice. At the height of this debate, Pakistan announced that Urdu was going to be its national language. The tide turned in the Constituent Assembly and all consideration of Hindustani/Urdu was thrown out. When history will be written on the goings on of this year of forty and nine (meaning 1949), it will show this tragedy that the throat of Urdu was slit with the knife of Hindi. Among the friends of Urdu who were killed was a poet by the name of “mulla”.

panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997) thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er.  urdu lover.  judge, parliamentarian and strong secularist.  His love of urdu expressed in these selected ash’aar and qitaat is touching because of its sincerity and strength.
1
lab-e maadar1 ne mulla2 jis meN loriyaaN sunaaii theeN
vo din aaya hai jab usko bhi GhairauN3 ki zabaaN4 samjho

1.mother’s lips 2.name as well as pen name of the poet 3.others, foreigners 4.language

O mulla, you had heard lallabies from your mother’s lips in this tongue.  The day has come when you have been forced to consider even this a foreign langauge.
2
urdu zabaan Ghair1 hai ye shauq2 se kahe
mulla se laikin aa ke nigaaheN3 milaaye to

1.other, foreign 2.with pleasure 3.eyes, look squarely in the eye

This is a very combative and challenging statement.  He may with pleasure say that Urdu is a foreign language.  But first he must come face to face with mulla.
3
mulla bana diya hai ise bhi mahaaz-e-juNg1
ek sulah2 ka payaam3 thi urdu zabaaN kabhi

1.battle field 2.peace, reconciliation 3.message

O, mulla, they have made even this a battlefield.  At one time, urdu language was a message of reconciliation and peace.
4
maa’tuub1 sham’a urdu ko turbat2 pe rakh diya
parvaane3 phir bhi aaye to turbat bhi chheen li

1.derided, hated 2.grave 3.moths, lovers

They declared urdu an inferior/hated language and placed the lamp of urdu on a grave.  But when moths still came to the lamp, they even took away the grave.
5
bazm1-e adab2-e hind ke har gul meN hai Khushbuu
mulla gul-e-urdu ki mahak3 aur hi kuchh hai

1.gathering, collection, society 2.literature 3.fragrance

Every rose of the gathering of literature of India has a sweet smell.  But, O, mulla, the fragrance of the rose of urdu is something else.
6
miTti hui urdu ke naam

ek maut ka jashn1 manaa leN to chaleN
phir poNchh2 ke ashk3 muskura leN to chaleN
aa tujh ko galey laga ke miTti4 urdu
ek aaKhri5 geet aur gaa leN to chaleN

1.celebration 2.wipe 3.tears 4.disappearing, fading 5.final

An ode/tribute/elegy to a fading Urdu.  Let us perform a celebration/feast of death, wipe our tears and smile before we move on.  “Celebration of death” is a juxtaposition of pain and pleasure as well as a sarcasm.  Let us hug this fading Urdu and sing a final song before we move on.
7
aaiinda1 taareeKh2 ka ek safah3
ye saaneha4 saal e chahl5 o nau6 meN hua
hindi ki chhuri thi aur urdu ka galaa
urdu ke rafeeqauN7 meN jo maqtool8 hua
mulla naami suna hai shaaer bhi tha

1.future 2.history 3.page 4.tragedy, calamity 5.forty (farsi) 6.nine 7.friends 8.murdered, sacrificed

The poet envisions a page in history as will be written in the future about what is going on right then (1949).  This was probably written in observation of debates about national language in the Constituent Assembly drafting the Constitution of India.  “Hindustani” was being actively considered as a choice.  At the height of this debate, Pakistan announced that Urdu was going to be its national language.  The tide turned in the Constituent Assembly and all consideration of Hindustani/Urdu was thrown out.  When history will be written on the goings on of this year of forty and nine (meaning 1949), it will show this tragedy that the throat of Urdu was slit with the knife of Hindi.  Among the friends of Urdu who were killed was a poet by the name of “mulla”.

Key Search Words:

One comment:

Comments are closed.