Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. anand mohan gulzar dehlavi (1926-2020), a kashmiri panDit, a scholar and lover of urdu and totally committed to communal harmony. Over his long and fruitful life has written with much love and admiration about many illustrious figures – political, religious and literary. This one is a heartfelt tribute to gandhi.
1
aye vatan ki jaNg-e aazaadi ke saalaar¹-e azeem²
martaba-daan³-e payaam⁴-e saadeq⁵-e raam o raheem   1.leader 2.great 3.knowledgable of status of 4.message 5.truth
‘raam o raheem’ is used to represent hinduism and islam (perhaps all religions). O, great leader of the struggle for independence of the homeland, who respected/understood the message of truth of all religions.
2
barbariyyat¹ aur tashaddud² ke muKhaalif³ be-gumaaN⁴
jabr⁵ o istebdaad⁶ o zulm⁷ o jaur⁸ ke qaat’a⁹-e Ghaneem¹⁰     1.barbarity 2.despotism 3.opposed to 4.without a doubt, confidently, courageously 5.oppression 6.tyranny 7.cruelty 8.violence 9.cutting, stopping 10.enemy, fighter
With confidence and courage you opposed barbarity and despotism. You were the fighter that cut down the forces of oppression, tyranny, cruelty and violence.
3
amn¹-e bhaarat, amn-e mashirq², amn-e aa’lam³ ke naqeeb⁴
past⁵ to pasmaanda⁶ milal⁷ ke rahbar⁸-e aazam⁹ za’eem¹⁰    1.peace, well being 2.east 3.world 4.herald 5.low, left behind 6.downtrodden 7.community 8.guide 9.great, honoured 10.promoter, champion
The herald of peace in bhaarat, east and world. The champion of the oppressed and downtrodden.
4
haadi¹-e aazaadi-e afreshia, jaan²-e jahaaN
sadqe³ teri shaan⁴-e qurbaani⁵ pe Khaanaan⁶-e raheem⁷     1.guide 2.soul 3.devotional offering 4.dignity 5.sacrifice 6.princes, lords 7.benevolent, god
The guide/inspiration for the struggle of liberation of Africa and Asia. Soul of the world. The lords/keepers of divine benevolence make an offering in tribute to the dignity of your sacrifice.
5
tu tehi-dast¹ o faqiir²-e be-sar-o-saamaaN³ sahi
tere aage sub haiN sharminda⁴ rafeeqaan⁵-e na’eem⁶     1.tight fisted, empty handed 2.mendicant 3.without any material means 4.humbled 5.friends 6.wealth, comfort
It may be that you were a mendicant with an empty bowl without any material wealth, but even the lords of comfort were humbled before you.
6
tu ne moti aur javaahar aise bhaarat par lagaa’e
ajmal o ansaari o aazaad the tere nadeem¹     1.convinced of, followers
You embroidered pearls (moti – motilal nehru) and jewels (javaahar – javaahar lal nehru) into the dress of bhaarat. Your followers included people like hakim ajmal KhaaN, abdul qayyum ansaari and maulana abul kalaam aazaad.
7
tu ne ek rishte¹ meN goondhe aise durr²-e shaahvaar³
jo vatan ke bahr⁴-e aazaadi ke the durr-e-yateem⁵     1.relationship, connection, string 2.pearls 3.fit for royalty 4.ocean 5.single large and particularly valuable pearl
You strung such royal pearls into the same string as could only be found in the ocean of the struggle of freedom of the homeland. They were unique, large and valuable pearls.
8
tu ne raaja raajan o paTTaabhi aasif aur paTel
chun ke bhaarat ratn¹, bhaarat par kiya lutf²-e ameem³   1.gems, jewels 2.kindness, benevolence 3.complete, full
The first misra refers to the many kings and potentates and names of a few of the freedom fighters who struggled alongside gandhi. In picking such gems of bhaarat you bestowed benevolence on everyone.
9
tu ne phooNka asia meN aisa bedaari¹ ka suur²
saare mashriq³ meN teri aavaaz thi saut⁴-e kaleem⁵    1.awakening 2.conch, ram’s horn 3.east 4.voice 5.authoritative speaker, god
You blew such a horn of awakening in asia that in eastern hemisphere the your voice became the voice that became a divine authoritative voice.
10
hadd¹-e Khaavar² se teri aavaaz aye sho’la-navaa³
taa⁴ ba hadd¹-e baaKhtar⁵ baatil-shikan⁶ be-Khauf-o-beem⁷     1.limits, boundaries 2.east 3.fiery/passionate call 4.until 5.west 6.defeating/breaking evil 7.without fear or dread
From the bounds of east to the limits of the west your passionate voice cried out without fear or dread.
11
hindu muslim sikh eesaaii ki Khaatir¹ se jiya
vaar² di aa’la-tariiN³ aadarsh⁴ par jaan⁵-e azeem⁶    1.for the sake of 2.sacrificed 3.most exalted 4.principles 5.life 6.great
You lived for the sake of (harmony between) hindu, muslim, sikh and Christians. You sacrificed your great life for most exalted principles.
12
hifz¹-e eemaaN² ke liye di jaaN, pa’e³ insaaniyat⁴
aadmiyyat⁵ ko ata⁶ tu ne kiya zauq⁷-e saleem⁸   
1.protection 2.faith, (right to freedom of) religion 3.for the sake of 4.humanity 5.humanism 6.granted 7.taste, desire 8.perfection, goodness
You gave your life to protect the freedom of religion, for the sake of humanity. You granted the desire for goodness to humanism
13
teri koshish¹ thi vatan meN Khatm ho sub chhoot chhaat
imitiaaz²-e zaat³ TooTe aur rahe zaat⁴-e kareem⁵    1.effort 2.discrimination 3.caste 4.being 5.benevolent, god
Your effort was that the practice of untouchability be eradicated in the homeland, that discrimination based on caste be broken and only the divine being be accepted as one.
14
qaum¹ ki yakjahti²-e kaamil³ ka tu avtaar⁴ tha
faKhr⁵-e bhaarat, naaz⁶-e mashriq⁷, nasl-e-aadam⁸ ke nadeem⁹    1.community, nation 2.unity, harmony 3.complete 4.manifestation 5.pride 6.pride 7.east 8.progeny of Adam, humanity 9.convinced of, believer
You were the manifestation of complete communal harmony. The pride of bharat and of all the East. You were convinced of the one-ness of all humanity.
15
martaba-daan¹-e dayaar²-e k’aaba o kaashi tha tu
sharq³ ka nabbaaz⁴ aur uftaad-e-maGhrib⁵ ka aleem⁶     1.knowledge of the status/dignity 2.regime, authority 3.east 4.knowing the pulse of, healer 5.ways, nature, intentions 6.knowledgable of
You knew/understood the status/dignity of the authority of k’aaba and kaashi. You were the healer of the East and know the nature and intentions of the West.
16
gar chaman-bandi ho mashriq ki tere andaaz par
baaGh-e mashriq se uThe phir jhoom kar buu-e shameem   1.building/growing a garden 2.east 3.style, method 4.fragrant breeze
If in the east we build a garden/home in the way that you have told us, then a fragrant breeze will rise in ecstacy and blow across.
17
teri zaat¹-e munfarid² meN ek jhalak³ jiddat⁴ ki thi
tujh meN mustahsan⁵ samoii⁶ thiiN rivaayaat⁷-e qadeem⁸    1.person 2.unique 3.glimpse, reflection 4.innovation 5.good, virtuous 6.contained 7.traditions 8.ancient
There was a reflection of newness in your unique person. All the better traditions of the past were contained in your person.
18
nik’hat¹-e gul ki lataafat², shams³-e taabaaN⁴ ka jalaal⁵
is murakkab⁶ se murattib⁷ thi teri zaat⁸-e saleem⁹    1.fragrance 2.delicacy 3.sun 4.brilliant 5.glory 6.amalgamation, mixture 7.constructed, made 8.person 9.good, noble
Your noble person was made of the amalgamation of such varied characteristics as the delicate fragrance of the rose and the glory of the brilliant sun.
19
alGharaz¹ jab naam gandhi ka liya gulzaar² ne
kah gaii ye she’r mere kaan meN mauj³-e naseem⁴    1.in summary 2.garden, pen-name of the poet 3.gust 4.morning breeze
In summary, when gulzaar took the name of gandhi, the morning breeze blew and whispered this she’r in my ear.
20
bar¹ kaf²-e jaam³-e shariyyat⁴, bar¹ kaf²-e sandaan⁵-e ishq⁶
har havasnaak⁷-e na-daanad⁸ jaam³ o sandaaN⁵ baaKhtan⁹     1.in, inside 2.palm, grip 3.cup 4.(narrow) traditions 5.anvil, trial by fire (as being under the anvil) 6.(universal) love 7.greedy person 8. does not know 10.play, balance
Here, gulzar quotes the she’r that the breeze whispered into his ear. This is a quote from s’aadi. It is meant to reflect the delicate balance between conventional religiosity and universal faith that gandhi maintained. He held in one hand the cup of wine of conventional, ritualistic faith and in the other the hot anvil of universal love. Not every person faced with worldly desires can balance these two.