Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. aamir aziz (1990-living and may he live long) a fiery young poet in dehli. He writes and recites more in the rapid fire style of rap songs. His writing and his recitation has become very popular among protestors for human rights in India. He is listed on the internet as an actor and musician.
1
tum raat¹ likho hum chaand² likheNge
tum jail meN Daalo hum diivaar-phaand³ likheNge   1.night, oppression 2.moon, sign of love, hope 3.scale the wall, escape
You bring the dark night of oppression, we shine moonlight to dispel
You shut is jail cells, we scale the wall to write the truth
2
tum FIR¹ likho hum haiN taiyyaar likheNge
tum humeN qatl² kar do hum ban ke bhoot likheNge
tumhaare qatl ke saare saboot³ likheNge
tum adaalatoN⁴ se baiTh kar chuTkule⁵ likho
hum saRkoN diivaaroN pe insaaf⁶ likheNge
behre⁷ bhi sun leN itni zor se boleNge
andhe bhi paRh leN itna saaf⁸ likheNge     1.first information report, first allegation/charge 2.killing 3.proof 4.courts 5.jokes 6.justice 7.deaf 8.clear
You charge us with false allegations, we are ready, we will write
You can kill us, our ghosts will rise to write
To give proof our your killing we will write
You sit in your courts and laws that make a joke of freedom write
On streets and walls, justice we will write
Even the deaf will hear such will cry with all our might
Even the blind will read so clearly will we write
3
tum kaala kamal¹ likho, hum laal gulaab² likheNge
tum zameen pe zulm³ likh do, asmaan pe inquilaab⁴ likkha jaayega   1.black lotus, symbolic of oppression 2.red rose, symbolic of love 3.oppression 4.revolution, protest
You write oppressive laws, we offer love
You write oppression on earth, we write protest on the sky
4
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
5
ye nazm kashmir ke naam hai
ye nazm AMU ke naam hai
ye nazm jaam’ia ke naam hai
ye nazm UP ke naam hai
ye nazm JNU ke naam hai, dilli ke naam hai
ye nazm un tamaam jag’hoN ke naam hai
jahaaN raat ke andhere meN zulm Dhaaya jaaye
kaa’eroN¹ buzdiloN² ke dwaara³      1.cowards 2.cowards 3.through, using something
This nazm/poem is a tribute to the struggle of kashmir, aligaRh, jaam’ia, UP, JNU and dehli. It is dedicated to all those places where in the dark of the night you send cowards to kill.
6
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
7
tumhaari laaThiyoN aur goliyoN se
jo qatl huwe haiN mere yaar sab
unki yaad meN diloN ko barbaad¹ rakkha jaayega     1.hurt, wounded, sorrowful
Your clubs and your bullets
That have killed my comrades all
In their memory will my heart be sorrowful forever
8
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega     All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
9
tum siyaahiyoN¹ se jhooTh likhoge, humeN m’aaloom hai
ho hamaare Khoon se hi ho sahi, sach zaruur likkha jaayega   1.dark ink
You will write falsehood with your dark ink, we know
Be it with our blood, the truth will be written
10
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega    All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
11
mobile, telefon, internet bhari dopahar meN band kar ke
sard andheri raat meN poore shahr ko nazarband kar ke
hathoRiyaN le kar daf’atan¹ mere ghar meN ghus aana
mera sar, badan, meri muKhtasar² si zindagi³ ko toR jaana
mere laKht-e-jigar⁴ ko beech chaurahe pe maar kar
yuN be-andaaz⁵ jhunD⁶ meN khaRe ho kar tumhaara muskuraana     1.suddenly, without notice 2.brief, meager 3.life, belongings 4.piece of liver/heart, loved ones 5.nonchalant 6.crowd
Shutting down our phones and internet in broad daylight
Shutting down the whole city with your curfew, in the dark of night
Bursting into my house, without notice hammer in hand
Breaking my body, my head and my meager livelihood
Killing my beloved comrades in the open town square and then
Nonchalant in the crowd, standing and smiling
12
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayeg All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
13
din meN meeThi-meeThi baateN karna saamne se
sab kuchh Theek hai har zubaan¹ meN tutlaana²
raat hote hi haq³ maang rahe logoN pe
laaThiyaaN chalaana, goliyaaN chalaana
humiN pe hamla⁴ kar ke, humiN ko hamla-aavar⁵ bataana   1.language 2.stammer/mis-pronounce 3.justice 4.attack 5.attaker, aggressor
In the day, to our face, you mutter sweet things
Everything is fine, you say, bungling in every language
And in the dark, on those who demand justice
You rain clubs and shoot bullets
You attack us and turn around and call us aggressors
14
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
15
maiN apni haDDiyoN pe likh ke rakkhuN ga ye saare varedaat¹
tum jo maaNgte ho mujh se mere hone ke kaGhazaat²
apni hasti³ ka tumko saboot⁴ zaruur diya jaayega
ye juNg tumhaari, aaKhri saaNs tak laRa jaayega     1.incidents, (oppressive) actions 2.papers 3.life, character, nature 4.evidence
I will engrave the story of your oppression on my bones
You who ask me to show papers that I exist
We will present evidence of your evil nature
This is a war of your making, we will fight to the last breath
16
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
17
ye bhi yaad rakkha jaayega kis kis tarah¹ se
tum ne vatan ko toRne ki saazisheN² kiN
ye bhi yaad rakkha jaayega kis kis jatan³ se
hum ne vatan ko joRne ki koshisheN kiN    1.ways, methods 2.schemes, conspiracies 3.effort
This too will be remembered, the number of ways in which
You conspired to divide the homeland
This too will be remembered, with what effort
We tried to put the homeland back together
18
ye bhi yaad rakkha jaayega
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   This too will be remembered
All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
19
jab kabhi bhi zikr¹ aayega jahaaN² meN taur-e-buzdili³ ka
tumhaara kaam yaad rakkha jaayega
aur jab kabhi bhi zikr aayega jahaaN meN taur-e zindagi⁴ ka
humaara naam yaad rakkha jaayega
ke kuchh log the jinke iraade⁵ TooTe nahiN the
lohe ki hathoRiyoN⁶ se
ke kuchh log the jinke zameer⁷ bike nahiN the
zardaaroN⁸ ki kauRiyoN⁹ se
jaise tumhaare bik gaye haiN!   1.mention 2.world 3.ways of cowardice 4.ways of living 5.determination 6.hammers 7.conscience 8.wealthy 9.coins
Whenever there will be talk in this world of the ways of cowardice
Your deeds will be remembered
Whenever there will be talk in this world of the dignity of living
Our name will be remembered
That there were some whose determination was not broken
By steel hammers
There were some whose conscience was not sold
For a few coins of the wealthy
Like yours have been sold
20
ke kuchh log the jo DaTe¹ rahe the
toofaan-e-nooh² ke guzar³ jaane ke baad tak
kuchh log the jo zinda rahe
apni maut ki Khabar aane ke baad tak   1.stood firm 2.storm/flood of Noah 3.passed
That there was some who stood firm
Until after Noah’s flood passed
There were some who stood living
Even after their death was pronounced
21
bhale¹ bhool jaaye falak² aaNkhoN ko moondna³
bhale bhool jaaye zamiN apni doori pe ghoomna
humare kaTe paroN ki parvaaz⁴ ko
humaare phaTe galoN⁵ ki aavaaz ko   1.even if 2.sky 3.shut, close 4.flight 5.throat
Even if the sun and stars of the sky go dark
Even if the earth stops revolging its distance
The flight of our clipped wings
The sound of our wounded throat …
22
yaad rakkha jaayega
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   … will be remembered
All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
23
tum raat¹ likho hum chaand² likheNge
tum jail meN Daalo hum diivaar-phaand³ likheNge   1.night, oppression 2.moon, sign of love, hope 3.scale the wall, escape
You bring the dark night of oppression, we shine moonlight to dispel
You shut is jail cells, we scale the wall to write the truth
24
tum FIR¹ likho hum haiN taiyyaar likheNge
tum humeN qatl² kar do hum ban ke bhoot likheNge
tumhaare qatl ke saare saboot³ likheNge
tum adaalatoN⁴ se baiTh kar chuTkule⁵ likho
hum saRkoN diivaaroN pe insaaf⁶ likheNge
behre⁷ bhi sun leN itni zor se boleNge
andhe bhi paRh leN itna saaf⁸ likheNge     1.first information report, first allegation/charge 2.killing 3.proof 4.courts 5.jokes 6.justice 7.deaf 8.clear
You charge us with false allegations, we are ready, we will write
You can kill us, our ghosts will rise to write
To give proof our your killing we will write
You sit in your courts and laws that make a joke of freedom write
On streets and walls, justice we will write
Even the deaf will hear such will cry with all our might
Even the blind will read so clearly will we write
25
tum kaala kamal¹ likho, hum laal gulaab² likheNge
tum zameen pe zulm³ likh do, asmaan pe inquilaab⁴ likkha jaayega   1.black lotus, symbolic of oppression 2.red rose, symbolic of love 3.oppression 4.revolution, protest
You write oppressive laws, we offer love
You write oppression on earth, we write protest on the sky
26
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered
27
taa-ke¹ tumhaare naam par, taa-umr² laanateN³ bheji jaa sakeN
taa ke tumhaare mujassamoN⁴ par, kaalikeN poti jaa sakeN
tumhaare naam tumhaare mujassamoN ko
abaad⁵ rakkha jaayega, sab yaad rakkha jaayega     1.so that 2.life long 3.vilification 4.statues 5.safe
So that upon your reputation for all time to come vilification can be thrown
So that your statues may be tarred
Your names and your statues
Will be kept safe
28
sab yaad rakkha jaayega, sab kuchh yaad rakkha jaayega   All will be remembered, everything will be remembered