Remembering Sahir and his poetry on his birth centenary

Na muñh chhupā ke jiye ham na sar jhukā ke jiye

sitamgaroñ kī nazar se nazar milā ke jiye

ab ek raat agar kam jiye to kam hī sahī

yahī bahut hai ki ham mish.aleñ jalā ke jiye

Sahir Ludhianvi was born on International Women's day exactly a hundred years back. He remains one of the strongest humanist and modern voices of Urdu poetry.

His poetry encourages the oppressed to rise.

On Sahir's birth centenary writer, Gauhar Raza reminds us that Sahir Ludhiyanvi never complained of unrequited love. He never accused his beloved of deceit or cheating. A trend that was in vogue in Urdu poetry among his contemporaries. Instead, Sahir shows respect towards the agency of his beloved. He finds modern ways to address love that has been lost.

chalo ik baar phir se ajnabī ban jaa.eñ ham donoñ

na maiñ tum se koī ummīd rakhūñ dil-navāzī kī

na tum merī taraf dekho ġhalat-andāz nazroñ se

na mere dil kī dhaḌkan laḌkhaḌā.e merī bātoñ se

na zāhir ho tumhārī kashmakash kā raaz nazroñ se

tumheñ bhī koī uljhan roktī hai pesh-qadmī se

mujhe bhī log kahte haiñ ki ye jalve parā.e haiñ

mire hamrāh bhī rusvā.iyāñ haiñ mere maazī kī

tumhāre saath bhī guzrī huī rātoñ ke saa.e haiñ

ta.āruf rog ho jaa.e to us kā bhūlnā behtar

ta.alluq bojh ban jaa.e to us ko toḌnā achchhā

Sahir elegantly writes that it's good to leave a story at a beautiful bend if it can't be brought to a logical conclusion.

vo afsāna jise anjām tak laanā na ho mumkin

use ik ḳhūb-sūrat moḌ de kar chhoḌnā achchhā

Sahir is known for his anti-war poetry. He is also known for giving two hoots about rituals and organised religion. He hails the almighty who created humans and wonders why we divided our people. Many of us remember seeing an old man holding an orphan child in the film "Dhool Ka Phool". He sings a lullaby to this child- You will neither be Hindu nor Muslim. You are the child of a human being will stay just that- A Human. A force to reckon with,

tū hindū banegā na musalmān banegā

insān kī aulād hai insān banegā

achchhā hai abhī tak terā kuchh naam nahīñ hai

tujh ko kisī maz.hab se koī kaam nahīñ hai

jis ilm ne insānoñ ko taqsīm kiyā hai

is ilm kā tujh par koī ilzām nahīñ hai

Sahir then writes the new born child will represent the new times. That this child will not be qualified by social constructs. This will be truly a human being.

tū badle hue vaqt kī pahchān banegā

insān kī aulād hai insān banegā

mālik ne har insān ko insān banāyā

ham ne ise hindū yā musalmān banāyā

qudrat ne to baḳhshī thī hameñ ek hī dhartī

ham ne kahīñ bhārat kahīñ īrān banāyā

jo toḌ de har band vo tūfān banegā

insān kī aulād hai