The Evolution of Urdu Literature in the 20th Century

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Dear Nasah:

It`s difficult to translate Urdu poetry into English, maintaining the originality and inherent beauty. Any how, the following is my effort for translating Faiz`s Loh-o-Qalam. Be well.

LOH- O- QALAM

I`m not grieved if I`m robbed of the use of pen and paper

Because I`ve drowned my fingers in the blood of my heart

It does not matter if my lips are sealed,

because I`ve placed

A tongue in every link of my fetter

Dear Farangikush:

Thank you so much for Iqbal`s gazal.

Der ayad drust ayad.

Good to know that you`re not hindukush (but then why Farangi kush?)-- that you love hindi peotry too -- I am not very familiar with Hindi poetry --had some encounters with Bacchan`s poems -- they sounded rather bachagana -- love Kabir`s dohes and Mira`s bhajans.

``kubhee soz o saaz e Roomi,kubhee pech o taab e Raazi``

This is the dilemma.

Thanks again.

nasah:#28

I missed this request by you and I`m really sorry.I did not visit CHOWK either for quite sometime and now feel that it was nice to be away.

Here is the Ghazal you requested.

It is from ``Baal e Jibreel``....ALLAMA IQBAAL

__________________________________________________

Vohee meri kumm naseebee,vohee teri bey niazee

miray kaam kuchh naa aaya,yeh kamaal e nai navazee

Mein kahaan hoon too kahaan hai?yeh makan keh lamakan hai?

yeh jahan mira jahan hai,keh teri karishmaa saazi?

Issi kushmkash mein guzreen meri zindgi kee raatein

kubhee soz o saaz e Roomi,kubhee pech o taab e Raazi

Voh fareb khurdaa shaheen keh pulla ho krguson mein

ussey kyaa khabar ke kyaa hai ruh O rusm e shahbaazi

Naa zubaan koi ghazal kee,naa zubaan sey baa khabar mein

koi dil kushaa sadaa ho,ujaa/mee ho yaa keh taazee

Naheen fuqr o sultanat mein koi imtiaz aisaa

yeh sipaah kee tegh baazee,voh nigahh kee tegh baazee

Koi karavaan sey toota koi budgumaan haram sey

keh ameer e karavaan mein,naheen khoo e dilnvaazee.

__________________________________________________

Huzoor e valaa,

Aap ney yeh kyaa farmayya key /aap to Iqbal vaaley hain ?

Qiblaa O Kaaba! Naa to koi Iqbaal vaala hota hai naa tagore valaa naa shakespeare valla aur naa arastoo vaala.Issi tarah naa koi einstein valaa hota hai naa Ibn-sinaa valaa,naa newton valaa aur naa Mualana Sattar Edhee valaa.

Kyoon bhalaa?

Kyoon key huzoor inn tamaamm hustiyon ney upney aap ko khud kissi kaa paband naheen kiyaa to humm inhain qaid krnay vaaley kaun hotai hain?

AAp kee ittilaah key liyay yeh khadim Bhuk soor Daas,Kaalidas,Shaam Churaasi aur Pandit Malik Mohammed Jaisee mein bhee itnee hee dilchuspee laitaa hai.Farangi laikukh bhee humm pur ghar bund naheen hain mugar jubb sey baichaaray ba ba blacksheep qism kee cheezon nein unn ko apnaana shrooh kiyaa to vallah inn bhangyon mein khud ko shumaar karvanay ko jee nahee maantaa.

``Hurr bul havas nein husn parastee shiaar kee....``

Inn ghareebon key bavaa aadam hazrat e Faiz jubb khud liberalism/humanism(whatever that is) sey Taib hokurr phir sey iqraar e bil-lissan musalmaan ho gayeey to yeh taddee-dull kis shumaar qataar mein hein.

``aaye hai bay-kusee e ishque pey ronaa ghalib...``

They have to be pitied but not condemned because some of them become Johnny Levers because of a necessity to get farangi-look-alike jobs in morally bankrupt corporations & organisations.Only self-employed bazzaaris and business types can afford to talk & dress and read/write whatever they want.The ba ba blacksheep must mortgage their souls to get their minds mined.

__________________________________________________

Your poets neeraj and ravinder jain are simply superb.If you can post some of their stuff to share with us it might open a new vista here.

Ravinder Jain especially being from the south and having become a master of urdu from aligargh---and blind(totally?) has composed some of the finest geets for Indian films.I very especially admire his

``dil mein tujhey chhupaa key

kr loon gee mein bundd aankhein

poojaa karoon gee tereee.......

__________________________________________________

My apologies....I`ll let you go now!

WASSALAAM.

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Dear Freethinker:

Where are you.

If you`re still around Chowk, here is another ``mission impossible`` assignment for your poetic spirit.

Please try your hand on Faiz famous quartet for our Indian friends:

mataaye loho qulum chin gayee to keya ghum hai

ke khoone dil meiN dubo leeN haiN oungliaN meiN ne

labooN pe muhre lagee hai to keya ke rakh dee hai

hur aik hulquey zunjeer mein zabaN meiN ne

Thanks.

A surprisingly beautiful short Tarana by my favorite poet, Hafeez Jallundhari -- famous for epics.

But the language -- is that poem in Urdu or in Persian?

Dear SameerJB:

I had really planned to sign off; I didn`t want to go overboard with my recurrent appearances at Chowk. But again, I couldn`t really ignore a well-meaning request. This time, I was able to get the translation of Pakistani National Anthem from the Internet; I`m transmitting that to you. May be, it will serve your purpose. Wishing you well.

________________________________________________

PAKISTANI QUAMI TARANA

Urdu: Islam-i Jamhuriya-e Pakistan / English: Islamic Republic of Pakistan



Tarana

(National Anthem)

Historical Background

The national anthem of Pakistan is a harmonious rendering of a three-stanza composition with a tune based on eastern music but arranged in such a manner that it can be easily played by foreign bands. It was adopted in August 1954. An open competition was held among all highly competitive entries, and the entry of Hafeez Jallundhuri was approved by the jury. The national anthem of Pakistan is one of the most prestigious ones in the world and is very short. Its duration is only one minute and eight seconds.

Original Urdu Words



Latin Transliteration

Pak sarzameen shad bad Kishwar-e-Haseen shad bad

Tou Nishaan-e-Azm-e-aali shan Arz-e-Pakistan

Markaz-e-yaqeen Shad bad

Pak sarzameen ka nizaam Qouwat-e-Akhouwat-e-Awam

Qaum mulk saltanat Painda tabinda bad

Shad bad Manzil-e-murad

Parcham-e-Sitara-o-Hilal Rahbar-e-Tarakkeey-o-Kamal

Tarjumaan-e-mazee-shaan-e-Hal Jan-e-Istaqbal

Saaya-e-Khuda-e-zuljalal

English Translation

Blessed be the sacred land,

Happy be the bounteous realm,

Symbol of high resolve, Land of Pakistan.

Blessed be thou citadel of faith.

The Order of this Sacred Land

Is the might of the brotherhood of the people.

May the nation, the country, and the State.

Shine in glory everlasting.

Blessed be the goal of our ambition.

This flag of the Crescent and the Star

Leads the way to progress and perfection,

Interpreter of our past, glory of our present,

Inspiration of our future,

Symbol of Almighty`s protection.

Lyrics: Abu-al-Asar Hafeez Jullandhuri (1900-1982)

Music: Ahmed Gulamali Chagla (1902-1953)

Adopted: 1954

Dear freethinker:

Many many thanks for translating the Sahir`s Taj for Indian audiences -- and again you have excelled.

Are you sure you`re not a poet? You have to be one.

Only a poet with a command of two languages can feel the subtlety, delicacy, intricacy of language and culture specific poetic expressions –and you have done that, freethinker – especially in the following gems of Sahir’s nazam..

Ungenut logoN ne duniya meiN muhabbut kee hai

Countless people in the world had cherished love

Kaun kahtaa hai ke sadiq na the jasbey unke

Who can say their emotions were not true?

Lekin unke liye tashheer ka saamaan nahiN

But they remained obscure and faceless

kewN ke wuh loge bhi apni hi tarah mufliss tthe

Because they were poor like me and you

meri muhboob unhe bhee tO muhabbut hogee

They too must have cherished love, my darling

jinki sannaiee ne bakhsha thaa usey shukle jameel

Whose skills have rendered it (Taj) a beautiful form

unke peyarooN ke muqabir rahey be naamo namood

Their tombs of love have remained nameless, without any form

Ajj tuk unpey jalaiee nu kisi ne qundeel

Nobody ever lit a light on them

yeh chumun zaar yeh Jumuna ka kinara yeh mahal

This garden-scape, the bank of Jumna, and this palace

yeh munnaqqush duro diwar yeh mehraab yeh taaq

These painted doors and walls , these arches and recesses

ek shanshah ne daulaut ka sahara ley ker

Thanks to the immense wealth of a king of kings

hum ghariboN ki muhabbut ka uraya hai mazaaq

Sneer at our love, love of the poor and the

hapless ones

meri muhboob kahiN aur mila ku mujhko

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

Enjoyed it immensely and please stay on the Chowk. Thanks.

freethinker #54: Thanks for correcting me. Your post was exactly what I expected. Your command of translating poetry into English is really commendable. Please keep up the good work relying on your strength. I am just wondering if Pakistani national anthem would be a bigger challenge than Faiz`s poetry. I am sure it has been translated before.I`ll prefer it in English, understandable Urdu or any other Pakistani languahe anytime over Persian.

Regards,

Sameer

P.S. I wonder what Jinnah would have thought of our national anthem?

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Dear Ras Siddiqui, nasah, and SameerJB:

Thank you for your appreciation. Regarding Sameer`s wondering abut the `tense` used in the translation, he can use the past tense as he suggested, if he feels more comfortable with it. The poets are poets (although I am not one); such things fall under the `poetic license`. I remember having read in the foreword of one of Faiz`s books in which he discussed the gender issue implicit in `meray mehboob`. He had suggested,``if the reader is a female, she can read it as `Mujh sey pehli see mohabbat meray mehboob nah maang`, on the other hand, if the reader is a male, he can read it as `meree mehboob```. Suit yourself. This gender issue had been subject of great discussion in urdu literature, but personally I don`t consider it so very important.

I`ll wrap this discussion, as far as I am concerned, with the following piece.

TAJ MAHAL

May be Taj is an expression of love for you

You revere this valley of colors, be it so

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

It`s pointless for the poor to consort with the kings

The pathway paved with the majestic royal imprints

Is not fit for the tread of the love filled souls

Behind the screen of the vainglorious loyalty

You should have perceived the haughty impress of the royalty

Fascinated with the tombs of the dead royals

You also should have looked at your own dark hovels

Countless people in the world had cherished love

Who can say their emotions were not true?

But they remained obscure and faceless

Because they were poor like me and you

These awe inspiring buildings, tombs, and ramparts

Are the bulwarks of the might of the autocrats

Ulcers they are, the chronic ulcers, in the soul of the world

With the blood of our forefathers, they are steeped

They too must have cherished love, my darling

Whose skills have rendered it (Taj) a beautiful form

Their tombs of love have remained nameless, without any form

Nobody ever lit a light on them

This garden-scape, the bank of Jumna, and this palace

These painted doors and walls , these arches and recesses

Sneer at our love, love of the poor and the hapless ones

Thanks to the immense wealth of a king of kings

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

freethinker: Great translation of a deep meaning poem by freethinker Faiz. Don`t you think that first stanza is in the past and in past tense. This poem is about moving from immaturity to maturity, from self-fulfilling to diffusion of self into universal consiousness, from individualism to collectivism. It is simultaneously a critique of western individualism and Sufism`s one-to-one relationship with God. Because of this thinking, Ashfaq Ahmed labelled Faiz as ``Mulamati Sufi`` of the type, ``chori kar, bhan ghar Rab da-te us thaggaN de thug nuN thug``.

Do you think my changing the tense in the following makes sense.

[Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

I had imagined that my life glows when you`re with me

So long as I pine for you, there is nothing else for me to worry about

Spring owes its permanence in the universe to your beloved being

What else of worth is there in the world but for your beautiful eyes

Even the fate would bow to me had I gotten you]

to

Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

I had imagined that my life glows when you were with me

So long as I pined for you, there was nothing else for me to worry about

Spring owed its permanence in the universe to your beloved being

What else of worth was there in the world but for your beautiful eyes

Even the fate would have bowed to me had I gotten you

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Three cheers for freethinker!!!

Bravo! A job well done.

Yoon na thaa maiN ne faqut chaha tha youN ho jaye

Aur bhi gham hain zamane meiN muhhabat ke sewa

RahateiN aur bhi haiN wasl ki rahut ke sewa

``Alas, tis was not meant to be so, only my wishful illusion it was

There are things to worry about in the world other than love

There are pleasures other than the pleasure of union in love``.

Great translation. You captured the mood and the essence of the classic, freethinker. Congratulations.

One of these days try your hand on another classic -- Sahir Ludhianwi`s nazam, TaJ.

``Meri mahbbob kahiN aur mila kur mujhko...

And please don`t go away -- stay on Chowk -- from all that banality it`s a refreshing change.

Thanks again.

RE: Reply #: 48 freethinker

Thanks for doing ``Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat``
justice.

Ras

SameerJB #44 Good idea. Why publish on books though? Why not on the internet? Maybe chowk would consider hosting and sponsoring this effort?

Attn: Chowk Editors, this is your historic chance to establish chowk, among other things, as the preservers of Panjabi literature (and later other ethnic literature from South Asia) in the information age.

Dear Nasah:

When I read your first request, I had thought I would pass. After reading your second request, I had to respond otherwise it is bad manners, at least in my book. I`m old timer; I belong to the older generation. I still cherish the old values. Sometime I think, may be, I do not belong to the chat group at Chowk. I do not appear there so often. But then there is not much there which interests me.

You`re making me a bigra sha`aer but what the heck. I`ll bite the bait and take a plunge.Some body amy already have done a better job of translating this beautiful poem. Here is my effort.

THE BYGONE LOVE

Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

I had imagined that my life glows when you`re with me

So long as I pine for you, there is nothing else for me to worry about

Spring owes its permanence in the universe to your beloved being

What else of worth is there in the world but for your beautiful eyes

Even the fate would bow to me had I gotten you

Alas, tis was not meant to be so, only my wishful illusion it was

There are things to worry about in the world other than love

There are pleasures other than the pleasure of union in love

Dark and tyrannical magic web of the countless centuries

Dressed in atlas and kamkhwab

Bodies for sale in alleys and bazaars

Smeared in dust and drenched in blood

Bodies emerging from the diseased enclosures

Diseased fluids oozing from the seeping ulcers

The eye perforce gets deflected in that direction too

Your beauty is ever so attractive but what can I do

There are things to worry about in the world other than love

There are pleasures other than the pleasure of union in love

Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

Sameerji;

Once again I am your humble pupil. You are absolutely right about how any effort vis a vis romanized Panjabi will have to come from the bottom up, from individuals and not from institutions where there is little political will at present. Such an effort will have at its core diasporic Panjabis who have the fluourishing of the language in mind. Panjabi culture and music is riding the crest of a wave at the moment in terms of popularity, outside of its borders, and the time is ripe for a serious attempt to take Panjabi out of its scriptual ``ghetto`s``.

I will return to this later,

take care

Harpreet

Just one more point.
What about Manto?

Ras

This is by far the most ill informed essay on Urdu literature I have come across. I don’t think you are familiar with Ratan Nath Sarshar or with anyone from Fort William College.

And this is the first time I have heard someone call Krishn Chandar a romanticist or a naturalist... Socialism my friend, read his work in chronological order up to Maha laxmi ka pul.

``The race for resources and capital gave birth to new disciplines like economics, while the changes in human life due to this race made psychology``... I am speechless.

Spend some time in the library.

Dil mere sehra naward-i- peer dil!

....freethinker:

And do it verse by verse.

Thanks

Harpreet #26: There are many more innovative ways to popularize Roman script for our language. Instead of perspirational approach to popularize it through internet interaction and using personal connections, innovative volunteer method is perhaps more rewarding. Since we do not expect our respective governments and elite backing it anytime soon, an ingeneous strategy would be to form a small association with the understanding of every member chipping in, say 100 dollars or more. It will only take only few hundred contributing members or 200,000 dollars to get about 1000 copies of GGS and Heer Waris Shah (two of the most well-known books) published cheaply, but with fine paper and binding, from Singapore, Hong Kong or China. It will take only few days for 10 volunteers to write those two books on word processor in Roman lexicon. These books should then be presented as gift to 1000 well known institutions, organizations and personalities by simply mailing them with a request to get their thoughts about using Roman alphabets. I bet many people, university and college professors, institution heads and literati will discuss it in other forums than few internet sites. The discussion at their level will be more influential and fruitful.

At the same time, if the input is positive, next project might include Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Shah Hussain, Bulley Shah, some concise History of Punjab, posters and pamphlets dealing with general healthcare (how to get clean drinking water, family planning, etc) education, farming, etc. Influence of diaspora can be magnified by backing it with small amount of money.

Just a thought!!!

Regards,

Sameer

Dear freethinker:

great job -- beautiful translation -- kept the spirit and lyricism of Faiz poetry. You should do it more often.

Try your hand on that classic poem of Faiz:

Aur bhi ghum haiN zamaane meiN muhubbut ke sewa

rahuteiN aur bhi hain wusl ki raahut ke sewa.

Bijli:#38

``Yuk nuqtaa naheeN rukh pey tiray..?...bay jaa

iss rukh ko tiray safhaa e QuraaN sooN kahun gaa``

? sorry can`t recall.

wassalaam.

freethinker #36
I heard this sung by a singer Hariharan in a Merchant-Ivory movie called Muhafiz.
Thanks very much! Its great to get the nuances, your translation is beautiful...

Reply #: 34

Binifer..hamidB:

((It is a sin to touch a non Muslim man.))

He`s a hindu and I a Parsi. I`m 19 and he 30.

Now go suk a carrot you lil pervert.``]

Binnifer,i know it doesnt matter whether you are Parsi Hindu or anything else .I think u should tell Hamid b you r in Karachi & Eklavia in Ohio.

But to tell you what a man feels when he touches a 16 to 19 yr. virgin is incomprehensible for you .Its 440 volts current ,just as for me as a man to know what ticked you off.

Is male sexuality as much denied as female sexuality in Pakistan.

I bet you wish you were a Mumai parsi where there were no Pervert like Hamidb ,actually not a pervert but a muslim which you should be sensitive to living in muslim majority country just as indian muslims have to be sensitive to Hindus ideology of idolatory & dowry & hindian rituals customs whims of ganesh chaturvathi ,enter home bare feet.

Reply #: 31

HamidB

P.S: Give him a big huggie from me.

Binifer

It is a sin to touch a non Muslim man.

Actually ,i hate to correct you ,but you dont know your own religion.

IT IS WRONG TO TOUCH GAIR MAHRAM,i.e. outside of your immediate father ,brother ,cousins ,nephews etc.

Reply #: 24

FARANGI_KUSH

Bijli:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Quran haatho.n me.n leke naabiinaa ek namaazii

labo.n pe rakhataa thaa

dono.n aa.Nkho.n se chuumataa thaa

jhukaake peshaanii yuu.N aqiidat se chhuu rahaa thaa

jo aayat.n pa.D nahii.n sakaa

un ke lams mahasuus kar rahaa ho

mai.n hairaa.N-hairaa.N guzar gayaa thaa

mai.n hairaa.N hairaa.N Thahar gayaa huu.N

tumhaare haatho.n ko chuum kar

chhuu ke apanii aa.Nkho.n se aaj mai.n ne

jo aayate.n pa.D nahii.n sakaa

un ke lams mahasuus kar liye hai.n

Reply #: 34

Binifer..hamidB:

((It is a sin to touch a non Muslim man.))

He`s a hindu and I a Parsi. I`m 19 and he 30.

Now go suk a carrot you lil pervert.``]

Binnifer,i know it doesnt matter whether you are Parsi Hindu or anything else .I think u should tell Hamid b you r in Karachi & Eklavia in Ohio.

But to tell you what a man feels when he touches a 16 to 19 yr. virgin is incomprehensible for you .Its 440 volts current ,just as for me as a man to know what ticked you off.

Is male sexuality as much denied as female sexuality in Pakistan.

I bet you wish you were a Mumai parsi where there were no Pervert like Hamidb ,actually not a pervert but a muslim which you should be sensitive to living in muslim majority country just as indian muslims have to be sensitive to Hindus ideology of idolatory & dowry & hindian rituals customs whims of ganesh chaturvathi ,enter home bare feet.

Sadna:

In response to your request, I’m trying to translate Faiz’s nazm ‘pa be jolaan’. It is kind of free translation. On my own, I would have never tried it because it’s not easy to translate a beautiful urdu poem (or ghazal, for that matter) preserving even a semblance of the original delicate beauty. May be my translation is of some help to you.

Let us walk today in the bazaar with shackled feet

Moistened eye and the agonizing soul wouldn’t do

The accusation of secret love too is not enough

Let us walk today in the bazaar with shackled feet

Let us walk with hands spread - wide, let us walk with intoxicated gait in the City of Love

Let us walk with dust- smeared-heads, let us walk with the bloodied shirts

The whole city of love is staring expectantly

Together with the Provost of the city and the crowd of common folks

Together with the dart of accusation and the stone of abuse

Together with the unhappy city and the failed (unfruitful) day

Who else is there to support them excepting us?

Who else is there unblemished in the city of love?

Who else is there worthy for the hand of the assassin?

Muster the wherewithal of heart, let us go o’ bleeding hearts

Let us go o’ friends and get sacrificed at the hand of the assassin

ATTENTION binifer: Would appreciate an update on how anNy is doing. Thanks.

hamidB:

((It is a sin to touch a non Muslim man.))

He`s a hindu and I a Parsi. I`m 19 and he 30.

Now go suk a carrot you lil pervert.

PS: I mean the whole poem not just the first line :).

Since someone mentioned Faiz, may I put in a request for a translation(actually explanation with context) of
`aaj bazaar mei`n paa-ba-joula`n chalo`.

A reference to such a translation will also be welcome.

P.S: Give him a big huggie from me.

Binifer

It is a sin to touch a non Muslim man.

Vicky_Iyer #27,

English-Urdu translator:

www.urduword.com

good urdu poetry website:

www.urdupoetry.com

some info and ghazals of Daag Delhvi:

http://www.urdupoetry.com/daag0.html

This is too wide a topic for one short writing.

Not being a Urdu expert myself, I still fail to see how any writing on ``The Evolution of Urdu Literature in the 20th Century`` can be complete without mentioning Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

But I am glad that Munshi Prem Chand and Krishan Chandar are still admired and mentioned by some in Pakistan.

Ras

Dear Farangi Kush:

Khair -- ``Khatir sey yaa lihaaz sey,tum maan tO gayey`` -- Shukriya.

Aap to Iqbal wale haiN. I have a request for you.

Can you find for me the full gazal of Iqbal with this maatlaa:

``wahee meri kum naseebi wahee unki benayazee

mere kaam kutch na aayaa ye kamaale nai nawazee...

Thanks.

I have been hearing a lot bout Daag, can any body update me bout this urdu poet .

Also any place where I can find a good English-Urdu translator.

I loved this one :

Gazub kiya tere waadey pe eetebaar kiya

tamaam raat qayaamut ka intazaar kiya

But could not understand:-

Shokhee sey tehrtee naheeN Quatil kee nazar aaj

Yeh burqu e balaa,dekhyay,girtee hai kidhar aaj



I know its kinda difficult to translate and maintain the essence , but come on guys give it a try .

I know a sher in Urdu, but I guess it is totally out of context, but here it goes .



Woh aur hain jo hawa se rukh badal liya karte hai,

hum to woh hain jo hawa ka rukh badal diya kartain hain .

Pucaa IIT stuff guru log.

{{VICKYiyer@@

Sameer-ji # 19,

A standard Romanized Panjabi lexicon would do a great deal to promote cross border appreciation of each other and revive (at least culturally, not institutionally) the concept of the Panjabi nation (in an abstract sense).

It could even be the catalyst for a renewed, modern transnational Panjabi literature. (Religiously) neutral script, all encompassing, uniquely ours.

If I could suggest, that you would be an ideal person to take up this issue, discuss through forums, set up academic contacts in India and Pakistan. You have the knowledge, passion and vision to be at the vanguard of this, the intellectual weight to engage with scholars, laymen, poets and ex-patriots on this issue. Perhaps it is because I look up to you, but I think you could make a real difference in this field.

It would be some legacy.

;-)

take care

Harpreet

Nasah:

``Khatir sey yaa lihaaz sey,meiN maan tO gayaa

Jhootee Qasum sey aap kaa,eemaan to gayaa``--;)

This for Desh Maha-VED Brahmchaaree Vajbayee.

(Oh what a powerful,refined & cultured language it is.The distilled essence of farsee,arabie,hidvee,and turkee)



WASSALAAM.

Bijli:

``Humaara narm rau quasid payyam e zindgi layaa.

khabar deti theeN jin ko bijliyaaN,voh bekhabar niklay`` ;)

ALLAMA IQBAL.

N.B:The word is mukkarrar & NOT muqarrar.mukkarar from takraar--meaning repetition.mukarrar--please repeat! Muquarrir is Speaker.taqureer is speech.

How does it feel to read the above shair when the code red alert is on?---:)

WASSALAAM.

Ah, talking about Daag...

Did you know what Daag wrote about Massihul Mulk Musharraf?

Khoob bimaar ka elaaj kiya

Aur halut kharaab kur dalee

Another one:

Gazub kiya tere waadey pe eetebaar kiya

tamaam raat qayaamut ka intazaar kiya

Ya Aristotle:

I think this world is coming to an end; if you really felt what you wrote :)

Hoping for a quick recovery for Eklavya.

To Pravin: Pravin, an update on Eklavya would be very much appreciated by all of us on chowk. Also you should let us know if there is anything those living close by him (in USA) can do anything to help.

To all chowk posters: While well intended, I dont think any of us (or even any of Eklavya`s real life contacts) should try to contact Eklavya`s parents or anyone else in India or elsewhere on our own concerning the accident - we will simply cause them to worry while helplessly sitting half way across the globe. The proper way is for Eklavya, once by the Grace of God he is up to it, calls on his own and let`s his people know about the accident.

Bijli:

An apt moniker.

For the electronic medium what else can been more relevant.

This shair by Dagh would surely please many but especially Zahra & you.

``Shokhee sey tehrtee naheeN Quatil kee nazar aaj

Yeh burqu e balaa,dekhyay,girtee hai kidhar aaj``

one should not even think of translating Daagh.

WASSALAAM.

__________________________________________________

Syed Ahmed:

It is the young ones who should be here more often.More than half the joy is to see them banter and frolic.

They sure are brighter than most of us were then.

Let us learn from them and let them learn from us.After all,younger folk infuse vitality in the cronies in return for knowledge about experiences to stay away from.

wassalaam.

PS:Personally,I would prefer a `naive` simplistic and fresh write-up by ANYBODY as compared to the pedantic,`Analytical`,`professional`,`west-heavy`,`name-dropped`(aka:referenced),mumbo-jumbo masquerading as ``ARTICLE``.

Outside Progressive Writers Union, Tafheem-Ul-Quran by Maulana Maudoodi is the most well-known piece of Urdu literature of twentieth century. Was Baheshti Zaivar also twentieth century literature?

Most visible evolution of Urdu has taken place in the later part of twentieth century. It is the decline of Persian and Arabic words and an increase in Hindustani words by progressive writers.

Strong identificatin of Urdu in twentieth century with Muslims and Arabic alphabet has hurt interest in Urdu among non-Muslims.

Urdu ( and other Pakistani languages) must adopt Roman alphabets like Turkish to break the cultural/ alphabetic barrier. Otherwise interest in Urdu will continue declining in the twentyfirst century. It will increase influence of Urdu without relying on TNT and religion. In future Urdu will need innovative marketing strategy. In Pakistan whichever language jumps first on the bandwagon of latin alphabets will benefit more. Given the small numbers, Balochi has the best chances to gain acceptance in Romanized alphabets easily.

I learnt nothing new or informational from your article.

Bijli, it is when I am attacked that I respond. I have no intention of making anyone look evil... but when the facts come out, facts come out.

-YLH

Bijli:

I concur with your thoughts!

Yasser, having read Naseem Hijazi not once but many times; I am amazed to read your sweeping statement. Please do contemplate on what ``Karuk`` I am sorry ``Bijli`` advised. :)


Farid:

Interesting perspectives. I will come back to them later.

Take Care

Since the chowk`s editorial policy is geared more towards quantity rather than quality I would suggest that the chowk add an Adolescent section where a piece such as this along with several of yLH articles be published .... - Perhaps there is a ``teen`` audience at the chowk whose needs could be thus catered....

Pravin:

I`m trying to get Rajans home number in Dallas. You can call his roommate there who has all details of his family back home in Lucknow. Am calling to find out this minute. Please email me at brokeneggshells@yahoo.com at the earliest.

P.S: Give him a big huggie from me.

[ Reply #: 6

Truth

All the best to you, Eklavya.]

From all of us here Eklaviya,we are praying for your fast & complete recovery .Ameen!

Here is another urdu/english dictionary site ,i posted earlier in another forum,for you ,Eklaviya ,which you loved so much .

http://urdudict0.tripod.com/

Fight EKLAVYA fight. You have given so much to us but this is the moment to give us your best-yourself. We all love you and wishing you all the best.

Pravin, please keep us updating his condition as often as you possibly can.

Ylh,

Just introsepect when you say

``Every single one of Naseem Hijazi`s book contains the regular formula : Islam is Great every thing else evil ...``

If ever you get to be equivalent to Naseem Hijazi my children will be writing about you Every single one of YLH`s book contains the regular formula:Jinnah is great every other leader is EVIL``

Yasser Latif Hamdim,Naseem Hijazi might have been just as you ,passionate about his belief as you are about yours.Do you hate yourself ?

``Some glaring omissions in the author’s coverage include Ahmad Nadim Qasmi.....``

Ah -- Ahmad Nadim Qasmi -- as they say -- bigra shair, maseeya go -- bigra gawayya, mazaari qawwaal -- bigra taraqqee pasand shair, poor Pakistani humd/naat go -- what a regression for pir Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi.

Even Ismail Meeruthi could write better humd --shukr adaa kar Rub ka bhai -- jisney hamari gai banai.

No harm done omitting Qoward Qasmi… as long you mentioned -- Faiz Ahmad Faiz -- young man.

The title of the essay is quite misleading and the whole essay is a disappointment. I had hoped to see a wider canvas than what the author has presented. Urdu Literature includes all forms of urdu writing, e.g., short story, novel, novelette, poetry, satire and wit, essay, biography/life sketch, travelogue, etc. The author dealt with only the short story literature and the short story writers. I realize that a comprehensive treatment would need a much extensive undertaking. The author could have taken care of this by selecting a more appropriate title for his essay, e.g., Evolution of Urdu Short Story in the Twentieth Century. Some glaring omissions in the author’s coverage include Ahmad Nadim Qasmi, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Wajida Tabbassum, Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudissiya, and Qudrat-Ullah Shahab. There may be others too because I have not been keeping up-to-date with the late twentieth century writers who introduced symbolism in short story writing. The treatment accorded to the various writers is also rather perfunctory. For example Manto and Ismat Chughtai were allocated only one line. Manto was arguably the greatest urdu short story writer.

Seeing that the author is only an under-graduate student, and perhaps not of urdu literature, the shortcomings of his essay can be overlooked. However, I hope he would learn from this experience. He should not over-commit and shortchange.

Mohammad Gill

Detroit, Michigan, USA

All the best to you, Eklavya.

Oh these murderous roads of the United States.

Pleas Eklavya DON`T GIVE UP we at Chowk love you

and all of us are praying for -- may God pull you through this ordeal -- what a shocking tragedy -- only day before yesterday we were writing to each other. YOU WILL COME BACK ON CHOWK, EKLAVYA.

Dear Pravin please keep us informed -- I had almost lost my children on these killing fields of US highways.

ke aati hai Urdu zabaan aatey aatey.

Before you write about Urdu in English, young man, you need to brush up your English -- use a spell checker

Freud is not Froyed or Fried. Jung is pronounced yung but not written as yung.

Otherwise an interesting attempt. Keep on writing and keep on researching.

Allah kare zore qalam aur zeyada.

`naseem hijazi searched religion`

Every single one of Naseem Hijazi`s book contains the regular formula : Islam is Great every thing else evil ...

Having read his every single book, I am shocked to see his name amongst the greatest writers of Urdu.. what an Insult to Urdu, and Pakistan whose national language it is.

-YLH

MAF Khawaja,

This is a good piece, but far far too short. You succeded in writing like a journalist, but should have injected a stronger `analytical` thought process.

I would be very interested in how you yourself view the modern development of urdu literature.