6 verses · ~2 min
तेरे होंठों पे तबस्सुम[1] की वो हलकी-सी लकीर मेरे तख़ईल में [2] रह-रह के झलक उठती है यूं अचानक तिरे आरिज़ का[3] ख़याल आता है जैसे ज़ुल्मत में[4] कोई शम्अ भड़क उठती है
तेरे पैराहने-रंगीं की[5] ज़ुनुंखेज़[6] महक ख़्वाब बन-बन के मिरे ज़ेहन में[7] लहराती है रात की सर्द ख़ामोशी में हर इक झोकें से तेरे अनफ़ास[8], तिरे जिस्म की आंच आती है
मैं सुलगते हुए राज़ों को अयां[9] तो कर दूं लेकिन इन राज़ों की तश्हीर[10] से जी डरता है रात के ख्वाब उजाले में बयां तो कर दूं इन हसीं ख़्वाबों की ताबीर से[11] जी डरता है
तेरी साँसों की थकन, तेरी निगाहों का सुकूत[12] दर- हक़ीकत[13] कोई रंगीन शरारत ही न हो मैं जिसे प्यार का अंदाज़ समझ बैठा हूँ वो तबस्सुम, वो तकल्लुम[14] तिरी आदत ही न हो
सोचता हूँ कि तुझे मिलके मैं जिस सोच में हूँ पहले उस सोच का मकसूम[15] समझ लूं तो कहूं मैं तिरे शहर में अनजान हूँ, परदेसी हूँ तिरे अल्ताफ़ का[16] मफ़हूम[17] समझ लूं तो कहूं
कहीं ऐसा न हो, पांओं मिरे थर्रा जाए और तिरी मरमरी[18] बाँहों का सहारा न मिले अश्क बहते रहें खामोश सियह[19] रातों में और तिरे रेशमी आंचल का किनारा न मिले
इति
The Poet
साहिर लुधियानवी
Sahir Ludhianvi
1921 · 1980
Sahir Ludhianvi possessed a voice that refused to separate the agony of romance from the brutal inequalities of the world. Born Abdul Hayee in 1921 in Punjab, he adopted the pen name Sahir, meaning magician, and proved it entirely accurate through a lifelong mastery of Urdu poetry. As a prominent figure in the Progressive Writers Movement, he rejected the traditional obsession with the idealized beloved. Instead, he forced his readers to look at the poverty, the exploitation, and the hypocrisies of society that destroy love before it can even bloom. When he entered the Hindi film industry, he fundamentally changed the stature of the lyricist. Directors and composers adapted their music to his words, rather than the other way around. Through films like Pyaasa and Kabhi Kabhie, he brought profound literary dignity and fierce anti establishment critique to mainstream cinema. He passed away in 1980, but his poetry remains a burning torch. Sahir remains the ultimate poet of the disenchanted, a man who wrote beautiful verses to express an absolute refusal to accept an ugly world.
Paired Painting
A Nobleman and a Maiden in a Palace Interior
This captivating painting by Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar invites us into a quiet yet emotionally charged moment within a historic palace interior. Dhurandhar, a master of academic realism in India, brilliantly fuses European academic techniques with deeply traditional Indian narratives. The canvas portrays a powerful nobleman, distinguished by his elaborate attire and resolute gaze, interacting with a delicate maiden whose expressive face conveys a poignant mixture of hesitation and urgency. Through subtle gestures and masterful lighting, the artist breathes life into the architectural stone and opulent fabrics, capturing the complex psychological undercurrents of courtly life with immense reverence and grace.
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