Author: Swati Sani

Children learn what they live

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Rotian

Jab aadmi kae peat mein aati hain rotian
phooli nahin badan mein samati hain rotian
aankhen pari-rukhon se ladati hain rotian
seene oopar bhi haanth chalati hain rotian

jitne maze hain sab ye dikhatee hain rotiyaan

(poet: Nazir Akbarabadi )

Mir Muhammad Taqi ‘Mir’ (1724-1810)

The “Shehenshaah” of Urdu Gzazal ? Mir Taqi Mir was called so because Mir was the “chief” architect responsible for giving Ghazal the beauty it has. With him started the Golden Period of GHazal. He gave it the present form, and induced the “dard” and “nazaakat” in Ghazal. His Shayari was simple and elegant. It never fails to touch the strings of my heart.

baad marane ke, meri Kabr par wo aayaa ‘Mir’
yaad aayi hai, mere Isaa ko dawaa, mere baad

Sahir once said “raat bhar ka hai mehamaaN andheraa”. And indeed, the concept of morning is always used to denote a happy begining, or end of unhappiness.

Guess, not everybody feels so:

gor kis diljale ki hai ye falak
shola ik, subah yaaN se uthata hai

Apart from Ghazals Mir has written two Masnavi’s (masnavi is a long narrative poem rhymed in couplet form) These two masnavis, Mu’amlat-e ‘ishq and Khwab o khyal-e Mir are written in the first person. The former describes a passionate love affair, ending in separation, between the narrator and a married woman who is apparently related to him; while the latter describes an attack of madness suffered by the narrator, characterized by his obsession with the face of a beautiful woman which he sees in the moon.

I am looking out for these Masnavi’s, so if anyone gets them, please pass them on to me

dekh to, dil ki jaaN se uTHataa hai
ye dhuaaN sa, kahaaN se uTHataa hai

Surprisingly, there are very very few GHazals by Mir which have been sung except perhaps by Mehdi Hasan singing a GHazal by Mir. Mir is perhaps the greatest of all the Shayars. But his GHazals are amazingly simple to understand and appreciate. Also, *music* is integral part of Mir’s Shayari. His style was conversationalist, using more of Urdu and Hindi than Farasi. And the fluidity, the rhythm is always present.

About his style, the great Zauk (a contemporary of GHalib) said …

na huaa, par na huaa, ‘Mir’ ka andaaz naseeb !
‘Zauk’, yaaroN ne bahut zor, GHazal me maaraa !!

In his compilation of “Deewan-e-Mir”, Ali Sardar Jafferey says a lot about Mir’s greatness in just one paragraph.

“Shayar has been given the status of “KHuda ka shishya”, and has been placed as “Paigambar” too. But Mir Taqi Mir is the only Shayar who is called as “Shayari ka KHuda” !! Mir is not the only one to be called as the greatest ever. But still it’s a fact that Mir tops the list of Urdu Shayars. Today, Ghalib and Iqbal are more popular than Mir. Their books sell more, their Shers are more known. But the greatness of Ghalib and Iqbal has been challenged. But no Shayar in any period has dared to challenge Mir’s greatness.”

Here is one by Ghalib …

‘Ghalib’, apanaa to aqeedaa hai bakaule-‘Naasikh’
aap be-bahara haiN, jo motakid-e-‘Mir’ nahiN

Ghalib says “if you are not a worshiper of Mir, then you are stupid !!”

Hakim Muhammad Momin Khan ‘Momin’ was born in 1797. He studied Arabic and Persian. He had a multifaceted personality. Not only was he a renowned physician, he was also well-versed in music, astronomy and astrology. He was also reported to be an oustanding chess player.

Momin’s poetry is free of allusions to mystical love and philosophical thoughts. It is steeped in praise of love and beauty. He used Persian words without making his work cumbersome and difficult to understand.

He never accepted any employment offer from any King or even by the British. His answer – “Gustakhi maaf, ham kisi ki naukari nahiN karate” ! Unfortunately at the age of 55 he fell down from the terrace and died after 3-4 months on 12th May, 1852.

After his death MiyaaN Nazir KhaaN, (a famous Veena player of that time) packed his Veena, saying “ab Delhi me koi rasiyaa nahiN bachaa”.

A noted critic Allama Niyaaz Fatehpuri once said, “If I have all the Deewans, old and new, in front of me, and if I have to select only one Deewaan, apart from Meer’s, then I will say that — mujhe kulliyat-e- Momin de do aur baaki sab uTHaake le jaao” !!

He was referring to the quality of the meter in Momin’s poetry. It seems that people had found faults with respect to meter, in the poetry of almost all the major poets, including GHalib and Iqbal. But not Momin. He is supposed to have written technically perfect GHazals !!

na taab hijr me hai, na aaraam wasl me,
kambaKHt dil ko chain nahiN hai, kisi tarah

ham bhi kuchh KHush nahiN wafaa karake
tumane achchha kiya, nibaah na ki !!

Momin is famous for his legendary “nazaakat”, a quality which at time, was considered as must for becoming a good Shayar. His Shers really touch your heart.

Here is a little Momin gem.

haal-e-dil yaar ko likhu kyuN_kar
haath dil se judaa nahiN hota !!

A rather well-known anecdote related to Momin is that Ghalib supposedly said he would exchange his entire ‘deewan’ for one of Momin’s sher. The sher in question:

tum mere paas hote ho goyaa
ko_ii duusaraa nahii.n hotaa