भूलना

एक भर्ती खाली है , शताब्दी एक्सप्रेस के आगे गैसबत्ती लेकर दौड़ने की । तनख्वाह दस हज़ार प्रति मिनट ।
कुछ एक साल पहले , SMS पर मिला एक Joke , खूब हँसा था । पर ठीक एक साल बाद , वही चुटकुला पढ़कर , मैं काँप जाता हूँ ?
जैसे किसी ने , अँधेरे में , चाय की गर्माहट का अहसास कराने के लिए , उसमे मेरी उंगली डुबो दी हो और मैं अनुमान से सर उठाकर उसकी और देखकर मुस्कुरा रहा हूँ । अचानक तेलेविसिओं चालु होता है और उस पर आतंकवाद सम्बन्धी एक breaking न्यूज़ देखकर मैं असहज होते हुए , कमरे से बाहर निकल आता हूँ । मुझे भूलने की बहुत बुरी आदत है । अचानक याद आता है कि कमरे में गाड़ी कि चाबी भूल आया हूँ । झुंझलाहट होती है पर जब गुलशन को भूलने कि बात दिमाग में कौंधती है , तो मेरा सर फूलने लगता है और सोचता हूँ कि सर रस्सी से बाँध लूं , या रोऊ दिवार कि तरफ मुह कर के , या फिर ताकता रहूँ छत को । घर मेरा भी बहुत छोटा है , सो जब कमरे का अँधेरा हिस्सा देखता हूँ तो कभी-कभी मितली आने लगती है और अखबार में आई एक खबर पढ़ते ही घूमने लगते है सारे घटनाक्रम "भूलना" के । एक कहानी, जो ढली है ऐसे शिल्प में, जो मैंने तो अब तक कही नहीं देखा । एक कहानी जो मुझे डुबोकर मारना भी चाहती है और बाहर खड़े होकर डूबते हुए देखने का भी मौका देती है । घर के छोटे से हिस्से में जब देश कि सभी समस्याए , जैसे तैसे समा जाती है । जब भरी गर्मी में ढेर सारे कपडे पहना हुआ आदमी तंदरुस्त नहीं दीखता , टायर फटने से आतंकवाद कि शुरुआत होना , पूरे मोहल्ले का गुसलखाने के बाहर खड़े होकर, सपनो के शाहजादे को देखने जैसी बाते , जब नाटकीय नहीं लगती , तो इसे लेखक चन्दन पाण्डेय कि पीठ पर लगी थप्पी कहना चाहिए ।
जैसे कोई कह रहा हो
"देखो ! कहानी ऐसे कही जाती है ।" और मैं कहानी के बाकी हिस्सों पर टिपण्णी करने में खुदको असमर्थ या असहज जानता हुआ । अपनी कलम साइड में रखकर , लिखने के विचार पर , फिर से सोचने लगता हूँ ।

What is GAZAL ? { GAZAL kya hoti hai ? } Every aspect of GAZAL. { GAZAL ka har pahlu }

What is a Ghazal ?

PUNEET SHARMA

Ghazal ! The word originates from arabic, meaning, "way or mannerism of talking to or talking about women." Thus in fact it s an expression of love! But in this ever changing world the ghazal has become a reflection of the life around us, and now there is hardly any sphere of human interaction which the ghazal hasn't touched.

To better understand the finer nuances of Urdu ghazal it is imperative to understand the structure around which a ghazal is woven!

Classical Definition of Ghazal

Briefly stated Ghazal is a collection of Sher's which follow the rules of 'Matla', 'Maqta', 'Beher', 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'. So to know what Ghazal is, it's necessary to know what these terms mean.

To understand these terms easily , we will take an example.

1. koi ummid bar nahin aati
koi surat nazar nahin aati.

2. aage aati thi haale dil par hasi
ab kisi baat par nahin aati

3. hum wahan hain, jahan se humko bhi
kucch hamaari khabar nahin aati

4. kaabaa kis muh se jaaoge 'Ghalib'
sharm tumko magar nahin aati


What is a Sher ?
It's a poem of two lines. This definition is deceptively simple. Please note that, every Sher is a poem in itself ! A Sher does not need, anything around it, to convey the message. All the 4 stanzas in our example are independent poems, Sher's.

So Ghazal is necessarily a collection of two-line-poems called Sher. [ So the Rafi solo "rang aur noor ki baaraat kise pesh karu" is NOT a Ghazal, as every stanza is of 3 lines, and not 2. ]

What are other restrictions ? Many, and important ones.
[ Any collection of Sher's is not Ghazal. Some good examples are ; the famous Mukesh song from Yehoodi, "yeh mera deewaanaapan hai" ; and the title song of "dil apana aur preet parayi". Each stanza in these songs can be considered as an independent Sher, but they are NOT Ghazal's. To understand, why, we have to wait till 'Kaafiyaa, 'Radif'. ]

What is 'Beher' ?
'Beher' is the 'meter' of the Sher's. It can be considered as the length of the Sher. Both the lines in the Sher *MUST* be of same 'Beher'. And all the Sher's in one Ghazal *MUST* be of the same 'Beher'. There are 19 (!!) kinds of 'Beher'. But in simple terms, 'Beher' is categorized in 3 classes. Short, medium, long.

Small :
ahale dairo-haram reh gaye
tere deewane kam reh gaye
[ Also Talat song, "dil-e-nadan tuze hua kya hai" ]

Medium :
umr jalwo me basar ho, ye zaruri to nahin
har shab-e-gam ki seher ho, ye zaruri to nahin
[ And by Gulzar, "ruke ruke se kadam, ruk ke baar baar chale" ]

Long :
ai mere humnashin, chal kahin aur chal, is chaman me ab apanaa guzaaraa nahin
baat hoti gulon ki, to seh lete hum, ab to kaaton pe bhi haq hamaaraa nahin
[ The filmfare winner, "Manzile apani jagah hai" !! Yes ! It IS a Ghazal. And the Shayar is Prakash Mehra !! surprise , surprise !! ]

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of SAME 'Beher'.


What is 'Radif' ?
In a Ghazal, second line of all the Sher's MUST end with the SAME word/s. This repeating common words is the Radif' of the Ghazal. In our example, the 'Radif' is "nahin aati". [ Sometimes, the Ghazal becomes known by its 'Radif'. eg. "jaraa aahista chal" sung by Pankaj Udhas. On RMIM we all know one Ghazal by the 'Radif' as "aahista aahista", don't we ? or is it 2 or 3 ? :-)

What is 'Kaafiyaa' ?
'Kaafiyaa' is the rhyming pattern which all the words before 'Radif' MUST have. In our example the 'Kaafiyaa' is "bar", "nazar", "par", "magar" etc. This is a necessary requirement. Something which is followed even in the exceptions to all these rules.

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of same 'Beher', ending in same 'Radif' and having same 'Kaafiyaa'. [ That's the reason, why "yeh mera diwanapan hai" etc. are NOT Ghazals. There is no common thing which can be called 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'. ]

What is 'Matla' ?
The first Sher in the Ghazal *MUST* have 'Radif' in its both lines. This Sher is called 'Matla' of the Ghazal and the Ghazal is usually known after its 'Matla'. There can be more than one 'Matla' in a Ghazal. In such a case the second one is called 'Matla-e-saani' or 'Husn-e-matla'. In our example, the first Sher is the 'Matla'.

What is 'Maqta' ?
A Shayar usually has an alias ie. 'takhallus' eg. Mirza Asadullakhan used 'Ghalib' as his 'takhallus' and is known by that. Other examples are 'Daag' Dehlvi, 'Mir' Taqi Mir, Said 'Rahi', Ahmed 'Faraz' etc. There is a Sher in a Ghazal, the last one, which has the Shayar's 'takhallus' in it. [ A Shayar, can use the 'Maqta' very intelligently. He can "talk to himself" like one in our example. I have lots of favourite Sher's which are 'Maqta' of some Ghazal. Some gems are

koi nam-o-nishan puchhe to ai kaasid bataa denaa,
takhallus 'Daag' hai, aur aahiqon ke dil me rehte hai

and

jab bhi milte hain, to kehte hain, "kaise ho 'Shakil'",
iske aage to koi baat nahin hoti hai

The first one uses the meaning of the 'takhallus' to create the magic, and the second one is just simple, simply beautiful. ]

To summarize, Ghazal is a collection of Sher's (independent two-line poems), in which there is atleast one 'Matla', one 'Maqta' and all the Sher's are of same 'Beher' and have the same 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'.

What is beher / meter ?

PUNEET

Friends,

Please let me the first to point out that I know nothing. Here and there, I have heard the Bahers from knowledgeable people. Here is what little information I have gathered.

Please forgive the paucity of what I can offer. The list is far from complete. There are at least twice as many other meters. These however are used most commonly.

This hopefully is work in progress. Please send comments, corrections, complaints...so that I can correct and update this list periodically.

Regards,
PUNEET

METERS IN GHAZAL

I have been taught the bahers not in the words like 'mafaaul' and 'faiiLatun' but in 'l' which stands for the Hindi word laghu (small) and 'Ga' which stands for the Hindi word Guru (large). (The kind teacher who taught me was a Hindi speaking person and he knew more about Shardulvikridit and Vasant-tilakaa than he did Mutqarib and Ramal.)

Its also easier to transliterate two distinct single syllables than a myriad of words with multiple similar looking and sounding syllables within them.

'l' and 'Ga' are the universal representatives of the 'small syllable' and the 'large syllable' respectively. One would pronounce 'l' as in lakeer or lab or lamhaa or lashkar; 'Ga' as in Gaayab or Gaafil or Gaanaa each syllable can be classified as a 'l'- a small syllable or 'Ga' - a large syllable.


Step 1
Each syllable is a 'l' or a 'Ga' a 'small syllable' or a 'large syllable' respectively.
The letters that end with following vowels are classified as 'small syllable' : a, I, u, o, e.
The letters that end with following vowels are classified as 'large syllable' : o, e, AA, ee, oo, au, ai.

If a letter is a small consonant (l) but is followed by a letter with two consonents as 'ka' in 'kashti' that letter becomes a large syllable.

Also note that a single large syllable in a baher can be split into two small ones. But if a baher has two small syllables adjacent to each other, you can not combine the two and make it into a single large syllable.


Step 2 Each word made of one or several syllables has wazan (weight) made of its individual syllables - in the sequence of its syllables.

Examples :
Lakeer - lGal
ladaai - lGal
lamhaa - GaGa
aa'inaa- GalGa
Gaanaa - GaGa
dhoop - Gal
chupke - llGa or lll or GaGa Gal
(in 'chupke chupke raat din aansoo bahaanaa yaad hai' the firsh chupke is alloted the space of 'Gal' and the second 'chupke' is allotted the space of 'GaGa'. This is the flexibility afforded by allowing vowel 'e' as both 'l'and 'Ga'.)

Step 3 : Words are arranged so that they fall in the 'mold' of a meter.

Flexibility :

1. 'e' and 'o' are both considered valid as being considered 'Ga' or 'l'. This gives tremendous flexibility. (in 'chupke chupke raat-din aansoo bahaanaa yaad hai' the first chupke is alloted the space of 'Gal' and the second 'chupke' is allotted the space of 'llGa' or 'GaGa'. This is the flexibility afforded by allowing vowel 'e' as both 'l' and 'Ga'.)

2. A plain syllable at the end of the misra is allowed without any 'wazan'.
(For example :
hai bas ki har ik unke ishaare me.n nishaa.N aur
karate hai.n muhabbat to guzarataa hai gumaa.N aur
hai.n aur bhii duniyaa me.n suKhanavar bahut achchhe
kahate hai.n ki 'Ghalib' kaa hai a.ndaaz-e-bayaa.N aur

The final 'r' in first second and fourth misraa is I addition to the meter of the third misraa but since it's a plain sound at the end, it is just allowed to be there. As a result you can use a entire extra consonant in your misraa.)

3.When a plain sounding last syllable in a word is followed by a vowell as the first syllable in the nex word, it is allowed to be included in the 'wazan' of that vowel.
(for Example:
aaye kuchh abr kuchh sharaab aaye
us ke baad aaye jo azaab aaye

baam-e-miinaa se maahataab utare
dast-e-saaqii me.n aaftaab aaye

na gaii tere Gam kii saradaarii
dil me.n yuu.n roz inqalaab aaye

Here , the last 'b' in all the kafiya is allowed to take 'Wazan' of the following 'aa' of 'aaye'. In the second sh'er, even the first misra uses the same concession in allowing the last 'b' in maahtaab in thhe wazan of 'U' of 'utare'. As a result you can use a entire extra consonant in your misraa.)

4. Some times just plain 'artistic concession' is used is the writer feels that a particular word is irreplaceable in a particular place.
(for example :
sarakti jaaye hai rukh se naqaab aahistaa aahistaa.
Nikalta aarahaa hai aaftaab aahista aahista.

Here the meter does not allow first of the two 'aahistaa's. The wazan of aahista would be GaGaGa where as the space for the first aahista in meter is GaGal. However the poetry really depends on the word 'aahistaa' being spoken twice. So the concession is given. Please also note that 3 above is also aaplied between the 'b' in kaafiya and the first aahistaa.)

Commonly used meters are explained below.

(I have used some recorded famous ghazals and film songs as examples. It would be less burdensome to learn bahers through ghazals and songs of which you already know the tune.

Some examples are not ghazals but Geet or nazm. The poet might have used a different meter in the antraa as opposed to mukhdaa which are used as examples here. If the entire song or nazm does not fit the meter of mukhdaa, please don't hold me responsible or that.)

1. RAMAL
Ramal is the simplest and very common baher. There are many variations of the basic phrase GalGaGa

A. GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGa

maut jindaa chhoDne waalii nahin
is balaa se koi ghar khaali nahin

ranj ki jag guftgu hane lagee
aapse tum, tum se too hone lagee

koi din gar zindagaani aur hai
apne ji mein hamne thaani aur hai

aapke pahlu men aakar ro diye
daastaan-e-gham sunaakar ro diye

B. GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGa

chupke chupke raat din aansu bahaanaa yaad hai
hamko ab tak aashqi ka wo zamaanaaa yaad hai

dard se mere hai tujhko beqaraari haay haay
kyaa hui jaalim terii gaflat-shiarii haay haay

tum gagan ke chandramaa ho, main dhara ki dhool hoon.
tum pranayke devtaa ho main samarpit phool hoon.


C. GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGaGa

apne hothon par sajaanaa chaahtaa hoon
aa tujhe main gungunaanaa chaahtaa hoon

D. GalGa GallGa GallGa GallGa or GalGa GallGa GallGa GaGaGa

bazm-e-dushman men le jaate ho yeh kya karte ho.
aur phir aaNkh churaate ho yeh kyaa karte ho.

uzr aane me.n bhii hai aur bulaate bhii nahii.n
baais-e-tark-e-mulaaqaat bataate bhii nahii.n

apni aankhoN ke samandarmen utar jaane de
tera muzrim hooN mujhe Doob ke mar jaane de

maikade band kareN laakh zamaane waale
shaharmen kam nahin aankoN se pilaane waale

aah ko chaahiye ik umr sar hone tak
kaun jeetaa hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak

mujh ko is raat ki tanhaaii meN aawaz na do
jis ki aawaz rulaade mujhe voh saaz na do

mujhase milane ke vo karataa thaa bahaane kitane
ab guzaaregaa mere saath zamaane kitane

rasm-eulfat ko nibhayeN to nibhayeN kaise?
Har taraf aag hai daaman ko bachayeN kaise?

lutf vo ishq me.n paaye hai.n ki jii jaanataa hai
ra.nj bhii itane uThaaye hai.n kio jii jaanataa hai

i.nhii.n qadamo.n ne tumhaare i.nhii.n qadamo.n kii qasam
Khaak me.n itane milaaye hai.n ki jii jaanataa hai
(here 'jaantaa hai' actually the wazan ofGalGa Ga- is given consession and allowed to be considered wazan of GallGa.)

There are also
GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGaGa
GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGal
And
GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGaGa GalGal


2.RAJAZ
Rajaz is only slightly different :

GaGalGa GaGalGa GaGalGa GaGalGa

Yeh dil yeh paagal dil meraa kyun bujh gayaa, aawaargi.
Is dashtmen ek shaher thaa who kya huaa, aawaargi.

mere hamsafar mere hamsafar mere paas aa mere paas aa
hameN saath chalnaa hai umr bhar mere pas aa mere paas aa

3.HAZAJ

Hazaj also has one 'l' alternating with three 'Ga's

A. lGaGaGa lGaGaGa lGaGaGa lGaGaGa

na tha kuchh to khuda tha kuchh na hotaa to khuda hotaa
duboyaa mujh ko hone ne, na hotaa mein to kya hotaa

kabhi neki bhi uske jii men gar aajaye hai mujh se
jafaaen karke apni yaad sharma jaaye hai mujh se

tamannaon ke bahelaawe men aksar aa hi jaate haiN
kabhi ham chit khate hai, kabhi ham muskuraate haiN

ujaaly apni yaadon ke hamaare saath rahne do
na jaane kis galimen zindagiki shaam aajaye


B. lGaGaGa lGaGaGa lGaGa

dariichaa besadaa koi nahin hai
agarche booltaa koi nahin hai

akle haiN, chale aao, kahaaN ho
kahaan aawaaz deN tum ko kahaaN ho.

tere baare men jab sochaa nahiin tha
main tanhaa tha magar itnaa nahiin tha.

musaafir chalte chalte thak gayaa hai
mafar jaane abhi kitnaa paDaa hai?

yeh aalam shaukh ka dekha na jaaye
yeh boot hai yaa khuda, delha na jaaye


3. MUTQARIB

Mutkarib is variations of basic 'lGaGa'

A. lGaGa lGaGa lGaGa lGaGa

Koi paas aayaa sawere sawere
Mujhe aazmaaya sawere sawere

yeh dil aur unki nigaanhon ke ssaye hujhe gher lete hai baahon ke saaye
B. lGalGaGa lGalGaGa lGalGaGa lGalGaGa

za-haal-e-maskeeN makun taghaaful, varaaye naina banaaye batiyaaN
ke taab-e-hijraaN na-daaram, ai jaaN!, na leho kaahe lagaaye chhatiyaaN?

gaye dinon kasuraag lekar kidhar se aaya kidhar gayaa wo?
ajeeb maanus ajnabi tha mujhe to ahiraan kar gayaa wo.


C. just half the baher in B : lGa lGaGa lGa lGaGa

voh khat ke phurje udaa rahaa tha
hawaaon ka rukh dikhaa haraa tha


D. Ga lGaGa lGaGa lGaGa

aaj socha to aansu bhar aaye
muddaten ho gayee muskuraye

There are also
lGaGa lGaGa lGaGa lGa
and
lGaGa lGaGa lGaGa Ga
and many other variations.


4. KHAFIF (very common )

A. GalGA GalGa lGaGaGa

dil-e-nadaan tujhe hua kya hai
aakhir is dard ki dawaa kya hai

dekh to dil ki jaaN se uthtaa hai
yeh dhuaan sa kahaN se uthtaa hai

ibn-e-mariyam hua kare koi
mere gham ki dawaa kare koi

tum nahin, gham nahin, sharaab nahin
aisii tanhai ka jawaab nahin

B. GalGA GalGal Gal lGa

Dil emen ek lahar si uthi hai abhi
Koi tazaa hawaa chali hai abhi

C. GalGA GalGa lGaGaGal

5. MUTDARIQ

A. GalGa GalGa GalGa GalGa

Aapko dekhkar dekhtaa rahe gayaa
Kya kahuN aur kahene ko kya rahe gayaa

kitanii raahat hai dil TuuT jaane ke baad
zi.ndagii se mile maut aane ke baad


B. GalGa GalGa GalGa

Aaj jaane ki zid naa karo
Yun hi pahelu men baithe raho.

Sare sapne kahiin kho gaye
Haaye ham kya se kya ho gaye


There are meters I don't yet know the names of.:

7. lGa lGal lGa GalGa lGaGAGa
guloN mein rang bhare baad-e-naubahaar chale
chale bhi aao ke gulshanka karobaar chale

harek baat pe kahete ho tum ke tu kya hai
tumhi kaho ke yeh andaaz-e-guftagu kya hai

ruke ruke se qadam ruk ke baar baar chale
qaraar deke tere dar se beqraar chale

na munh chhupake jiiyoo aur na sar jhukake jiiyo
ghamon ka daur bhi aaye to muskuraake jiiyo

kisii nazar ko teraa intezaar aaj bhi hai
kahaan ho tum ke yeh dil beqaraar aaj bhi hai

na tuu zameeN ke liye hai na aasmaaN ke liye
teraa wajuud hai ab sirf daastaaN ke liye


8. GaGa lGal Gal lGaGa lGalGa

dono.n jahaan. terii mohabbat me.n haar ke
woh jaa rahaa hai koii shab-e-Gam guzaar ke

laayee hayaat aaye kazaa le chali chale
apni khushi na aaye naa apni khushi chale

kab se hooN kya bataaooN jahaan-e-kharab meN
shab haaye hizr kobhi rakhooN gar hisaab meN

milti hai zindagi meNmuhoabbat kabhi kabhi
hoti hai dilbaroN ki inaayat kabhi kabhi

thaanii thii dil me.n ab na mile.nge kisii se ham
par kyaa kare ke ho gaye naachaar jii se ham

maanaa ke musht-e-Khaak se ba.Dakar nahii.n huu.N mai.n
lekin havaa ke raham-o-karam par nahii.n huu.N mai.n

Thukaraao yaa ab ke pyaar karo mai.n nashe me.n huu.N
jo chaaho mere yaar karo mai.n nashe me.n huu.N

royaa kare.nge aap bhii paharo.n isii tarah
bhaTkaa kahiin jo aapka dil bhi meri tarah

naamaa gayaa ko_ii na ko_ii naamaabar gayaa
terii Khabar na aa_ii zamaanaa guzar gayaa


9. A. GaGal Gal GaGa GaGal Gal GaGa

saare jahaan se achchha HindostaaN hamaaraa
ham bulbulleN haiN iski yeh gulsitaaN hamaaraa.

B. llGal Gal GaGa llGal Gal GaGa
ko_ii ham-nafas nahii.n hai ko_ii raazadaa.N nahii.n hai
faqat ek dil tha apnee sovoh meharbaaN nahiin hai

yeh na thi hamaari kismat ke wisaal-e-yaar hotaa
agar aur jiite rahte to bhi intezaar hotaa.

Learn more about beher (meter)
Bah’r: The Backbone of Shaa’iri

Before I started writing this article, I thought several times if I had the knowledge and expertise to dwell on a subject as vast and complex as ‘shaa’iri’. After all, I have taken only the first step towards learning this great art. But then I thought that my experience might help those who are yet to take that first step. So here I am, with my explanation of ‘bah’r’, the most important technical aspect of shaa’iri.

The purpose of this article is to give the readers a general idea of what bah’r means and how it is used to construct a misra’a (line) of Urdu shaa’iri. I am sharing with you some of my limited knowledge of shaa’iri that my Ustaad ‘Mazaq’ Charkhariwi has graciously given to me. He belongs to Ustaad Daag Dehlwi’s school of shaa’iri. Everything written here conforms to that school and its teachings. There are areas where schools differ in opinion, but that happens only in the case of very fine details. The scope covered here is very basic and should not pose any such issue. However, I wanted to post the disclaimer, just in case.

‘Bah’r or ‘Meter’ is the structure over which the words of a misra’a (line) of a she’r (verse) are arranged. Bah’r itself is made of ‘arkaan’ (plural of ‘rukn’ which means ‘pillar’ or ‘important part’). Arkaan are also referred to as ‘feet’. Whosoever coined this term was perhaps trying to relate it to the bigger unit ‘meter’, without realizing that ‘meter’ and ‘foot’ are units of length in two different systems of measurement. However, the ‘meter’ and ‘feet’ combination may be justified by the fact that one meter is roughly equal to three and a quarter feet, and most of the bah’rs do have three or four arkaan in one misra’a. Arkaan are meaningless dummy words, the basic purpose of which is to specify the places of long and short syllables in an actual word. The eight arkaan, broken down into syllables, used in Urdu shaa’iri are as follows.

‘fa-uu-lun’,
‘faa-i-lun’,
‘ma-faa-ii-lun’,
‘mus-taf-i-lun’,
‘faa-i-laa-tun’,
‘mu-ta-faa-i-lun’,
‘ma-faa-i-la-tun’
and
‘maf-uu-laat’

Perhaps this is a good place to add a note on transliteration, that is the process of writing Urdu words in Roman script, so that they are pronounced correctly. We will treat ‘a’ as in ‘akbar’, ‘i’ as in ‘ishq’, ‘u’ as in ‘uljhan’, ‘e’ as in ‘ek’ (‘ai’ and ‘ei’ should be treated as ‘e’), ‘o’ as in ‘bahaaro’, ‘aa’ as in ‘aaraam’, ‘ii’ as in ‘merii’ and ‘uu’ as in ‘juutaa’ (other Roman letters used are self explanatory and are not as important as these vowels).

An ‘a’, ‘i’ or ‘u’ by itself or after a consonant will produce a short syllable (weight ‘1’).

An ‘e’, ‘o’, ‘aa’, ‘ii’ or ‘uu’ by itself or after a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight ‘2’).

An ‘a’, ‘i’ or ‘u’ between two consonants or before a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight ‘2’).

An ‘e’, ‘o’, ‘aa’, ‘ii’ or ‘uu’ between two consonants or before a consonant will produce a long syllable (weight ‘3’).

The syllable with weight ‘3’ can be subdivided into two syllables, with weights ‘1’ and ‘2’ respectively, but let us keep it as it is for now.

Given this description, the eight arkaan mentioned above can be written in terms of weights as ‘1-2-2’, ‘2-1-2’, ‘1-2-2-2’, ‘2-2-1-2’, ‘2-1-2-2’, ‘1-1-2-1-2’, ‘1-2-1-1-2’ and ‘2-2-3’, respectively.

The arkaan mentioned above are in their ‘saalim’ (pure) form. With slight modification, each can be turned into one of its ‘muzaahif’ (modified) forms (These forms may be seen in the bah’rs given at the end of this article). Accordingly, a bah’r may be a ‘saalim’ or a ‘muzaahif’ one. Bah’rs are also classified according to the mix of their arkaan. If a bah’r is made by the repetition of the same rukn, it is a ‘mufarrid’ (made of a single ingredient) bah’r. If it uses a combination of more than one rukn, it is a ‘murakkab’ (composite) bah’r. Bah’rs given at the end of this article have examples of both.

The arkaan and bah’rs were developed by the masters of literature and music. That is why shaa’iri written in proper bah’r is fluent to recite and easy to compose into a tune. However, not all the bah’rs have the same ease of flow and spontaneity of rhythm. As a result, few became more popular than others. In this article, we will cover only the most popular ones. Most of the Urdu shaa’iri has been written using these bah’rs. Please note that in addition to the traditional bah’rs that I was taught, I have seen shaa’irs using other bah’rs that they have devised themselves. In my opinion, one can write poetry in any format as long as it follows some ‘rule’ and is enjoyable when recited. However, in the beginning, it is advisable to stick to the traditional bah’rs.

After you decide which bah’r to use, the next thing is to arrange your words on that bah’r. This is the real art in shaa’iri. If possible, the words should start and end where the arkaans do, but this is not necessary. A word can be spread over two adjacent arkaan. Moreover, a syllable in a word that is normally considered a long syllable, can be treated as a short one, if it does not fit into the arkaan and the bah’r. In other words, the ‘weight’ of the syllables can be reduced or the pronunciation of the syllables can be hastened to fit the bah’r. Where and how one can do it is a complex issue in Urdu shaa’iri. There are elaborate rules for doing so which are beyond the scope of this article. For now, all I can suggest is to look at the shaa’iri by the ustaads and see how they have used a particular word in a particular situation. A glimpse of this feature may be seen in the ash’aar given with the bah’rs in this article. You may notice that certain words have been placed against a relatively small portion (or syllable) of a rukn. These are the words whose pronunciation is altered to fit the bah’r.

The bah’rs being discussed here are used for the most popular forms of Urdu shaa’iri (like ghazal, nazm, qit’aa and geet/naghma etc.), but not for all forms. Rubaaii, for instance, has its own set of bah’rs.

Following are some very frequently used bah’rs. You may find the names difficult to remember. But what’s in a name! Pay attention to the structure because that is what matters. Each bah’r is accompanied by a she’r on it, broken down according to the structure of the bah’r. If a word happens to be spread across more than one part of a rukn or across more than one rukn, its pieces are joined by a hyphen (-). I have used my own ash’aar to illustrate the bah’rs, but I am also giving a classic she’r for each bah’r. You may have heard the classic many times, may have memorized it and thus may find it easier to capture the structure of the bah’r. Try to break these classic ash’aar down according to the bah’r.


1. Bah’r Hazaj Saalim

Ma - faa - ii - lun Ma - faa - ii - lun Ma - faa - ii - lun Ma - faa - ii - lun
Bha - rii duni- yaa sa - hii le - kin thi - kaa- naa ham bhii paa leN- ge
Ja - haaN do gaz za - miiN ho- gii wa - hiiN ham ghar ba - naa leN- ge

Classic by Allama ‘Iqbal’:
Mitaa de apnii hastii ko agar kuchh martabaa chaahe
ki daanaa Khaak meiN mil kar gul-e-gulzaar hotaa hai

2. Bah’r Hazaj Musamman Akhrab

Maf - uu - lu Ma - faa - ii - lun Maf - uu - lu Ma - faa - ii - lun
Khwaa- boN meiN ba - naa - ii thii aaN - khoN meiN sa - jaa lii hai
Tas - vii - r ti - rii ham ne is dil meiN ba - saa lii hai

Classic by ‘Jigar’ Moradabadi:
Kyaa husn ne samjhaa hai kya ishq ne jaanaa hai
Ham khaak-nashiinoN kii thokar meiN zamaanaa hai

3. Bah’r Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Mahzuuf

Maf - uu - lu Ma - faa - ii - lu Ma - faa - ii - lu Fa - uu - lun
Tuu - faa - n meiN tin - ke kaa sa - haa - raa bhii ba - hut hai
Zul - mat meiN to bas e - k sha - raa - raa bhii ba - hut hai

Claasic by Mirza ‘Ghalib’:
Baaziicha-e-atfaal hai duniyaa mire aage
Hota hai shab-o-roz tamaashaa mire aage

4. Bah’r Hazaj Musaddas Mahzuuf:

Ma - faa - ii - lun Ma - faa - ii - lun Fa - uu - lun
Ta - man - naa - oN se aye dil kyaa mi - le - gaa
Jo qis - mat meN li - khaa ho - gaa mi - le - gaa

Classic by ‘Firaq’ Gorakhpuri:
SitaaroN se ulajhtaa jaa rahaa huuN
Shab-e-furqat bahut ghabraa rahaa huuN

5. Bah’r Ramal Musamman Mahzuuf

Faa - i - laa - tun Faa - i - laa - tun Faa - i - laa - tun Faa - i - lun*
Dil kii be - chai - nii ne ap - naa kaa - m aa - khir kar di - yaa
Tujh se me - re raa - b - te ko aa - m aa - khir kar di - yaa

* Faa - i - laan is acceptable here.

Classic by ‘Hasrat’ Mohani:
Sab ghalat kahte hain lutf-e-yaar ko wajh-e-sukuuN
Dard-e-dil usne tau ‘Hasrat’ aur duunaa kar diyaa

6. Bah’r Ramal Musaddas Mahzuuf:

Faa - i - laa - tun Faa - i - laa - tun Faa - i - lun*
Ish - q kaa haa - sil hai kyaa mat puu - chhi - ye
Kyaa mi - laa kyaa kho ga - yaa mat puu - chhi - ye

* Faa - i - laan is acceptable here.

Classic by Meer Taqi ‘Meer’:
Ibtidaa-e-ishq hai rotaa hai kyaa
Aage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kyaa

7. Bah’r Mutaqaarib Saalim

Fa - uu - lun Fa - uu - lun Fa - uu - lun Fa - uu - lun
Mu - hab - bat bu - rii hai na naf - rat bu - rii hai
Bu - rii hai tau har shai kii kas - rat bu - rii hai

Classic by ‘Bekhud’ Dehlwi:
Na dekhaa thaa jo bazm-e-dushman meiN dekhaa
Muhabbat tamaashe dikhaatii hai kya kya

8. Bah’r Mutaqaarib Musamman Maqbuuz Aslam (16 Ruknii)

Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun
Ho shaa - m-e- gham jis qa - dar bhi lam - bii
Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun
dha - le - gii yeh bhii za - ruu - r yaa - ro
Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun
Ka - bhii to ut - re - gaa me - re ghar meiN
Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun Fa - uu - lu Faa - lun
khu - shii kii kir - noN kaa nuu - r yaa - ro

Classic by ‘Daag’ Dehlwi:
sitam hii karnaa jafaa hii karnaa nigaah-e-ulfat kabhii na karnaa
tumheN qasam hai hamaare sar kii hamaare haq meN kamii na karnaa

9. Bah’r Kaamil Saalim

Mu - ta - faa - i - lun Mu - ta - faa - i - lun
Ke gaN - waa di - ye mai - ne ho - sh bhii
Mu - ta - faa - i - lun Mu - ta - faa - i - lun
mu - jhe chai - n aa na sa - kaa ka - bhii
Mu - ta - faa - i - lun Mu - ta - faa - i - lun
Te - rii yaa - d yuN hii ja - waaN ra - hii
Mu - ta - faa - i - lun Mu - ta - faa - i - lun
tu - jhe dil bhu - laa na sa - kaa ka - bhii

Classic by Hakeem ‘Momin’:
wo jo ham meN tum meN qaraar thaa tumheN yaad ho ke na yaad ho
wahii yaanii waadaa nibaah kaa tumheN yaad ho ke na yaad ho

10. Bah’r Mutadaarik Saalim

Faa - i - lun Faa - i - lun Faa - i - lun Faa - i - lun
Gul chi - raa - ghoN ko kar ham sa - re shaa - m deN
KyoN bha - laa aa - ti - sh-e - dil ko aa - raa - m deN

Classic by Nida Fazli:
Har taraf har jagah be-shumaar aadmii
Phir bhii tanhaaiyoN kaa shikaar aadmii

11. Bah’r Mazaar’a Musamman Akhrab

Maf - uu - lu Faa - i - laa - tun Maf - uu - lu Faa - i - laa - tun
MaiN be - qa - raa - r kyoN huuN dil be - qa - raa - r kyoN hai
Us be - wa - faa se ab tak aa - khir yeh pyaa - r kyoN hai

Classic by Allama ‘Iqbal’:
Saare jahaaN se achchhaa HindostaaN hamaaraa
Ham bulbuleN haiN iskii yeh gulsitaaN hamaaraa

12. Bah’r Mazaar’a Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Maqsuur

Maf - uu - lu Faa - i - laa - tu* ma - faa - ii - lu** Faa - i - laan***
Kai - se ka - huuN maiN ap - nii ka - haa - nii ko baa - r baar
KyoN kar pi - yuuN - gaa aa - Nkh ke paa - nii ko baa - r baar

* Faa-i-laa-tun is acceptable here.
** Maf-uu-lu is acceptable here.
*** Faa-i-lun is acceptable here.

Claasic by Daag Dehlwi (with Faa-i-lun as the last rukn):
Khaatir se yaa lihaaz se main maan tau gayaa
Jhuuti qasam se aap ka iimaan tau gayaa


13. Bah’r Mujtas Musamman Makhbuun Maqsuur

Ma - faa - i - lun Fa - i - laa - tun Ma - faa - i - lun Fa - i - lun
Wa - faa ke qau - l se ham tau mu - kar na - hiiN sa - k - te
Ki dush- ma- nii meiN bhii had se gu - zar na - hiiN sa - k - te

Classic by Faiz Ahmed ‘Faiz’:
GuloN meiN rang bhare baad-e-nau-bahaar chale
Chale bhii aao ki gulshan ka kaar-o-baar chale

If this article helps you in any way, it will be my pleasure. If you are really serious about shaa’iri, find a ustaad near you and be his shaagird. There is no substitute for the guidance and teaching of a ustaad. Please let me know if you have anything to add to or correct in this article. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated. You may write to me at I_alvi@hotmail.com. Thanks and good luck!

The copyright of the contents of this article belongs to the writer. The article or parts thereof may not be copied, quoted or used otherwise without prior consent of the writer.

taKhayyul and taGhazzul :
The Soul of Urdu Poetry

The topic being discussed in this article is not new. However, I wanted to write something on it to relive the enjoyment I have had by reading some of my favorite Urdu poetry. In this process, if some of the readers’ knowledge and understanding of Urdu poetry get enriched, it will be a bonus for me.

‘taKhayyul’ means imagination. It is considered an important element of Urdu poetry, and of poetry in any language for that matter. A poet with extraordinary imagination can think of things that may never be conceived by an ordinary human being. ‘taGhazzul’, on the other hand, means poetic touch. A poet with such a touch can turn an ordinary thought or observation into a masterpiece of art. Such a poet has an outstanding control on language and a vast repertoire of words and idioms. A truly great poet is one who has both of these qualities. I will try to illustrate the concept by giving a few examples. Please note that the examples being cited are not a collective representation of the works of the poets included and definitely not of Urdu poetry in general.

Let us first look at some ash.aar that may not be illustrious for their literal construction, yet leave a lasting impression simply due to the uniqueness of thought behind them, that is the ash.aar with a high degree of ‘taKhayyul’.

aadam kaa jism jab ki anaasir se mil banaa
kuchh aag bach rahii thii so aashiq kaa dil banaa
- (Sauda)

Look at this sher and read it once, if you have not done it already. What makes it click? Certainly not its construction! The language is simple and there is no wizardry of words. But look at the thought! Sauda says that when God had finished making the body of aadam (man) with various elements, He found that there was some fire left. He used it to create the heart of a lover (the thing that is always burning). What a sher!

chalaa jaataa huuN hanstaa kheltaa mauj-e-havaadis se
agar aasaaniyaaN hoN, zindagii dushvaar ho jaaye
- (Asghar Gondvi)

This is another example of a shaair thinking in a totally unconventional direction. Usually, troubles (mauj-e-havaadis) are something that people like to avoid. However, Asghar Gondvi thinks that it is these troubles that keep you busy and going. But for these, it would be very difficult to live. What an idea!

mire TuuTe hue paa-e-talab kaa mujh pe ahsaaN hai
tumhaare dar se uTh kar ab kahiiN jaayaa nahiiN jaataa
- (Makhmoor Dehlvi)

Would you like to have your feet disabled? Perhaps not. But Makhmoor Dehlvi sees a benefit even in broken feet. According to him, they make him immovable and he can’t go anywhere from the doorstep of his beloved. What else would a lover want!

Now let us look at some ash.aar that are remarkable for their ‘taGhazzul’, that is ash.aar that may not have a unique thought behind them, but have a way of presentation that sets them apart from the ordinary.

baiThne kaun de hai phir us ko
jo tire aastaaN se uThtaa hai
- (Mir)

Mir is considered king of Ghazals. You can find thousands of examples of ideal ‘taGhazzul’ in his poetry. I picked this one at random. A lover is always in the evil eyes of the world and is never allowed to live in peace. There is nothing unusual about this fact, but the way Mir has composed it made it the treat to the eye and mind that this sher is.

na gayii tere Gham kii sardaarii
dil meN yuuN roz inqilaab aaye
- (Faiz)

The heart of a lover is mostly occupied by sorrow. This is a well known fact and an age old subject of poetry. But what a way to say it! Please note the use of the word ‘sardaarii’ which means supremacy. Faiz says that although there were many revolutions/changes in the (state of) heart, the sorrow of (separation from) the beloved always reigned supreme. For those who have not read much of Faiz, let me mention that ‘inqilaab’ was one of his favorite subjects. He used it so beautifully here to depict the state of a lover’s heart.

kyaa kahuuN deeda-e-tar! ye to miraa chahraa hai
sang kaT jaate haiN baarish kii jahaaN dhaar gire
- (Shakeb Jalali)

Crying leaves marks on the face. Is there anything unusual about it? Can you create a memorable sher on this subject? Well, Shakeb Jalali can. The way he uses the erosion of a stone under repeated spells of rain to depict the marks left behind on the face by continuous crying is marvelous. In other words, the poet has used the so called ‘tashbiih’, a popular and effective tool of poetry to create ‘taGhazzul’ here.


Finally, here are some examples of ash.aar that are rich in both ‘taKhayyul’ and ‘taGhazzul’.

Gham-e-hastii kaa ‘Asad’ kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
sham.a har rang meN jaltii hai sahar hone tak
- (Ghalib)

You can write books in explaining and praising this gem from the master poet that Ghalib was. However, I will restrict myself to a few lines only. Let us take the aspect of ‘taKhayyul’ first. Sham.a has always been seen as the unkind and ruthless killer of the parvaanaa or as the centerpiece of attraction in a mahfil full of husn and nuur. It takes the imagination of Ghalib to see the other side of this picture. He notices the utter darkness she has to face, the ever depleting oil/wax, the very source of her life that she is always worried about and above all, the pain of constantly burning herself. Now see the ‘taGhazzul’. Ghalib’s mastery over the language and presentation is visible all over the sher. He says that life is a pain that can only be cured by death. This is same as the fact that sham.a has to survive all of her pains and keep burning until dawn when somebody comes and puts her out, relieving her of the horrors of a torturous existence. By the way, the radeef of the sher, ‘hone tak’, is so haunting! It makes the sher even more poignant.

sadqe utreNge, aseeraan-e-qafas chhuuTe haiN
bijliyaaN le ke nasheman pe ghaTaa bhii aayii
- (Fani)

This one is typical Fani fare. He is known for the uniqueness of his thoughts as well as his exceptionally fluent and highly acclaimed literal constructs. Here, he is talking about the birds being released from the cage. This being a matter of joy, some sadqah (offering) is in the offing. For those who don’t know what sadqah is, it is the practice of sacrificing some of the things dear to you in order to ensure your welfare and happiness. Sadqah may be done by giving money to the poor or sacrificing an animal. In this particular sher, none other than the menacing clouds with lightening have gathered to complete the ritual of sadqah, which ironically may mean burning the nests of the poor birds or even their death. Now after you think about the paradox and the way it is used to depict a hopeless situation, will you do anything but admire Fani?

miTaa de apnii hastii ko agar kuchh martabaa chaahe
ki daanaa Khaak meN mil kar gul-e-gulzaar hotaa hai
- (Iqbal)

Iqbal’s intellect was unparalleled. His thoughts were very intense and his choice of words to mould these thoughts was excellent. This sher is just one example of many splendid ash.aar that he gave us. Here he challenges the reader to (be prepared to) loose everything (even his life) if he wants to attain a position of honor. He cites the example of a seed that has to fade into dirt in order to turn into a flowering tree.

As I said earlier, the ash.aar presented here are just a few drops from the vast ocean of Urdu shaairii. Hope this article provided interesting reading and prompted you to look for that unique sher when you read shaairii next time.

The copyright of the contents of this article belongs to the writer. The article or parts thereof may not be copied, quoted or used otherwise without prior consent of the writer.

LIFE

If you can see. Life have many faces,

but we can not see them, or we

do not want to see them.

I just try to explore

the word "LIFE"

I think so i just explore 1% of it

because only myself can not explore life.

So join hands with me

and let try to explore life.