sahir ludhianvi was born into the wealthy family of a muslim zamindaar as abdul hayee on march 8, 1921 in ludhiana, punjab. sahir's parents had a very loose and estranged relationship leading to a difficult and somewhat deprived childhood for sahir.
a colossus amongst film lyricists, sahir ludhianvi was slightly different from his contemporaries. a poet unable to praise khuda (god), husn (beauty) or jaam (wine), his pen was, at its best, pouring out bitter but sensitive lyrics over the declining values of society, the senselessness of war and politics, and the domination of materialism over love. whenever he wrote any love songs, they were tinged with sorrow, due to realisation that there were other, starker concepts more important than love. in 1949, sahir fled from lahore to delhi. after a couple of months in delhi, he moved to and settled in bombay, beginning his long tryst in bollywood. [info from wikipedia]
this is the original piece of which a part features in the seventies’ multi-starrer “kabhie kabhie”. i love the flow of words, i love the nuances of pain and i love reading this aloud in my head.
kabhii kabhii mere dil me.n Khayaal aataa hai...
ke zindagii terii zulfo.n kii narm chaao.n me.n guzarane paatii to shaadaab ho bhii sakatii thii
ye tiirgii jo merii ziist kaa muqaddar hai terii nazar kii shuaao.n me.n kho bhii sakatii thii
ajab na thaa ke mai.n begaanaa-e-alam ho kar
tere jamaal kii raanaaiiyo.n me.n kho rahataa
teraa gudaaz badan terii niim-baaz aa.Nkhe.n
i.nhii.n hasiin fasaano.n me.n maaho rahataa
pukaaratii.n mujhe jab talKhiyaa.N zamaane kii
tere labo.n se halaawat ke ghuu.NT pii letaa
hayaat chiikhatii phiratii barahanaa-sar,
aur mai.n ghanerii zulfo.n ke saaye me.n chhup ke jii letaa
magar ye ho na sakaa
aur ab ye aalam hai ke tuu nahii.n, teraa Gam, terii justajuu bhii nahii.n
guzar rahii hai kuchh is tarah zi.ndagii jaise
ise kisii ke sahaare kii aarazuu bhii nahii.n
zamaane bhar ke dukho.n ko lagaa chukaa huu.N gale
guzar rahaa huu.N kuchh a.njaanii guzar_gaaho.n se
muhiib saaye merii simt ba.Date aate hai.n
hayaat-o-maut ke pur_haul Khaarazaaro.n se
na koii jaadaa na manzil na roshanii kaa suraaG
bhaTak rahii hai Khaalaao.n me.n zindagii merii
i.nhii.n Khalaao.n me.n rah jaauu.Ngaa kabhii khokar
mai.n jaanataa huu.N merii ham-nafas magar yuu.N hii
kabhii kabhii mere dil me.n Khayaal aataa hai
shaadaab – green / verdant
tiirgii – darkness / gloom
ziist – life
shuaa - ray / beam
raanaaii – grace, beauty
gudaaz – soft / plump
niim baaz – intoxicated
talkhiyaan – bitterness [?]
barahanaa–sar – bare-headed
pur–haul – full of horror / horrific
khaarazaar – thicket of thorns
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