Ever since I lost my mom, I talk to my dad every single morning. We can discuss any topic under the sun, he has always been one of my best friends. So every day feels like Father's Day to me, but still today is special.

I am blessed to have my dad as my dad, his consistent support and affection for me is unmatched. I wouldn't be the person that I am without the value system and work ethic dad installed in me, by example.

I hope there will be an end to the pandemic in foreseeable future, and I'll be able to travel to see my dad in person again.

I can't think of a better she'r than the one I posted last year on this day. So here it is again:

aziiz_tar mujhe rakhtaa hai voh rag-e-jaaN se
yeh baat sach hai miraa baap kam nahiiN maaN se :-)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads,

______Zoya

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 10:06:37 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> Sahib lafz se mujhe ek sher yaad aa gaya, ye sher mujhe purani dilli par documentary ki research ke waqt mila tha...
>
> sharbat peeene se jo inkaar karoge saahib,
> khoon ho jaayega nahak mere armaanoN ka... - unknown

Mohit, Khayaal bahut achhaa hai, lekin ek zaraa saa masa'la hai. 'sharbat' yahaaN vazn meN nahiiN aa rahaa, aap is kii jagah 'chaaye' pilaa deN to sahiiH rahe ga! :)

Study Tip: Please slowly read the she'r out loud 'as is' first, then replace 'sharbat' with 'chaaye' and read it again, you will see what I mean.

aur 'saahib' par jo asha'ar besaaKhta ab mere zehn meN aa rahe haiN, voh Mauj Rampuri ke haiN. maiN ne yeh ghazal kaii saal pehle ek mehfil meN Khud zubaan-e-shaai'r suni thii. mujhe ghazal pasand aayii thii aur kuchh asha'ar yaad bhi reh gaye the.

One of these is a spin on a Ghalib she'r:

aap to raat so liye saahib
ham ne takiye bhigo liye saahib

us ke daaman ko chhuu ke aaye haiN
ham ko phuuloN meN toliye saahib

ham bhi muNh meN zabaan rakhte haiN
itna uuNchaa na boliye sahib!

Mauj Rampuri

______Zoya

this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time, much like Nzaeer Akbarabadi wrote

kya pyaari pyaari meethi aur patli patliyaN haiN,
ganne ki poriyaN haiN, resham ki takliyaN haiN,
farhad ki nigaaheiN, sheereeN ki haNsliyan haiN,
majnuu ki sard aaheiN, laila ki ungliyaN haiN,
kya khoob narm-o-nazuk, is aagre ki kakdi,
aur jismeiN khaas qaafir, iskandare ki kakdi...

On Monday, June 21, 2021 at 8:20:13 PM UTC+5:30, Zoya wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 10:06:37 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> > Sahib lafz se mujhe ek sher yaad aa gaya, ye sher mujhe purani dilli par documentary ki research ke waqt mila tha...
> >
> > sharbat peeene se jo inkaar karoge saahib,
> > khoon ho jaayega nahak mere armaanoN ka... - unknown
> Mohit, Khayaal bahut achhaa hai, lekin ek zaraa saa masa'la hai. 'sharbat' yahaaN vazn meN nahiiN aa rahaa, aap is kii jagah 'chaaye' pilaa deN to sahiiH rahe ga! :)
>
> Study Tip: Please slowly read the she'r out loud 'as is' first, then replace 'sharbat' with 'chaaye' and read it again, you will see what I mean.
>
> aur 'saahib' par jo asha'ar besaaKhta ab mere zehn meN aa rahe haiN, voh Mauj Rampuri ke haiN. maiN ne yeh ghazal kaii saal pehle ek mehfil meN Khud zubaan-e-shaai'r suni thii. mujhe ghazal pasand aayii thii aur kuchh asha'ar yaad bhi reh gaye the.
>
> One of these is a spin on a Ghalib she'r:
>
> aap to raat so liye saahib
> ham ne takiye bhigo liye saahib
>
> us ke daaman ko chhuu ke aaye haiN
> ham ko phuuloN meN toliye saahib
>
> ham bhi muNh meN zabaan rakhte haiN
> itna uuNchaa na boliye sahib!
>
> Mauj Rampuri
>
> ______Zoya

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 3:26:08 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time, much like Nzaeer Akbarabadi wrote

Thanks Mohit, the she'r definitely has a classic flavor and I didn't want to mess with it too much. You are right, it won't be the same if we replace 'sharbat' by any other drink. I used 'chaaye' as a substitute to illustrate that 'sharbat' ->22 does not fit the meter and 'chaaye' if read as 21 will.. 'ye' has the flexibility that 'bat' does not.

Spoken as Prof RK's TA, :-) maybe Prof sahib himself will suggest a minimal change that will preserve 'sharbat' and put the she'r in meter. I could try doing so if assigned, but he may suggest an easier, better fix.

>
> kya pyaari pyaari meethi aur patli patliyaN haiN,
> ganne ki poriyaN haiN, resham ki takliyaN haiN,
> farhad ki nigaaheiN, sheereeN ki haNsliyan haiN,
> majnuu ki sard aaheiN, laila ki ungliyaN haiN,
> kya khoob narm-o-nazuk, is aagre ki kakdi,
> aur jismeiN khaas qaafir, iskandare ki kakdi...

Ahhhh Nazeer Akbarabadi! Very few other Urdu poets exhibit the diversity of topics and language like he does.

Thanks,

______Zoya

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 7:29:27 AM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 3:26:08 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

[sharbat peene se jo inkaar karo ge saahib,
khoon ho jaaye ga nahak mere armaanoN ka... - unknown]

> > this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time -----
> >

> Thanks Mohit, the she'r definitely has a classic flavor and I didn't want to mess with it too much. You are right, it won't be the same if we replace 'sharbat' by any other drink. I used 'chaaye' as a substitute to illustrate that 'sharbat' ->22 does not fit the meter and 'chaaye' if read as 21 will. 'ye' has the flexibility that 'bat' does not.
>
> Spoken as Prof RK's TA, :-) maybe Prof sahib himself will suggest a minimal change that will preserve 'sharbat' and put the she'r in meter. I could try doing so if assigned, but he may suggest an easier, better fix.
>

***When I first saw this she'r, I readily noted that the word 'sharbat' doesn't fit here; in all probability, some sharbat-firosh had taken (undue) liberty with an otherwise pretty good she'r by replacing the original item by his own. Lo and behold, my first guess was also 'chaaye' and, in my opinion, the she'r wasn't necessarily used by a tea-seller; it could well be used by any host --- even by a sophisticated one --- whose guest is being too hesitant in accepting a drink of tea.

So, ZS, I cannot suggest a better alternative for the word 'sharbat' than the one you already have. Of course, in a Punjabi set-up, one can use the word 'duudh' too! :-) LOL

In passing, 'nahak' should be 'naahaq' and 'mere' should be 'mire'.

R.K.***

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 11:05:40 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> [sharbat peene se jo inkaar karo ge saahib,
> khoon ho jaaye ga nahak mere armaanoN ka... - unknown]
>
> ***When I first saw this she'r, I readily noted that the word 'sharbat' doesn't fit here; in all probability, some sharbat-firosh had taken (undue) liberty with an otherwise pretty good she'r by replacing the original item by his own. Lo and behold, my first guess was also 'chaaye' and, in my opinion, the she'r wasn't necessarily used by a tea-seller; it could well be used by any host --- even by a sophisticated one --- whose guest is being too hesitant in accepting a drink of tea.

Very interesting. Sounds pretty reasonable explanation. It may not be easy to find the original version of this she'r, but it is definitely is memorable in a way.

baat chaaye ki ho rahii hai, to mujhe Amjad Islam Amjad sahib kaa voh she'r yaad aa rahaa hai, jo unhoN ne ek mehfil meN merii nazr kiyaa tha:

chaaye meN chiinii milaanaa us ghaRi bhaayaa bahut
zer-e-lab voh muskuraataa shukriyah achchaa lagaa :-)

>
> So, ZS, I cannot suggest a better alternative for the word 'sharbat' than the one you already have. Of course, in a Punjabi set-up, one can use the word 'duudh' too! :-) LOL
>
> R.K.***

Sure, Punjabi set-up meN to 'lassi' bhi chale gii RK sahib. :-))

______Zoya

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 1:26:08 AM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
> this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time, much like Nzaeer Akbarabadi wrote
>
> kya pyaari pyaari meethi aur patli patliyaN haiN,
> ganne ki poriyaN haiN, resham ki takliyaN haiN,
> farhad ki nigaaheiN, sheereeN ki haNsliyan haiN,
> majnuu ki sard aaheiN, laila ki ungliyaN haiN,
> kya khoob narm-o-nazuk, is aagre ki kakdi,
> aur jismeiN khaas qaafir, iskandare ki kakdi...

***Thanks, Mohit sahib, for posting this beautiful stanza by NA.

I think the word "patliyaN" in the first line is probably "pasliyaaN". Please double-check!

R.K.***

> I think the word "patliyaN" in the first line is probably "pasliyaaN". Please double-check!
>
> R.K.***

sir again, the source I read from mentioned it as Patliyan...

aaj ka sher

tujh bin saari umr guzaari,
log kahenge tu mera tha - Nasir Kazmi

( I know it's one of Zoya ma'm's favorite )

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 7:46:30 PM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
>
> aaj ka sher
>
> tujh bin saari umr guzaari,
> log kahen ge tu mera tha - Nasir Kazmi
>
> ( I know it's one of Zoya ma'm's favorite )

***tuu har ik bazm ki raunaq, maiN kahiiN kaa bhi nahiiN
kis ko ma'aluum k teraa mira naataa kyaa hai?
[RK Qais]***

On Thursday, 24 June 2021 at 04:08:50 UTC+1, Raj Kumar wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 1:26:08 AM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
> > this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time, much like Nzaeer Akbarabadi wrote
> >
> > kya pyaari pyaari meethi aur patli patliyaN haiN,
> > ganne ki poriyaN haiN, resham ki takliyaN haiN,
> > farhad ki nigaaheiN, sheereeN ki haNsliyan haiN,
> > majnuu ki sard aaheiN, laila ki ungliyaN haiN,
> > kya khoob narm-o-nazuk, is aagre ki kakdi,
> > aur jismeiN khaas qaafir, iskandare ki kakdi...
> ***Thanks, Mohit sahib, for posting this beautiful stanza by NA.
>
> I think the word "patliyaN" in the first line is probably "pasliyaaN". Please double-check!
>
> R.K.***

Raj Kumar SaaHib, aadaab-o-tasliimaat.

The quote by Mohit SaaHib is taken from the second "band" of Nazeer Akbarabadi's nazm "Aagire kii kakRii".

kyaa pyaarii pyaarii miiThii aur patlii patliyaaN* haiN
ganne kii poriyaaN haiN resham kii takliyaaN haiN
ٖFarhaad kii nigaaheN ShiiriiN ki haNsliyaaN haiN
MajnuuN kii sard aaheN Lailaa kii uNgliyaaN haiN

kyaa xuub narm-o-naazuk is Aagire kii kakRii
aur jis meN xaas kaafir Iskandare kii kakRii

* It seems Nazeer Akbarabadi was only a half Punjabi. Had he been a fully fledged Punjabi, he would have said, "patliyaaN patliyaaN haiN"!:-)

Naseer

On Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 5:20:12 AM UTC-7, Naseer wrote:
> On Thursday, 24 June 2021 at 04:08:50 UTC+1, Raj Kumar wrote:
> > On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 1:26:08 AM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
> > > this sher is supposed to be from the era of Zuaq, Ghalib or perhaps Daagh in Delhi, and what I read was even sharbat sellers used to sell through sher written on their shops, this could have been written for the sharbat wala by any of the shayar of that time, much like Nzaeer Akbarabadi wrote
> > >
> > > kya pyaari pyaari meethi aur patli patliyaN haiN,
> > > ganne ki poriyaN haiN, resham ki takliyaN haiN,
> > > farhad ki nigaaheiN, sheereeN ki haNsliyan haiN,
> > > majnuu ki sard aaheiN, laila ki ungliyaN haiN,
> > > kya khoob narm-o-nazuk, is aagre ki kakdi,
> > > aur jismeiN khaas qaafir, iskandare ki kakdi...
> > ***Thanks, Mohit sahib, for posting this beautiful stanza by NA.
> >
> > I think the word "patliyaN" in the first line is probably "pasliyaaN". Please double-check!
> >
> > R.K.***
> Raj Kumar SaaHib, aadaab-o-tasliimaat.
>
> The quote by Mohit SaaHib is taken from the second "band" of Nazeer Akbarabadi's nazm "Aagire kii kakRii".
>
> kyaa pyaarii pyaarii miiThii aur patlii patliyaaN* haiN
> ganne kii poriyaaN haiN resham kii takliyaaN haiN
> ٖFarhaad kii nigaaheN ShiiriiN ki haNsliyaaN haiN
> MajnuuN kii sard aaheN Lailaa kii uNgliyaaN haiN
>
> kyaa xuub narm-o-naazuk is Aagire kii kakRii
> aur jis meN xaas kaafir Iskandare kii kakRii
>
> * It seems Nazeer Akbarabadi was only a half Punjabi. Had he been a fully fledged Punjabi, he would have said, "patliyaaN patliyaaN haiN"!:-)
>
> Naseer

***Got it, Naseer sahib! It is indeed true that I would normally expect "patli patli" or "patliyaaN patliyaaN" :-) ----
but not "patli patliyaaN".

In any case, your comment reminded me of my initial reaction when I read the following she'r by Firaaq:

Firaaq, raah-e-vafaa meN subuk-ravii terii
baRe baRoN ke qadam Dagmagaaye haiN kyaa kyaa!

My initial reaction was: why "baRe baRoN"? Why not "baRoN baRoN"? Now I know that that reaction must have come from my Punjaabiyat! :-)

Raj Kumar***

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 9:46:30 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> aaj ka sher
>
> tujh bin saari umr guzaari,
> log kahenge tu mera tha - Nasir Kazmi
>
> ( I know it's one of Zoya ma'm's favorite )

Ahhh Mohit, "Nasir Kazmi's pehli baarish", it is my single most all time favorite long poem. I must have read it a thousand times, and it still pulls at my heart's strings.

The she'r that you have quoted used to be my signature she'r once upon a time.
Let me quote some more, from towards the end of the poem:

tera qusuur nahiiN, meraa thaa
maiN tujh ko apnaa samjhaa thaa :(

dekh ke tere badle tevar
maiN to usii din ro baiThaa thaa :((

ab maiN samjhaa, ab yaad aayaa
tuu us din kyuN chup chup saa thaa

tujh ko jaane kii jaldii thii
aur maiN tujh ko rok rahaa thaa..........

Let us save the concluding asha'ar for another day, I can deal with this poem only in pieces, it has almost a physical effect on me!

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 11:08:03 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> ***tuu har ik bazm ki raunaq, maiN kahiiN kaa bhi nahiiN
> kis ko ma'aluum k teraa mira naataa kyaa hai?
> [RK Qais]***

RK sahib,

aap kii is baat par mujhe be_saaKhta Mohsin Ehsan kaa yeh she'r yaad aa gaya:

mire aur us ke tálluq kii daastaan ko log
Khuda gavaah hai, bastii meN kam hi jaante haiN :-))

_____Zoya

kahani meri ru-daad-e-jahaaN maloom hoti hai,
jo sunta hai usi ki daastaaN maloom hoti hai - Seemab

> mire aur us ke tálluq kii daastaan ko log
> Khuda gavaah hai, bastii meN kam hi jaante haiN :-))
>
> _____Zoya

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 1:16:34 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> kahani meri ru-daad-e-jahaaN maloom hoti hai,
> jo sunta hai usi ki daastaaN maloom hoti hai - Seemab

voh kahaaniyaaN adhuurii, jo na ho sakeN gi puurii
unheN maiN bhi kyuN sunaauN? unheN tum bhi kyuN sunaao? -----Faraz

> voh kahaaniyaaN adhuurii, jo na ho sakeN gi puurii
> unheN maiN bhi kyuN sunaauN? unheN tum bhi kyuN sunaao? -----Faraz

wo ek din ek ajnabi ko,
meri kahaani suna raha tha - Gulzar

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 12:56:06 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> wo ek din ek ajnabi ko,
> meri kahaani suna raha tha - Gulzar

bahut Khuub Mohit. Happens. baqaul Faraz:

sabhii kaheN mire gham_Khwaar ke 'alaavaa bhii
koii to baat karuuN yaar ke 'alaavaa bhii!

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 8:07:16 AM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
>
> sabhii kaheN mire gham_Khwaar ke 'alaavaa bhii
> koii to baat karuuN yaar ke 'alaavaa bhii!

***ZS, ham jaise dihaatiyoN ke liye 'alaavaa bhi chal sakta hai magar aap jaisi suljhii hu'ii shaKhsiyat ke liye 'ilaava ziyaada mauzuuN rahe ga! :-)

R.K.**

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 10:59:36 AM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> ***ZS, ham jaise dihaatiyoN ke liye 'alaavaa bhi chal sakta hai magar aap jaisi suljhii hu'ii shaKhsiyat ke liye 'ilaava ziyaada mauzuuN rahe ga! :-)
>
> R.K.**

OH God! Raj uncle, I am not taking the blame for this one, I have quoted from this ghazal numerous times on Alup. Faraz sahib recited it in a mehfil where I was in the front row audience, and he even dedicated one of the asha'ar to me! It has always been ilaavaa.

The problem is, when posting the she'r this morning, I started thinking about the beginning "ain" in ilaavaa and the apostrophe that supposedly goes with it, and wrote it as 'a. So, the real issue is all those "ain ghain" discussions on Alup, now you see how much confusion they cause!! For me, it was ilaavaa, it is ilaavaa, and it will be ilaavaa from here on, forget the ' ! :-)

Oh and, you are right about me not being a dihaati , or peNDu as they say!! ;))

A "City girl",
_______Zoya :)

On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 10:08:03 PM UTC-6, Raj Kumar wrote:
> On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 7:46:30 PM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
> >
> > aaj ka sher
> >
> > tujh bin saari umr guzaari,
> > log kahen ge tu mera tha - Nasir Kazmi
> >
> > ( I know it's one of Zoya ma'm's favorite )
> ***tuu har ik bazm ki raunaq, maiN kahiiN kaa bhi nahiiN
> kis ko ma'aluum k teraa mira naataa kyaa hai?
> [RK Qais]***

Beautiful, RK sahib! This one too is going into my "favorites" vault :)

Dinesh

> OH God! Raj uncle, I am not taking the blame for this one, I have quoted from this ghazal numerous times on Alup. Faraz sahib recited it in a mehfil where I was in the front row audience, and he even dedicated one of the asha'ar to me! It has always been ilaavaa.

and mam if I remember correctly once you shared this sher from the same ghazal as well

so dekh kar tere rukhsaar-o-lab yaqeeN aaya
ki phool khilte hain gulzar ke ilaawa bhi

( Rekhta in it's hindi section writes Alaava, so readers like me would always believe it to be alaava )

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 11:45:27 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> and mam if I remember correctly once you shared this sher from the same ghazal as well
>
> so dekh kar tere rukhsaar-o-lab yaqeeN aaya
> ki phool khilte hain gulzar ke ilaawa bhi
>
> ( Rekhta in it's hindi section writes Alaava, so readers like me would always believe it to be alaava )

Yes Mohit, this she'r is indeed very special, I still have the piece of paper on which Faraz sahib himself wrote it down for me. One of my prized possessions. :)

I have not checked out this ghazal on Rekhta, but as Prof RK pointed out, the word is "ilaavaa", fairly common actually. I can see the "ain" causing confusion when written in Roman, but in Hindi "ilaavaa" should definitely be written with the letter इ. Since Rekhta uses some programs to auto generate the Roman/Hindi versions from the original poems in Urdu script, such errors are common because of all the missing diacritics in Urdu.

Unless someone knowledgeable at Rekhta, who is also comfortable in all three scripts, takes the time to edit the content carefully, such mistakes are bound to creep in. So the moral is, as the Alup ustaads have stressed in the past also, we should not trust even a respectable site like Rekhta 100% of the time. Aren't we lucky to have Alup? :)

______Zoya

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 2:35:27 PM UTC-7, Dinesh Shenoy wrote:
> On Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 10:08:03 PM UTC-6, Raj Kumar wrote:

> > ***tuu har ik bazm ki raunaq, maiN kahiiN kaa bhi nahiiN
> > kis ko ma'aluum k teraa mira naataa kyaa hai?
> > [RK Qais]***

> Beautiful, RK sahib! This one too is going into my "favorites" vault :)

***Thanks for the appreciation, Dinesh sahib!

lage haathoN isi Ghazal ka aek aur she'r bhi sunte jaaiye; arz hai

ab voh pahle se ta'alluq to nahiiN haiN, phir bhii
dekh kar mujh ko tire zehn meN aataa kyaaa hai?

R.K.***

On Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 9:45:27 PM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
>
> ( Rekhta in it's hindi section writes Alaava, so readers like me would always believe it to be alaava )

***Mohit sahib, this time a question unrelated to Urdu poetry.

Is it legit to write it's for its? As I understand it, it's is a contraction of "it is" or "it has"; as such, it shouldn't be used as an alternative to the pronoun "its".

R.K.***

On Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 11:45:02 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:
>
> ab voh pahle se ta'alluq to nahiiN haiN, phir bhii
> dekh kar mujh ko tire zehn meN aataa kyaaa hai?
>
> R.K.***

Amazing. RK sahib, yeh she'r mere 'favorites' meN shaamil hai, aur aksar mere zehn meN aayaa kartaa hai. But I have to confess, mujhe dhyaan nahiiN tha k yeh aap ka she'r hai. daad aur shukriyah qubuul kiijiye.

ab ek she'r Riyaz Majeed kaa suniye, yeh bhii kabhi chalte phirte bas yuNhii mere zehn meN aa jaata hai:

biChhaRne vaale tujhe dekh dekh sochtaa huuN
tu phir mile ga to kitna badal chuka ho gaa!

_______Zoya