On Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 9:43:59 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> I feel jii here same what Bashir Badr wrote
>
> na jii bhar ke dekha na kuchh baat ki,
> badi aarzoo thi mulaqaat ki...

baat 'jii' ki ho rahi hai to phir aap yeh she'r suniye, Sufi Tabassum kaa:

yuuN tirii yaad se jii ghabraayaa
tuu mujhe bhuul gayaa ho jaise

Let me also share a very special memory associated with this she'r. About 15 years ago, Ghulam Ali sahib visited our city. One of the classically trained Sikh bhai sahibs here is a former student and personal friend of Ghulam Ali sahib, calls him "ustaad jii". Bhai sahib knows my passion for Urdu poetry, so he asked me to pick Ghulam Ali sahib from the hotel, and bring him to his home for lunch. One of my girlfriends and I did that, and during the ride I asked Ghulam Ali sahib to quote some of his favorite asha'ar for me. The above written she'r is high on his list. Ghulam Ali sahib also told me that Nasir Kazmi is his favorite poet, we all know that he has recorded numerous Nasir Kazmi ghazals. That day was memorable for me, and I always think of it very fondly.

Cheerio,

___________Zoya

I had the similar experience with Jagjit Singh ji, when I was interviewing him 2003, I asked him after reading so many greats, doesn't he himself write, then he recited his own sher,

ik arse ke baad bhi ab tak taaza teri baateiN hain,
shaam wahi hai, sahar wahi hai, aur wahi barsaateiN haiN,

har aahat par yuN lagta ho jaisa tera aana ho,
lekin kadwa sach kehta hai, ye sab jhoothi baateiN haiN

I asked him, for whom did he write this sher, he didn't tell me, but I still have the feeling he wrote it for his son Vivek who passed away in a tragic car accident... and that's today's sher too :)

> baat 'jii' ki ho rahi hai to phir aap yeh she'r suniye, Sufi Tabassum kaa:
>
> yuuN tirii yaad se jii ghabraayaa
> tuu mujhe bhuul gayaa ho jaise
>
> Let me also share a very special memory associated with this she'r. About 15 years ago, Ghulam Ali sahib visited our city. One of the classically trained Sikh bhai sahibs here is a former student and personal friend of Ghulam Ali sahib, calls him "ustaad jii". Bhai sahib knows my passion for Urdu poetry, so he asked me to pick Ghulam Ali sahib from the hotel, and bring him to his home for lunch. One of my girlfriends and I did that, and during the ride I asked Ghulam Ali sahib to quote some of his favorite asha'ar for me. The above written she'r is high on his list. Ghulam Ali sahib also told me that Nasir Kazmi is his favorite poet, we all know that he has recorded numerous Nasir Kazmi ghazals. That day was memorable for me, and I always think of it very fondly.
>
> Cheerio,
>
> ___________Zoya

On Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 10:08:21 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> I had the similar experience with Jagjit Singh ji, when I was interviewing him 2003, I asked him after reading so many greats, doesn't he himself write, then he recited his own sher,
>
> ik arse ke baad bhi ab tak taaza teri baateiN hain,
> shaam wahi hai, sahar wahi hai, aur wahi barsaateiN haiN,
>
> har aahat par yuN lagta ho jaisa tera aana ho,
> lekin kadwa sach kehta hai, ye sab jhoothi baateiN haiN

This is very interesting Mohit. You asked Jagjit Singh ji a great question, I have listened to/read numerous other interviews with him, but no one has ever asked such a question. Thanks for sharing the asha'ar with us, I bet most people, just like me, are unfamiliar with these.

> I asked him, for whom did he write this sher, he didn't tell me, but I still have the feeling he wrote it for his son Vivek who passed away in a tragic car accident...

I think your hunch is right, makes sense. I believe Jagjit Singh sang 'chiThi na koi sandes' in Vivek's memory. I have heard him sing it live also, always gut wrenching.
In the vein of she'r-o-naghma, here is link to a live performance by Jagjit Singh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5HOsGdXew

and that's today's sher too :)

Keep it up! :)

> This is very interesting Mohit. You asked Jagjit Singh ji a great question, I have listened to/read numerous other interviews with him, but no one has ever asked such a question. Thanks for sharing the asha'ar with us, I bet most people, just like me, are unfamiliar with these.

Mam unfortunately the recording of that interview is unavailable, though I am trying to find it for years now, even in the network I worked in doesn't have it anymore... in Jagjit ji's words 'Kakka, badhiya sawal poochhe tune'

and this is what I will remember my whole life...

> > I asked him, for whom did he write this sher, he didn't tell me, but I still have the feeling he wrote it for his son Vivek who passed away in a tragic car accident...
> I think your hunch is right, makes sense. I believe Jagjit Singh sang 'chiThi na koi sandes' in Vivek's memory. I have heard him sing it live also, always gut wrenching.
> In the vein of she'r-o-naghma, here is link to a live performance by Jagjit Singh:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5HOsGdXew
> and that's today's sher too :)
> Keep it up! :)

Jagjit ji's though disliked by many, brought Urdu to laymen like me, and to be honest I found ALUP only because of his ghazals, and I feel lucky to be here...

aaj ka sher

kya sitam hai ki ab teri suurat,
gHaur karne pe yaad aati hai... - Jaun Eliya

On Friday, September 23, 2022 at 10:03:55 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> Mam unfortunately the recording of that interview is unavailable, though I am trying to find it for years now, even in the network I worked in doesn't have it anymore... in Jagjit ji's words 'Kakka, badhiya sawal poochhe tune'
>
> and this is what I will remember my whole life...

What a loss, I hope the recording can be found in some archives somewhere. The good thing is you at least preserved the asha'ar he quoted. This reminds me, I had recorded an amazing interview with Amjad sahib for Mehfil-e-Sukhan once, don't have it anymore. Maybe Shoaib sahib has it archived, I'll have to ask him. I am generally bad about preserving important pictures/recordings. But as you said, we have the memories! :)

> Jagjit ji's though disliked by many, brought Urdu to laymen like me, and to be honest I found ALUP only because of his ghazals, and I feel lucky to be here...

I agree, Jagjit Singh singlehandedly brought ghazals to masses in India, huge contribution. His selection of poetry in relatively simple Urdu helped too. There is a sort of vacuum since he passed away.
_________Zoya

On Friday, September 23, 2022 at 10:03:55 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> aaj ka sher
>
> kya sitam hai ki ab teri suurat,
> gHaur karne pe yaad aati hai... - Jaun Eliya

Ahhhhh JE! One of my favorite asha'ar by one of my favorite poets.

aur ab aap yeh she'r suniye, Ahmad Mushtaq kaa, another one of my favorites:

abhi mahfuuz hai tiraa chehraa
abhi bhulii nahiiN tirii aavaaz! :-)

> abhi mahfuuz hai tiraa chehraa
> abhi bhulii nahiiN tirii aavaaz! :-)

aavaaz se yaad aaya...

jiski aavaaz mein silvat ho, nigaahoN meiN shikan,
aisi tasweer ke tukde nahi joda karte - Gulzar

On Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 10:42:11 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> aavaaz se yaad aaya...
>
> jiski aavaaz mein silvat ho, nigaahoN meiN shikan,
> aisi tasweer ke tukde nahi joda karte - Gulzar

Profound. 'aavaaz meN silvaT' is so typical Gulzar, kind of like 'aaNkhoN kii Khushbu'.

is vaqt besaaKhtaa mere zehn meN Azhar Inayati kaa ek she'r aa rahaa hai. yeh un asha'ar meN se hai jo ek baar paRhne/sun_ne par hii mujhe hameshaa ke liye yaad reh jaate haiN:

kuchh der tak to us se mirii guftguu rahii
phir yeh huaa k voh mire lehje meN aa gayaa

I find this she'r particularly interesting. It can be interpreted either way, 'lehjaa' can be sweet or not-so-sweet, how after a while the other person's attitude starts reflecting in our own during a conversation.

_________Zoya

> kuchh der tak to us se mirii guftguu rahii
> phir yeh huaa k voh mire lehje meN aa gayaa
>
> I find this she'r particularly interesting. It can be interpreted either way, 'lehjaa' can be sweet or not-so-sweet, how after a while the other person's attitude starts reflecting in our own during a conversation.
>
ye thoda sa ye feeling bhi deta hai

raah par unko laga laaye to haiN baatoN meiN-
aur khul jaayeNge do-chaar mulaqaatoN meiN - Daagh

On Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 1:28:28 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> ye thoda sa ye feeling bhi deta hai
>
> raah par unko laga laaye to haiN baatoN meiN-
> aur khul jaayeNge do-chaar mulaqaatoN meiN - Daagh

ab aap Parveen Shakir kaa ek she'r suniye:

husn ke samajhne ko umr chaahiye jaanaaN
do ghaRii kii chaahat meN laRkiyaaN nahiiN khultiiN!

kabhi to khul ke baras abr-e-meharbaaN ki tarah,
mera wajood hai jalte hue makaaN ki tarah... - Prem Warbartoni

> ab aap Parveen Shakir kaa ek she'r suniye:
>
> husn ke samajhne ko umr chaahiye jaanaaN
> do ghaRii kii chaahat meN laRkiyaaN nahiiN khultiiN!

On Friday, September 30, 2022 at 10:18:04 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> kabhi to khul ke baras abr-e-meharbaaN ki tarah,
> mera wajood hai jalte hue makaaN ki tarah... - Prem Warbartoni

This provides a perfect opening to quote Shakeb Jalali, another one of my favorite poets:

ye ek abr ka TukRaa kahaaN kahaaN barse
tamaam dasht hi pyasaa dikhaai detaa hai!

and this is another on pyaas

pyaas kahti hai chalo ret nichodi jaye,
apne hisse meiN samandar nahiN aane wala - Meraj Faizabadi

> This provides a perfect opening to quote Shakeb Jalali, another one of my favorite poets:
>
> ye ek abr ka TukRaa kahaaN kahaaN barse
> tamaam dasht hi pyasaa dikhaai detaa hai!

On Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 9:36:12 PM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
> and this is another on pyaas
>
> pyaas kahti hai chalo ret nichodi jaye,
> apne hisse meiN samandar nahiN aane wala - Meraj Faizabadi

Parveen Shakir kaa ek she'r hai, jo mere zehn ke kisii kone meN maHfuuz hai aur ba'az_auqaat achaanak saamne aa jaaya kartaa hai. suniye:

barsaa bhi to kis dasht ke be_faiz badan par
ik umr mire khet the jis abr ko tarse

barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaane,
kis raah se bachna hai, kis chhat ko bhigona hai - Nida Fazli

Nida ji ne 'bhigona' use kiya hai wo kaafi interesting hai

> Parveen Shakir kaa ek she'r hai, jo mere zehn ke kisii kone meN maHfuuz hai aur ba'az_auqaat achaanak saamne aa jaaya kartaa hai. suniye:
>
> barsaa bhi to kis dasht ke be_faiz badan par
> ik umr mire khet the jis abr ko tarse

On Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 1:40:55 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaane,
> kis raah se bachna hai, kis chhat ko bhigona hai - Nida Fazli
>
> Nida ji ne 'bhigona' use kiya hai wo kaafi interesting hai

Yes, 'bhigonaa' is an interesting usage indeed, but if you look at the qaafia restriction for this ghazal, 'khilonaa/sonaa/ronaa' etc., you will see this is the only way it would fit here.

aur jab chhat par barsaat ki baat ho rahii hai to phir laazim hai k hamaare aziiz dost Amjad Islam sahib kaa yeh she'r bhi yahaaN darj kiyaa jaana chaahiye:

vo tire nasiib ki baarisheN kisi aur chhat pe baras gayiiN
dil-e-beKhabar miri baat sun, use bhuul jaa, use bhuul jaa

And I always tell Amjad sahib, "great advice, but not easy to follow"! :)

> Yes, 'bhigonaa' is an interesting usage indeed, but if you look at the qaafia restriction for this ghazal, 'khilonaa/sonaa/ronaa' etc., you will see this is the only way it would fit here.
>
> aur jab chhat par barsaat ki baat ho rahii hai to phir laazim hai k hamaare aziiz dost Amjad Islam sahib kaa yeh she'r bhi yahaaN darj kiyaa jaana chaahiye:
>
> vo tire nasiib ki baarisheN kisi aur chhat pe baras gayiiN
> dil-e-beKhabar miri baat sun, use bhuul jaa, use bhuul jaa
>
> And I always tell Amjad sahib, "great advice, but not easy to follow"! :)

this reminds me of a sher I read when I was probably 13-14 years old, not sure if the meter etc is right... but here it goes

tujhe bhula ke tere khat jala diye maine,
lutaa ke apna asasa udaas tha maiN bhi...

apne chehre se jo zāhir hai chhupā.eñ kaise
terī marzī ke mutābiq nazar aa.eñ kaise
-- Waseem Barelvi

roshni aadhi idhar aadhi udhar,
ik diyaa rakha hai deewaroN ke beech - Obaidullah Aleem

vO karam karte haiN ya hum pe sitam karte haiN
is nazar se unheiN hum ne kabhi dekha hi nahiiN

Shamiim Jaipuri

On Monday, December 19, 2022 at 10:22:29 PM UTC+5:30, Shoaib Tanvir wrote:
> ilm ki ibtida hai hangaama
> ilm ki intiha hai khamoshi

kitaabeiN, kitaabeiN, kitaabeiN, kitaabeiN,
kabhi to wo aaNkheiN wo rukhsaar padhna...

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year here... hoping everyone is doing fine.

ik ajnabi ke haath meiN de kar humara haath,
lo saath chhodne laga aakHir ye saal bhi - Hafeez Merathhi

adaab dosto,

Here I am, after a relatively long absence from the group. Hope everyone is doing well.

On this Valentine's Day, let me quote my friend Amjad Islam Amjad sahib.

Amjad sahib muhabbat kii nazmoN ke betaaj baadshah the.

"muhabbat aisa daryaa hai
k baarish ruuThh bhii jaaye
to paanii kam nahiiN hotaa"

_______Zoya

On Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 7:41:20 PM UTC-5, Dinesh Shenoy wrote:

> apne chehre se jo zāhir hai chhupā.eñ kaise
> terī marzī ke mutābiq nazar aa.eñ kaise
> -- Waseem Barelvi

Well, Dinesh sahib, in that case, try harder! :)

baqaul Iftikhar Arif:

kare kalaam jo mujh se to mere lehje meN
maiN chup rahuuN to mere tevaroN kaa saathii ho!

On Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 10:43:45 PM UTC-6, Mohit wrote:

> yuun teri yaad se ji ghabraya,
> tu mujhe bhool gaya ho jaise...

Ahhh Mohit, one of my all time favorites, I call it a gem. And this always reminds me of another 'gem', by our very own Mohib:

itni muddat Khafaa nahiiN rehtaa
voh mujhe bhuul hii gayaa hogaa :(