On Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 11:58:01 PM UTC-6, Mohit wrote:

> I really hope everyone in the group is fine...

Mohit, thanks for keeping this thread alive, lately pretyy much singlehandedly.

> khamoshi khud apni sadaa ho aisa bhi ho sakta hai,
> sannata hi gooNj raha ho, aisa bhi ho sakta hai... - Zaqa Siddiqui

yeh radiif bahut zarKhez hai aur is meN kaii sho'raa ne ghazaleN likhii haiN. ab aap is zamiin meN Malikzaada Manzoor sahib kaa ek she'r dekhiye, jo maiN ne ek mushaare meN Khud un ki zubaani sunaa tha:

darvaaze par aahaT sun kar us ki taraf kyuN dhyaan gayaa
aane vaalii sirf havaa ho aisaa bhi ho saktaa hai!

Yes? :)

On Monday, December 19, 2022 at 10:52:29 AM UTC-6, Shoaib Tanvir wrote:

> ilm ki ibtida hai hangaama
> ilm ki intiha hai khamoshi

aadaab arz hai Shoaib sahib. is baat par to aap kii nazr yeh she'r:

ilm-o-fan ke diivane, aashiqii se Darte haiN
zindagii ke KhwaahaN haiN, zindagii se Darte haiN!

Zoya mam, it brings me relief to know you and others are fine, I sometimes even thought that due to people like me you all have created a new group, and I honestly tried searching for that as well :) ek ghabrahat si hone lagi thi... jaise kisi ko padhai ke beech se hi school chhodna pade... bahut bahut rahat aur khushi mehsoos kar raha hoon... 13th ko Faiz sahab ka Birthday tha, un par ek article likha tha... Hindi/Devnagri meiN hai to pata nahi sab padh payenge ya nahi

https://hindi.news18.com/news/literature/faiz-ahmad-faiz-shayari-faiz-ke-sher-ghazals-faiz-ahmad-faiz-books-and-literature-5389325.html

aur Faiz sahab ka hi ek sher jo aap log ke yahan na hone par feel hua

kar raha tha gHam-e-jahaaN ka hisaab,
aaj tum yaad be-hisaab aaye

>
> > I really hope everyone in the group is fine...
> Mohit, thanks for keeping this thread alive, lately pretyy much singlehandedly.
> > khamoshi khud apni sadaa ho aisa bhi ho sakta hai,
> > sannata hi gooNj raha ho, aisa bhi ho sakta hai... - Zaqa Siddiqui
> yeh radiif bahut zarKhez hai aur is meN kaii sho'raa ne ghazaleN likhii haiN. ab aap is zamiin meN Malikzaada Manzoor sahib kaa ek she'r dekhiye, jo maiN ne ek mushaare meN Khud un ki zubaani sunaa tha:
>
> darvaaze par aahaT sun kar us ki taraf kyuN dhyaan gayaa
> aane vaalii sirf havaa ho aisaa bhi ho saktaa hai!
>
> Yes? :)

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 11:05:35 PM UTC-6, Mohit wrote:

> Zoya mam, it brings me relief to know you and others are fine, I sometimes even thought that due to people like me you all have created a new group, and I honestly tried searching for that as well :)

Awww Mohit, of course not. Alup is like a home to me, of course there is no new group, at least not that I am aware of. In any case, I am not at all active on other social media.

ek ghabrahat si hone lagi thi... jaise kisi ko padhai ke beech se hi school chhodna pade... bahut bahut rahat aur khushi mehsoos kar raha hoon...

I understand, I can actually relate to that. I get worried too if long time Alup friends are absent for extended periods of time. In future, if you have any such concerns, feel free to reach out to me via email. Our group is so small now, at least I should try to participate somewhat regularly.

13th ko Faiz sahab ka Birthday tha, un par ek article likha tha... Hindi/Devnagri meiN hai to pata nahi sab padh payenge ya nahi
>
> https://hindi.news18.com/news/literature/faiz-ahmad-faiz-shayari-faiz-ke-sher-ghazals-faiz-ahmad-faiz-books-and-literature-5389325.html

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed reading your article. Very well written. Keep up the good work.

> aur Faiz sahab ka hi ek sher jo aap log ke yahan na hone par feel hua
>
> kar raha tha gHam-e-jahaaN ka hisaab,
> aaj tum yaad be-hisaab aaye

baat Faiz kii ho rahi hai, to yeh suniye:

jab tujhe yaad kar liyaa subH mehak mehak uThhii
jab tiraa gham jaga liyaa raat machal machal gayii

______Zoya

گزرنے والے کبھی مڑ کر دکھینگے کيوں ہي
کي اور ہے جو باتيں کرتے انکے بارے ميں يوں ہي

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 1:23:18 PM UTC-6, flewaway andaway wrote:
> گزرنے والے کبھی مڑ کر دکھینگے کيوں ہي
> کي اور ہے جو باتيں کرتے انکے بارے ميں يوں ہي
sh'er Khuub hai, lagtaa hai aap is raah se pehle bhi guzar chuke haiN,
aadaab arz hai :)
"flewaway andaway"........................
Hmmmmmmm ...............................
maiN kaNgrah-e-'arsh se par maar ke guzraa
Allah re rasaai mirii parvaaz to dekho!

Friends,

I spoke to Prof RK on the phone earlier this week. He is doing reasonably well. It is not easy for him to sit and spend a lot of time on a computer anymore, therefore, his extended absence from the group. I told him that Alup is not the same without him, and he agrees that we need an anchor to keep the group going. Let us hope he will be able to participate at least occasionally, if not regularly, in future.

As usual, at the end I asked him for a she'r, and he quoted one of his own:

aaye the tere paas masiihaa samajh ke ham
dekhaa tujhe to aur bhi biimaar ho gaye

We miss you Prof RK, stay well.

_________Zoya

On Friday, February 24, 2023 at 9:18:24 AM UTC-8, Zoya wrote:
> Friends,
>
> I spoke to Prof RK on the phone earlier this week. He is doing reasonably well. It is not easy for him to sit and spend a lot of time on a computer anymore, therefore, his extended absence from the group. I told him that Alup is not the same without him, and he agrees that we need an anchor to keep the group going. Let us hope he will be able to participate at least occasionally, if not regularly, in future.
>
> As usual, at the end I asked him for a she'r, and he quoted one of his own:
>
> aaye the tere paas masiihaa samajh ke ham
> dekhaa tujhe to aur bhi biimaar ho gaye
>
> We miss you Prof RK, stay well.
>
> _________Zoya
I, too, am returning after a long absence. News of Jamil Sahib's passing came as a great shock. As Nasser Sahib noted, he was universally admired for his great knowledge and his willingness to share his wisdom with those who would most benefit from it - laypersons like me. I am also saddened to hear of Aslam Sahib's passing. On top of all that - news of Raj Kumar Sahib's condition makes an already dark day even darker. My prayers for his quick recovery.

Nagesh

On Friday, 31 December 2021 at 10:18:15 UTC-8, Zoya wrote:
> Friends,
>
> When I started the original "aaj kaa she'r" thread, little did I know that it will turn into a series. First of all, my sincere thanks to all group members who have participated actively in the previous three chapters of this thread. The posts are a lot more than a simple collection of asha'ar. It is sort of like the village square, where the group members get together for all sorts of discussions, mostly related to Urdu poetry and language. The earlier threads in this series have provided many learning opportunities for me personally.
>
> Irfan Abid sahib recently pointed out that the thread "aaj kaa she'r (#3)" was getting too long and it is time to start #4. I agree, so here we go!
>
> All of us are still living in an unprecedented globally stressful time, with no end in sight for the constantly mutating pandemic. This is the last day of 2021, a 'shapeless' year that has been very exhausting.
>
> To keep hopes alive for a better year ahead, Irfan sahib quoted this she'r by Ameer Qazalbash in his last post in the previous thread:
>
> ufuq kii kokh se suuraj kaa nuur niklegaa
> ki shab ke ba'd saveraa zaruur niklegaa
>
> Let me start this new thread with a she'r from one of my favorite ghazals, by one of my favorite poets, Firaq Gorakhpuri:
>
> guzashta a'hd ki yaadoN ko phir karo taazaa
> bujhe charaagh jalaao bahut andheraa hai
>
> Oh, how I would love to go back to 2019!
>
> I know our group has been rather slow lately, with very few active members, some of the veteran members on extended leaves of absence. If you have been away for a while and want to jump back on the Alup wagon, or are considering joining this group as a new member, this thread is an excellent place to start! :)
>
> See you around,
> Hoping for a mundane, uneventful 2022,
>
> ________Zoya

On Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 12:43:43 PM UTC-6, Nagesh wrote:

> I, too, am returning after a long absence.

Welcome back Nagesh sahib,

News of Jamil Sahib's passing came as a great shock. As Nasser Sahib noted, he was universally admired for his great knowledge and his willingness to share his wisdom with those who would most benefit from it - laypersons like me.

I agree, Jameel sahib was one of the pioneer founding members of Alup. His contributions to the group are priceless.

I am also saddened to hear of Aslam Sahib's passing.

You mean Afzal sahib. Very sad indeed. He was an integral part of the group over many years. In particular, his posts related to the golden era of Bollywood movies and music were always such fun to read. His absence definitely creates a vacuum in the group.

On top of all that - news of Raj Kumar Sahib's condition makes an already dark day even darker. My prayers for his quick recovery.

I too hope and pray that Prof RK feels better soon. RK sahib, please come back, at least to post a quick message so all of your friends here quit worrying so much.

And now I will post my most favorite she'r of RK sahib. I quote this one often, in writing as well as in verbal conversations. In fact, I recently quoted this to my brother, who doesn't have much to do with Urdu poetry, and even he loved it!

mirii Khamosh labii par shikaayateN kaisii
maiN apne aap se boluuN to tujh se baat karuuN

Raj uncle, we miss you. Be well and be back.

> Nagesh

Nagesh sahib, do keep in touch.

_________Zoya

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 5:41:28 PM UTC-8, Zoya wrote:
> On Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 12:43:43 PM UTC-6, Nagesh wrote:
>
> > I, too, am returning after a long absence.
> Welcome back Nagesh sahib,
> News of Jamil Sahib's passing came as a great shock. As Nasser Sahib noted, he was universally admired for his great knowledge and his willingness to share his wisdom with those who would most benefit from it - laypersons like me.
> I agree, Jameel sahib was one of the pioneer founding members of Alup. His contributions to the group are priceless.
> I am also saddened to hear of Aslam Sahib's passing.
> You mean Afzal sahib. Very sad indeed. He was an integral part of the group over many years. In particular, his posts related to the golden era of Bollywood movies and music were always such fun to read. His absence definitely creates a vacuum in the group.
> On top of all that - news of Raj Kumar Sahib's condition makes an already dark day even darker. My prayers for his quick recovery.
> I too hope and pray that Prof RK feels better soon. RK sahib, please come back, at least to post a quick message so all of your friends here quit worrying so much.
>
> And now I will post my most favorite she'r of RK sahib. I quote this one often, in writing as well as in verbal conversations. In fact, I recently quoted this to my brother, who doesn't have much to do with Urdu poetry, and even he loved it!
>
> mirii Khamosh labii par shikaayateN kaisii
> maiN apne aap se boluuN to tujh se baat karuuN
>
> Raj uncle, we miss you. Be well and be back.
>
> > Nagesh
>
> Nagesh sahib, do keep in touch.
>
> _________Zoya
Zoya Sahiba:

I was not aware of Afzal Sahib's demise. My condolences to all who knew him and enjoyed his posts. I was a huge fan of his many rambling (his word) anecdotes about his days in Bombay. He had an agile mind and his posts would often connect multiple topics that might seem unrelated.

My regrets were on the passing of your friend, the famous poet Aslam Sahib.

This has been a year with many deaths. May the Lord preserve the departed and also those who remain with us.

Nagesh

On Friday, March 3, 2023 at 10:50:50 AM UTC-6, Nagesh wrote:

> Zoya Sahiba:
>
> I was not aware of Afzal Sahib's demise. My condolences to all who knew him and enjoyed his posts. I was a huge fan of his many rambling (his word) anecdotes about his days in Bombay. He had an agile mind and his posts would often connect multiple topics that might seem unrelated.

Well put Nagesh sahib, I can echo this.
> My regrets were on the passing of your friend, the famous poet Aslam Sahib.

Ahhh, you mean my friend Amjad sahib. Thank you. I still haven't absorbed the loss fully, it is global as well as personal.
> This has been a year with many deaths. May the Lord preserve the departed and also those who remain with us.

Amen.

> Nagesh

Now let me share a beautiful short nazm of Amjad sahib that I heard from him in person more than twenty years ago. I loved it then, and still love it just as much. I remember back then I had asked Amjad sahib to explain the meaning of the title. Also, during my last meeting with him in Fall 2022, I had asked him to recite this poem impromptu in a private mehfil, and he said he couldn't recall it fully right at that moment.

Here it is:

inkeshaaf

na vaadaa hai koii tum se koii rishtaa nibhaane kaa
na koii aur hii dil meN iraadaa hai
kaii din se magar dil meN ajab uljhan si rehtii hai
na tum is daastaaN ke sarsarii kirdaar ho koii
na qisaa itnaa saadaa hai
ta'alluq jo maiN samjha thaa
kahiiN us se zyaadaa hai!

Amjad Islam Amjad

What a profound thought, and what an appropriate title.

_________Zoya

On Monday, February 27, 2023 at 5:19:41 AM UTC-6, SHAH ZAIB wrote

Shav Zaib sahib,

Welcome to our group, in particular, welcome to this thread.

Now that you are here, how about posting a she'r? :)

__________Zoya

On Monday, February 27, 2023 at 5:19:41 AM UTC-6, SHAH ZAIB wrote

Shah Zaib sahib,

Welcome to our group, in particular, welcome to this thread.

Now that you are here, how about posting a she'r? :)

__________Zoya

Friends,

A couple of days ago, one of my dad's friends sent me some Punjabi ghazals of the legendary Urdu poet Zafar Iqbal. It was a pleasant surprise for me since I had never read ZI's Punjabi poetry. In fact, dad's friend, who himself is a Punjabi poet, is now planning to collaborate with some people to get ZI's Punjabi ghazals printed in Gurmukhi script from Shahmukhi script. I think it is a wonderful idea and will allow the people in Indian Punjab, most of whom can not read Urdu script, access to ZI's Punjabi poetry.

I have always been a huge Zafar Iqbal fan and suddenly started craving his asha'ar, and have been reading his kuliyat again.

ab aap ZI kaa voh she'r suniye jo pichhle do din se mere zehn-o-dil par taari hai, aur maiN ne ise pehle kabhi post nahiiN kiyaa.

TakTakii baaNdh ke maiN dekh raha huuN jis ko
yeh bhi mumkin hai k vo saamne baiTha hi na ho!

This thought just wowed me.....maybe because there are times I can so relate to it.......

___________Zoya

sunte haiN ishq naam ke guzre haiN ik buzurg,
hum log bhi faqeer isi silsile ke haiN... - Firaq

On Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 3:04:11 PM UTC+5:30, Mohit wrote:
> sunte haiN ishq naam ke guzre haiN ik buzurg,
> hum log bhi faqeer isi silsile ke haiN... - Firaq

shaayad mujhe nikaal kar pachhta raheiN hoN aap,
mehfil mein is khayal se phir aa gaya hooN maiN - Abdul Hameed Adam

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:03:43 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> shaayad mujhe nikaal kar pachhta raheiN hoN aap,
> mehfil mein is khayal se phir aa gaya hooN maiN - Abdul Hameed Adam

Mohit, Sufi Tabassum kaa yeh she'r suniye:

is aalam-e-viiraaN meN kyaa anjuman_aaraaii
do roz kii mehfil hai, ik umr kii tanhaaii :(

How are you? Hope all is well. For the last few days, I had been thinking about posting something on Alup, thanks for the little nudge. :)

> Mohit, Sufi Tabassum kaa yeh she'r suniye:
>
> is aalam-e-viiraaN meN kyaa anjuman_aaraaii
> do roz kii mehfil hai, ik umr kii tanhaaii :(
>

muhabbat ek khushbuu hai humesha saath chalti hai,
koi insaan tanhaai mein tanha nahi rehta - Bashir Badr

> How are you? Hope all is well. For the last few days, I had been thinking about posting something on Alup, thanks for the little nudge. :)

I am good Mam, hope everyone else is doing good as well... I keep coming here almost everyday and it saddens me to see no conversation here... for me this platform is like a classroom where I get to learn something everyday...

On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 1:06:03 AM UTC-7, Mohit wrote:
> kyuuN aa ke mire dil pe ko'ii deta hai dastak
> yaaN ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN hai! - Rajkumar 'Qais' sir

shukriya, Mohit sahib, kyaa Khuub she'r pesh kiyaa hai aap ne. :-)
agar ijaazat ho to inheeN Hazrat ka aek halka-phulka qit'a sunaataa chaluuN.. arz hai

dekhne meN jo lagii naaraNgii
us ko chheelaa to musammii niklii
ko'i va'ada na dilaasaa na yaqeeN
meri ma'ashuuq nikammii niklii

R.K.

> dekhne meN jo lagii naaraNgii
> us ko chheelaa to musammii niklii
> ko'i va'ada na dilaasaa na yaqeeN
> meri ma'ashuuq nikammii niklii
>
> R.K.

shayad ma'ashuuq ki ghalati nahi hogi unko bhi

ishq ne Ghalib nikamma kar diya,
warna hum bhi aadmi the kaam ke :)

On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 3:06:03 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:

> kyuuN aa ke mire dil pe ko'ii deta hai dastak
> yaaN ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN hai! - Rajkumar 'Qais' sir

Mohit, is baat par mere zehn meN besaaKhta Rahat Indori kaa yeh she'r aa gaya, jo maiN ne ek mehfil meN Khud un ki zubaani suna thaa:

kis ne dastak dii yeh dil par, kaun hai?
aap to andar haiN, baahar kaun hai??

dekhiye ab apne Qais sahib is par kya kehte haiN! :)

On Friday, August 18, 2023 at 2:31:18 PM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
> On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 3:06:03 AM UTC-5, Mohit wrote:
>
> > kyuuN aa ke mire dil pe ko'ii deta hai dastak
> > yaaN ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN, ko'ii nahiiN hai! - Rajkumar 'Qais' sir
> Mohit, is baat par mere zehn meN besaaKhta Rahat Indori kaa yeh she'r aa gaya, jo maiN ne ek mehfil meN Khud un ki zubaani suna thaa:
>
> kis ne dastak dii yeh dil par, kaun hai?
> aap to andar haiN, baahar kaun hai??
>
> dekhiye ab apne Qais sahib is par kya kehte haiN! :)

***na jhaaNko Qais ke dil meN, na jhaaNko
vahaaN ko'ii chhupaa ho, kaun jaane?

Raj Kumar***

On Friday, August 18, 2023 at 9:03:28 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> ***na jhaaNko Qais ke dil meN, na jhaaNko
> vahaaN ko'ii chhupaa ho, kaun jaane?
>
> Raj Kumar***

RK sahib, yeh she'r suniye, I find it kind of 'cute':

dil ki taKhtii pe naam hai teraa
yaaN nahiiN to kahaaN rahoge tum?! :)

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 12:16:07 AM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> dekhne meN jo lagii naaraNgii
> us ko chheelaa to musammii niklii
> ko'i va'ada na dilaasaa na yaqeeN
> meri ma'ashuuq nikammii niklii

There must be some relevance, perhaps the color orange, because this reminded me of a Jaun Eliya she'r:

jis din voh milne aaii thii us din kii ruudaad hai yeh
us kaa blouse naaranjii thaa, us kii saarii dhaanii thii
> R.K.
_________Zoya