On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 1:54:28 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> ***ZS, Khushtar Giraamii was the founding editor of the well known Urdu magazine "BiiswiiN Sadii". He held this position from 1937 till 1977, when the magazine was bought over by Rahman Nayyar who became the next editor.

Thank you so much RK sahib, I have heard about 'BiiswiiN Sadi', but never got a chance to read it. My parents subscribed to many different magazines, but most of them were in English, a few in Punjabi and Hindi, none in Urdu. The closest I got to reading an Urdu magazine in my childhood was 'Sushma', the Hindi version of the Urdu filmi magazine 'Shama'a'! :)
> I published about eight of my initial Ghazals in that magazine between the years 1976 and 1980, so I had close contact with both these gentlemen. As I have said before, I discontinued writing poetry in 1980 and resumed it in 1993 (5 years before my retirement).
>
> R.K.***

Have you ever shared your early ghazals on Alup? I am sure they are included in your book 'Sahra Sahra', will you please point out some of those?

Thanks,

______Zoya

On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 6:12:35 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> During the period 1976-80, I wrote about 20 Ghazals, eight of which were published in BS --- sorry, I better say "BiisviiN Sadii".
> I was so conscious of making my compositions a model of precision, as expected of one steeped in the tradition of mathematical physics, that this task became quite time-consuming. I felt that this was beginning to impact negatively on my efficiency in doing my professional research work. So I decided to close this chapter for the time being and get back to it after my retirement.

Prof RK,

It is indeed my loss that by the time I enrolled in the Physics department at P U, you had already left. Oh, how I would have loved to take the Mathematical Physics courses from you! I took Nuclear Physics with Prof Trehan and Quantum Mechanics with Prof Pathak, I am sure they must have been your colleagues before you left. My Theoretical Physics professor was then very young but brilliant, Dr Gupta, who had just returned from MIT, he was also my thesis advisor. We had no female professors in the department, and hardly any girls in the honors courses.

> Around 1993, when my retirement was a bare five years away, I thought I had done enough of physics by now, there is no pressure to produce more, then why wait for retirement, why not take up Urdu poetry right now? So, in those last five years, I pursued a happy blend of these two activities whereas, since 1998, Theoretical Physics has been on the back burner and Urdu poetry up front.

I am lucky that at least I have been able to take Urdu poetry classes from you, if not Theoretical Physics. :-)

> Well, this is my story, Naseer sahib. I don't think Seemab's famous she'r can apply to it:
>
> kahaanii apni ruudaad-e-jahaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
> jo suntaa hai, usii kii daastaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
>
> Can it? :-)

Maybe it can apply a teeny tiny bit to someone you know? :-))
> Raj Kumar***

________Zoya

On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:35:47 AM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> On Sunday, 2 May 2021 at 03:11:06 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 5:49:34 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > On Thursday, 29 April 2021 at 14:46:51 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > Aadaab:
> > > > There have been numerous mistakes during copying verses from different sources. I have three couplets here - two by Sael and one by Dagh. I would appreciate if someone would confirm that there are no mistakes in it:
> > > > 1. Tahajjud ko huee chori, dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai
> > > > Mere ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jhoTe pyale hain
> > > > 2. GumaN kis par kareN maikash idhar waiz udhar sufi
> > > > Mahalle meiN Khuda rakkhe sabhbhi Allah wale hain
> > > > 3. ZakhmuN ko mere dekh kar hairanN hoN na aap
> > > > Yeh gul hazoor hi ke khilaye huay tu hain
> > > >
> > > > Thanks.
> > > > Best wishes.
> > > > Khalid
> > > aadaab Khalid SaaHib.
> > >
> > > For 2.
> > >
> > > gumaaN kis par kareN, suufii idhar hai us taraf vaa3iz
> > > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > >
> > > Navvaab Sirajuddin Ahmed Khan Saa'il Dihlavii
> > >
> > > .................................................................................
> > >
> > > Naseer
> > Aadaab:
> > What is your source or reference? Does Mr. Saa'il have a diwan?
> > Best wishes.
> > Khalid
> aadaab.
>
> A1. Just searching the net which I sometimes wishfully call "taHqiiq"!:-)
>
> A2. No, to the best of my knowledge.
>
> Naseer
Aadaab:
I had Dr. Sohail Maqbool investigate the two verses. Here is what he came up with. There was a guy by the name of Mr. Junaid Ahmad. He was in the process of getting the hand-written verses and their signatures directly from different poets. He met Saa'il on January 14, 1936 and requested the same from him. Saa'il wrote the following two verses and put his signature. Junaid compiled all the stuff and wrote a book. Sohail has the copy of the original book by Junaid. Here are the two verses as written by Saa'il in his own handwriting:
1. dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai, tahajjud ko huee chori
nire ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jooThe pyale hain
2. gumaaN kis par kareN maikash, idhar vaa3iz, udhar suufii
xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN

Best wishes.
Khalid

On Monday, 3 May 2021 at 16:58:18 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:35:47 AM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > On Sunday, 2 May 2021 at 03:11:06 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 5:49:34 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > > On Thursday, 29 April 2021 at 14:46:51 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > > Aadaab:
> > > > > There have been numerous mistakes during copying verses from different sources. I have three couplets here - two by Sael and one by Dagh. I would appreciate if someone would confirm that there are no mistakes in it:
> > > > > 1. Tahajjud ko huee chori, dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai
> > > > > Mere ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jhoTe pyale hain
> > > > > 2. GumaN kis par kareN maikash idhar waiz udhar sufi
> > > > > Mahalle meiN Khuda rakkhe sabhbhi Allah wale hain
> > > > > 3. ZakhmuN ko mere dekh kar hairanN hoN na aap
> > > > > Yeh gul hazoor hi ke khilaye huay tu hain
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks.
> > > > > Best wishes.
> > > > > Khalid
> > > > aadaab Khalid SaaHib.
> > > >
> > > > For 2.
> > > >
> > > > gumaaN kis par kareN, suufii idhar hai us taraf vaa3iz
> > > > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > > >
> > > > Navvaab Sirajuddin Ahmed Khan Saa'il Dihlavii
> > > >
> > > > .................................................................................
> > > >
> > > > Naseer
> > > Aadaab:
> > > What is your source or reference? Does Mr. Saa'il have a diwan?
> > > Best wishes.
> > > Khalid
> > aadaab.
> >
> > A1. Just searching the net which I sometimes wishfully call "taHqiiq"!:-)
> >
> > A2. No, to the best of my knowledge.
> >
> > Naseer
> Aadaab:
> I had Dr. Sohail Maqbool investigate the two verses. Here is what he came up with. There was a guy by the name of Mr. Junaid Ahmad. He was in the process of getting the hand-written verses and their signatures directly from different poets. He met Saa'il on January 14, 1936 and requested the same from him. Saa'il wrote the following two verses and put his signature. Junaid compiled all the stuff and wrote a book. Sohail has the copy of the original book by Junaid. Here are the two verses as written by Saa'il in his own handwriting:
> 1. dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai, tahajjud ko huee chori
> nire ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jooThe pyale hain
> 2. gumaaN kis par kareN maikash, idhar vaa3iz, udhar suufii
> xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> Best wishes.
> Khalid

Khalid SaaHib, aadaab 3arz hai

Khalid SaaHib, I am wondering (and with due respect to you of course) why you have gone through all this trouble in posting your query, when all the time you had the required information at your finger tips, in the form of your dear friend Dr. Sohail Maqbool? Surely, you have n't done this to check our knowledge on Urdu poetry, have you?:-) If this is indeed true, then we have not come to your expectations and have failed miserably!:-)

I have located Junaid Ahmad's book bearing the title "Junaid Ahmad's Autograph Book", published in 1990. Bearing in mind the literary personalities the compiler has had the good fortune to ask for autographs, there is hardly anything he has told us about himself and about his quest for these autographs. Nevertheless, we are grateful to you for your efforts in getting to the bottom of the puzzle you yourself had posed.

The two couplets are on page 93 of this book. They are written as you have transcribed them, with one difference. The first misra3 of the second shi3r does not look complete.

dar-i-mai-xaanah chaupaT hai tahajjud ki hu'ii chorii
nire* TuuTe hu'e shiishe faqat jhuuTe piyaale haiN

gumaaN kis par kareN mai-kash idhar** vaa3iz [ ] suufii
xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allaah vaale haiN

* I am not 100% certain that the word is "nire". It could be "tire"

** "idhar" looks more like "aur" to my eyes and "udhar" is completely missing

https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/junaid-ahmad-ki-autograph-book-junaid-ahmad-ebooks-1

Thank you once again, Khalid SaaHib.

Naseer

On Monday, May 3, 2021 at 1:08:10 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> On Monday, 3 May 2021 at 16:58:18 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:35:47 AM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > On Sunday, 2 May 2021 at 03:11:06 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 5:49:34 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > > > On Thursday, 29 April 2021 at 14:46:51 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > > > Aadaab:
> > > > > > There have been numerous mistakes during copying verses from different sources. I have three couplets here - two by Sael and one by Dagh. I would appreciate if someone would confirm that there are no mistakes in it:
> > > > > > 1. Tahajjud ko huee chori, dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai
> > > > > > Mere ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jhoTe pyale hain
> > > > > > 2. GumaN kis par kareN maikash idhar waiz udhar sufi
> > > > > > Mahalle meiN Khuda rakkhe sabhbhi Allah wale hain
> > > > > > 3. ZakhmuN ko mere dekh kar hairanN hoN na aap
> > > > > > Yeh gul hazoor hi ke khilaye huay tu hain
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks.
> > > > > > Best wishes.
> > > > > > Khalid
> > > > > aadaab Khalid SaaHib.
> > > > >
> > > > > For 2.
> > > > >
> > > > > gumaaN kis par kareN, suufii idhar hai us taraf vaa3iz
> > > > > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > > > >
> > > > > Navvaab Sirajuddin Ahmed Khan Saa'il Dihlavii
> > > > >
> > > > > .................................................................................
> > > > >
> > > > > Naseer
> > > > Aadaab:
> > > > What is your source or reference? Does Mr. Saa'il have a diwan?
> > > > Best wishes.
> > > > Khalid
> > > aadaab.
> > >
> > > A1. Just searching the net which I sometimes wishfully call "taHqiiq"!:-)
> > >
> > > A2. No, to the best of my knowledge.
> > >
> > > Naseer
> > Aadaab:
> > I had Dr. Sohail Maqbool investigate the two verses. Here is what he came up with. There was a guy by the name of Mr. Junaid Ahmad. He was in the process of getting the hand-written verses and their signatures directly from different poets. He met Saa'il on January 14, 1936 and requested the same from him. Saa'il wrote the following two verses and put his signature. Junaid compiled all the stuff and wrote a book. Sohail has the copy of the original book by Junaid. Here are the two verses as written by Saa'il in his own handwriting:
> > 1. dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai, tahajjud ko huee chori
> > nire ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jooThe pyale hain
> > 2. gumaaN kis par kareN maikash, idhar vaa3iz, udhar suufii
> > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > Best wishes.
> > Khalid
> Khalid SaaHib, aadaab 3arz hai
>
> Khalid SaaHib, I am wondering (and with due respect to you of course) why you have gone through all this trouble in posting your query, when all the time you had the required information at your finger tips, in the form of your dear friend Dr. Sohail Maqbool? Surely, you have n't done this to check our knowledge on Urdu poetry, have you?:-) If this is indeed true, then we have not come to your expectations and have failed miserably!:-)
>
> I have located Junaid Ahmad's book bearing the title "Junaid Ahmad's Autograph Book", published in 1990. Bearing in mind the literary personalities the compiler has had the good fortune to ask for autographs, there is hardly anything he has told us about himself and about his quest for these autographs. Nevertheless, we are grateful to you for your efforts in getting to the bottom of the puzzle you yourself had posed.
>
> The two couplets are on page 93 of this book. They are written as you have transcribed them, with one difference. The first misra3 of the second shi3r does not look complete.
>
> dar-i-mai-xaanah chaupaT hai tahajjud ki hu'ii chorii
> nire* TuuTe hu'e shiishe faqat jhuuTe piyaale haiN
>
> gumaaN kis par kareN mai-kash idhar** vaa3iz [ ] suufii
> xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allaah vaale haiN
>
> * I am not 100% certain that the word is "nire". It could be "tire"
>
> ** "idhar" looks more like "aur" to my eyes and "udhar" is completely missing
>
> https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/junaid-ahmad-ki-autograph-book-junaid-ahmad-ebooks-1
>
> Thank you once again, Khalid SaaHib.
>
> Naseer
Aadaab:
No I don't have intentions of testing your knowledge. The problem with Sohail is that he is an extremely DISORGANIZED person. He has millions of books in his basement scattered all over, and he can't find anything that easily.. He claims to remember everything by heart but his memory, like all of us, is failing. So, I always ask him to verify which irritates him - Trust but verify. And it takes forever for him to find the right book or source. I just can't rely on his memory anymore. So, it is very convenient for me to ask the group - you, Zoya and Raj Kumar. I also consult Rekhta but, according to Sohail, it has lots of mistakes and is not trustworthy. I have never been a serious Urdu poetry reader. I used to read Urdu romantic and jasoosi novels, digests, and satire. Sohail is bored sitting at home because of Covid and calls me regularly discussing the history of Urdu poetry for hours.. He dictates some interesting (from his point of view) verses from the memory, but he is not correct all the time. He, however, has raised some interest in Urdu poetry in me. I don't know how long it will last? BTW, I had never heard of Mr. Saai'l's name before until Sohail dictated those two verses from his memory a few days back. You can see he had made mistakes there. I am still confused as to which is the correct version? My interests are traveling, history, animal safaris and bird watching. I have traveled to almost every country of the world - and also to Antarctica. I make almost professional-level videos of my trips for the family and friends. It takes up a lot of time. I also give one or two presentations every year to the National Audubon Society on the birds of the different parts of the world using my own video footage.
Best wishes.
Khalid

On Monday, 3 May 2021 at 18:58:19 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> On Monday, May 3, 2021 at 1:08:10 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > On Monday, 3 May 2021 at 16:58:18 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:35:47 AM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > > On Sunday, 2 May 2021 at 03:11:06 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > > On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 5:49:34 PM UTC-4, Naseer wrote:
> > > > > > On Thursday, 29 April 2021 at 14:46:51 UTC+1, Khalid Siddiqui wrote:
> > > > > > > Aadaab:
> > > > > > > There have been numerous mistakes during copying verses from different sources. I have three couplets here - two by Sael and one by Dagh.. I would appreciate if someone would confirm that there are no mistakes in it:
> > > > > > > 1. Tahajjud ko huee chori, dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai
> > > > > > > Mere ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jhoTe pyale hain
> > > > > > > 2. GumaN kis par kareN maikash idhar waiz udhar sufi
> > > > > > > Mahalle meiN Khuda rakkhe sabhbhi Allah wale hain
> > > > > > > 3. ZakhmuN ko mere dekh kar hairanN hoN na aap
> > > > > > > Yeh gul hazoor hi ke khilaye huay tu hain
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Thanks.
> > > > > > > Best wishes.
> > > > > > > Khalid
> > > > > > aadaab Khalid SaaHib.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > For 2.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > gumaaN kis par kareN, suufii idhar hai us taraf vaa3iz
> > > > > > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Navvaab Sirajuddin Ahmed Khan Saa'il Dihlavii
> > > > > >
> > > > > > .................................................................................
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Naseer
> > > > > Aadaab:
> > > > > What is your source or reference? Does Mr. Saa'il have a diwan?
> > > > > Best wishes.
> > > > > Khalid
> > > > aadaab.
> > > >
> > > > A1. Just searching the net which I sometimes wishfully call "taHqiiq"!:-)
> > > >
> > > > A2. No, to the best of my knowledge.
> > > >
> > > > Naseer
> > > Aadaab:
> > > I had Dr. Sohail Maqbool investigate the two verses. Here is what he came up with. There was a guy by the name of Mr. Junaid Ahmad. He was in the process of getting the hand-written verses and their signatures directly from different poets. He met Saa'il on January 14, 1936 and requested the same from him. Saa'il wrote the following two verses and put his signature. Junaid compiled all the stuff and wrote a book. Sohail has the copy of the original book by Junaid. Here are the two verses as written by Saa'il in his own handwriting:
> > > 1. dar-e-maikhana chopaT hai, tahajjud ko huee chori
> > > nire ToTe huay sheeshay faqat jooThe pyale hain
> > > 2. gumaaN kis par kareN maikash, idhar vaa3iz, udhar suufii
> > > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allah vaale haiN
> > > Best wishes.
> > > Khalid
> > Khalid SaaHib, aadaab 3arz hai
> >
> > Khalid SaaHib, I am wondering (and with due respect to you of course) why you have gone through all this trouble in posting your query, when all the time you had the required information at your finger tips, in the form of your dear friend Dr. Sohail Maqbool? Surely, you have n't done this to check our knowledge on Urdu poetry, have you?:-) If this is indeed true, then we have not come to your expectations and have failed miserably!:-)
> >
> > I have located Junaid Ahmad's book bearing the title "Junaid Ahmad's Autograph Book", published in 1990. Bearing in mind the literary personalities the compiler has had the good fortune to ask for autographs, there is hardly anything he has told us about himself and about his quest for these autographs. Nevertheless, we are grateful to you for your efforts in getting to the bottom of the puzzle you yourself had posed.
> >
> > The two couplets are on page 93 of this book. They are written as you have transcribed them, with one difference. The first misra3 of the second shi3r does not look complete.
> >
> > dar-i-mai-xaanah chaupaT hai tahajjud ki hu'ii chorii
> > nire* TuuTe hu'e shiishe faqat jhuuTe piyaale haiN
> >
> > gumaaN kis par kareN mai-kash idhar** vaa3iz [ ] suufii
> > xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allaah vaale haiN
> >
> > * I am not 100% certain that the word is "nire". It could be "tire"
> >
> > ** "idhar" looks more like "aur" to my eyes and "udhar" is completely missing
> >
> > https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/junaid-ahmad-ki-autograph-book-junaid-ahmad-ebooks-1
> >
> > Thank you once again, Khalid SaaHib.
> >
> > Naseer
> Aadaab:
> No I don't have intentions of testing your knowledge. The problem with Sohail is that he is an extremely DISORGANIZED person. He has millions of books in his basement scattered all over, and he can't find anything that easily. He claims to remember everything by heart but his memory, like all of us, is failing. So, I always ask him to verify which irritates him - Trust but verify. And it takes forever for him to find the right book or source. I just can't rely on his memory anymore. So, it is very convenient for me to ask the group - you, Zoya and Raj Kumar. I also consult Rekhta but, according to Sohail, it has lots of mistakes and is not trustworthy. I have never been a serious Urdu poetry reader. I used to read Urdu romantic and jasoosi novels, digests, and satire. Sohail is bored sitting at home because of Covid and calls me regularly discussing the history of Urdu poetry for hours.. He dictates some interesting (from his point of view) verses from the memory, but he is not correct all the time. He, however, has raised some interest in Urdu poetry in me. I don't know how long it will last? BTW, I had never heard of Mr. Saai'l's name before until Sohail dictated those two verses from his memory a few days back. You can see he had made mistakes there. I am still confused as to which is the correct version? My interests are traveling, history, animal safaris and bird watching. I have traveled to almost every country of the world - and also to Antarctica. I make almost professional-level videos of my trips for the family and friends. It takes up a lot of time. I also give one or two presentations every year to the National Audubon Society on the birds of the different parts of the world using my own video footage.
> Best wishes.
> Khalid

aadaab Khalid SaaHib.

My comment about testing our knowledge was made in gest, hence :-)

You can rest assured, the ash3aar you have quoted are as you have quoted.

dar-i-mai-xaanah chaupaT hai tahajjud ki hu'ii chorii
nire TuuTe hu'e shiishe faqat jhuuTe* piyaale haiN

gumaaN kis par kareN mai-kash idhar vaa3iz udhar suufii
xudaa rakkhe muHalle meN sabhii Allaah vaale haiN

* I have found this word to be written as "juuThe" in one source, which makes more sense to Punjabi readers:-)

Naseer

On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 9:04:59 PM UTC-7, Zoya wrote:
> On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 6:12:35 PM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:
>
> > During the period 1976-80, I wrote about 20 Ghazals, eight of which were published in BS --- sorry, I better say "BiisviiN Sadii".
> > I was so conscious of making my compositions a model of precision, as expected of one steeped in the tradition of mathematical physics, that this task became quite time-consuming. I felt that this was beginning to impact negatively on my efficiency in doing my professional research work. So I decided to close this chapter for the time being and get back to it after my retirement.

> Prof RK,
>
> It is indeed my loss that by the time I enrolled in the Physics department at PU, you had already left. Oh, how I would have loved to take the Mathematical Physics courses from you!
>
***ZS, you didn't mention the year you joined the PU Physics Department at Chandigarh. I left that place in 1969, so you must have joined some years after that.***

> I took Nuclear Physics with Prof Trehan and Quantum Mechanics with Prof Pathak, I am sure they must have been your colleagues before you left.

***P.N.Trehan was a student at Hoshiarpur two years ahead of me; he did his Master's in Physics in 1952 and got appointed as a lecturer right away. So, for two years he was a faculty member while I was a student. Later on, when I returned to Chandigarh as Professor of Theoretical Physics, he was a Reader there --- so, in effect, a junior colleague of mine.

Dr. Pathatk was my successor as Professor of Theoretical Physics and seems to have earned a lot of respect for his work. Years later, he became the Vice Chancellor of the PU. When I visited back in 2001 and went to see my friends at the campus, one of them suggested that I should meet the VC, Dr. Pathak. I said, "forget about it, he may not even know me". This guy didn't listen to me and went ahead to call Dr. Pathak's office and told them, "Dr. Pathria is here and I would like to bring him over to meet Dr. Pathak". The answer was, "bring him on"!

Contrary to my expectation, Dr. Pathak knew of me very well and met me with utmost curtsey and suggested that, while there, I give a seminar on whatever topic I wished to. Right away he summoned the head of the Physics Department to his office and asked him to arrange a seminar of mine ASAP. I said, fine and decided to give a talk on "Finite-time Thermodynamics --- a new ripple in an old pond". The seminar was very well attended and equally well received. To everyone's surprise and my delight, Dr. Pathak was there too.

The question period after the seminar was quite hilarious, especially when someone asked me, "Sir, how come, you have almost given up Physics and have gone after Urdu poetry"? I explained my reason in verse; I said

saare jahaaN meN Qais kii shohrat to ho chukii
jii chaahataa hai, ab zaraa rusvaaiyaaN bhi hoN.

The audience roared in applause --- I wish you were there!*** :-)

> > Well, this is my story, Naseer sahib. I don't think Seemab's famous she'r can apply to it:
> >
> > kahaanii apni ruudaad-e-jahaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
> > jo suntaa hai, usii kii daastaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
> >
> > Can it? :-)

> Maybe it can apply a teeny tiny bit to someone you know? :-))

***INDEED, I do now know of at least one other person to whom this she'r applies in good measure. :-)

du'aa-go, Raj uncle***

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 10:39:31 AM UTC-5, Raj Kumar wrote:

> ***ZS, you didn't mention the year you joined the PU Physics Department at Chandigarh. I left that place in 1969, so you must have joined some years after that.***

Prof RK, You left PU in 1969 ?! I was there some, actually then some, years later. This makes me feel a bit better, I thought I had missed you by just a few. :-)

> ***P.N.Trehan was a student at Hoshiarpur two years ahead of me; he did his Master's in Physics in 1952 and got appointed as a lecturer right away. So, for two years he was a faculty member while I was a student. Later on, when I returned to Chandigarh as Professor of Theoretical Physics, he was a Reader there --- so, in effect, a junior colleague of mine.

Makes sense. Prof T was the most senior professor in the department during my time, and there was a rumor that he still used the same notes from at least twenty years ago! :)

Since we are on Alup, let me document something very interesting ,and relevant.
I don't know if this was a tradition when you were there, but during my time, the day before our annual departmental function, the boys would post some asha'ar on the main bulletin board in the atrium. Most of the boys were a bit nerdy, and all were my buddies. Being one of the few girls around (and especially me being me), I had my own fan following. :)

Raj uncle, I distinctly remember one she'r that was posted during my first year, it read:

voh kis naaz-o-andaaz se keh rahe haiN
k Neeraj muhabbat ke qaabil nahiiN hai!

Isn't it impressive is that whoever coined this she'r had a perfect sense of meter?
Go, Physics majors!!

Oh and, you have probably already guessed who was the 'voh'. :-)
In case you are wondering about 'Neeraj', he was one of our classmates, kind of cute, but flunked every single course that year! He actually dropped out of the program later.

> Dr. Pathatk was my successor as Professor of Theoretical Physics and seems to have earned a lot of respect for his work. Years later, he became the Vice Chancellor of the PU. When I visited back in 2001 and went to see my friends at the campus, one of them suggested that I should meet the VC, Dr. Pathak. I said, "forget about it, he may not even know me". This guy didn't listen to me and went ahead to call Dr. Pathak's office and told them, "Dr.. Pathria is here and I would like to bring him over to meet Dr. Pathak". The answer was, "bring him on"!
>
> Contrary to my expectation, Dr. Pathak knew of me very well and met me with utmost curtsey and suggested that, while there, I give a seminar on whatever topic I wished to. Right away he summoned the head of the Physics Department to his office and asked him to arrange a seminar of mine ASAP. I said, fine and decided to give a talk on "Finite-time Thermodynamics --- a new ripple in an old pond". The seminar was very well attended and equally well received. To everyone's surprise and my delight, Dr. Pathak was there too..
>
> The question period after the seminar was quite hilarious, especially when someone asked me, "Sir, how come, you have almost given up Physics and have gone after Urdu poetry"? I explained my reason in verse; I said
>
> saare jahaaN meN Qais kii shohrat to ho chukii
> jii chaahataa hai, ab zaraa rusvaaiyaaN bhi hoN.
>
> The audience roared in applause --- I wish you were there!*** :-)

What an interesting story. How I wish I were there! But this was 2001, and I was long gone. Another continent. :-)

is baat par aap Shakeel Badayuni kaa yeh she'r suniye:

vahi kaarvaaN, vahi raaste, vahii zindagi, vahi marHale
magar apne apne maqaam par kabhi tum nahiN, kabhi ham nahiN

> > > Well, this is my story, Naseer sahib. I don't think Seemab's famous she'r can apply to it:
> > >
> > > kahaanii apni ruudaad-e-jahaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
> > > jo suntaa hai, usii kii daastaaN ma'aluum hotii hai
> > >
> > > Can it? :-)
>
> > Maybe it can apply a teeny tiny bit to someone you know? :-))
> ***INDEED, I do now know of at least one other person to whom this she'r applies in good measure. :-)
>
> du'aa-go, Raj uncle***

Now that's a huge compliment, even though the 'one other person' obviously fished for it! :-)))

Khalid sahib, maybe I should apologize for the 'divergence' in this thread, but to be honest it has been such fun that I can't bring myself to say that I am sorry for going off track.

Raj uncle, thanks a bunch for taking me back to one of my favorite phases of life.

_______Zoya

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 9:39:31 AM UTC-6, Raj Kumar wrote:

<snip>

> The question period after the seminar was quite hilarious, especially when someone asked me, "Sir, how come, you have almost given up Physics and have gone after Urdu poetry"? I explained my reason in verse; I said
>
> saare jahaaN meN Qais kii shohrat to ho chukii
> jii chaahataa hai, ab zaraa rusvaaiyaaN bhi hoN.
>
> The audience roared in applause --- I wish you were there!*** :-)

RK sahib,

Loved this sher, no wonder the Urdu-loving crowd lapped it up.

Dinesh

<snip>

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 9:28:49 PM UTC-4, Dinesh Shenoy wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 9:39:31 AM UTC-6, Raj Kumar wrote:
>
> <snip>
> > The question period after the seminar was quite hilarious, especially when someone asked me, "Sir, how come, you have almost given up Physics and have gone after Urdu poetry"? I explained my reason in verse; I said
> >
> > saare jahaaN meN Qais kii shohrat to ho chukii
> > jii chaahataa hai, ab zaraa rusvaaiyaaN bhi hoN.
> >
> > The audience roared in applause --- I wish you were there!*** :-)
> RK sahib,
>
> Loved this sher, no wonder the Urdu-loving crowd lapped it up.
>
> Dinesh
>
> <snip>
Aadaab:
That is a beautiful couplet. Very good use of Sanad-e-tazaad.
Keep up the good work.
Best wishes.
Khalid