Posted by I’m mighty thrilled with this development! A couple of years ago, when I was looking for a domain name for this blog, I was obsessed with the word “aksharam”. In its unadulterated form, domains were exorbitantly costly. Unwilling to let it go the word totally, I came up with the jugaad – aksharf! (Harf means letter in Urdu.)
I didn’t think about it much, except it was pleasing to save a few bucks! Learning Urdu was on my mind since forever, but I wasn’t desperate! But here we’re now! Four months into it, I’m still at writing the alphabet and reading dreadfully slow. Last night, something got to me – or was it Jamal Ehsani?! I’m not a poet, but then honee ko kaun Taal sakta?
So folks, gear up for some sher-like, amateurish-at-its-best, full-of-typos, devoid-of-any-rhyme-n-rhythm expressions in Urdu. That’s how this blog started. 13 years later, if it can still have that fresh and experimental vibes, then perhaps I’m doing something right?!
May the akshar-harf be my imaan and ibaadat! Inshaallah!
تیرتے ہیں پھر بھی شیر الفاظوں کے بھر میں ہم تو ڈوب گئے عشق کے نفس ا مطلب میں
tairte hain phir bhi shaayar alfazon ke behr* mein
hum toh doob gaye ishq ke nafs-e-matlab** mein
(*samundar, **essence of meaning/desire)
Poets still manage to wade through the sea of words
I was drowned in the essence of love
*****
ملتے نہیں ہیں ہم دال اور لام کی طرح
پھر بھی بنا لیتے ہیں دل کسی طرح
milte nahi hain hum daal* aur laam* ki tarah
phir bhi bana lete hain ‘dil’ kisi tarah
(*names for letters “द” and “ल” in Urdu, which form the word दिल.)
Going by the rules of the language, in Urdu, daal (द) doesn’t connect to the letters that follow it! Hence, दिल is written as द<space>ल and read as ‘दिल’ based on the context. Yeah, easier to wade through love, than wrap head around Urdu’s idiosyncrasies!
We never meet, like “daal” and “laam”
But we still manage to form dil (heart) somehow
*****
نقاب دوستی کی رکھے دنیا کو بلا شک
داستان عشق محدود تھا 'گوگل' تک
naqaab dostii ki rakhi duniya ko bilaa-shak*
dastaan-e-ishq mahduud** tha ‘google’ tak
(*unsuspecting, **restricted)
Under the veil of friendship, world didn’t suspect a bit
Ours was a saga of love, restricted only for “google”
*****
بنتا تھا اجنبی وہ ہر بار پہلی نظر والا پیار ہمے نصیب تھا بار بار
banta tha woh ajnabi har baar
pehli nazar wala pyaar hume naseeb tha baar baar
He turned into a stranger every time
I was destined for love at first sight, again and again.
*****
افسانہ نگار ہوں ، افسانہ ہی بنا وہ میری حفاظت میں
بادی مدّت شرح گھل گئے ، بن گیا وہ نظم
afsaananigar hoon, afsaana hi bana woh meri hifaazat mein
baad-e-muddat* sharah** ghul gaye, ban gayaa woh nazm
(*after a long time, **details)
I’m a story writer, he was made into a story in my care
Years later, the details vanished, turning him into a poem
*****
اگر زندہ تھا رشتہ تو آتش نفسی جھگڑوں میں
ورنہ واجد اسکا لپٹا رہتا بارک کی چدّر میں
agar zinda tha rishta to aatish-nafasaii* jhagadon mein
varna vajud uska lipTa rahta barf ki chaddar mein
(*breathing fire/heart burn out of love)
If the relationship was ever alive, it was in the embers of a love burnt heart
Otherwise, it’s only existence was wrapped up in a sheet of ice
*****
ہنر منڈے کی بازار میں ناپ تول کرتی رہے
زبان کو تو بس انتظار تھا اظہار تعلّق کی
hunar-mandii ki bazaar mein naap-tol karti rahii
zubaan ko to bas intezaar tha izhaar-e-ta’alluq* ki
(display of bond/relationship)
I was busy evaluating it in the bazaar of talent
Language was only expecting a simple gesture of love.
*****
ఊహలన్నీ ఊసులై.. 