Thursday, September 30, 2010

On the upcoming Ayodhya verdict

A tense, nervous India is waiting for the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land title verdict today. Unprecedented security measures have been taken by the governments at both centre and state levels, political parties have urged their supporters to maintain peace and respect the law of the land, media is spreading messages of peace and brotherhood continuously. Nobody wants a repeat of what happened in '92 and afterwards.

It is an important day for India. Let us remember we are Indians first and then only a Hindu or a Muslim. And as a poet, as a person of faith, as a human being, let me share with you what Kaifi saa'b wrote years ago. More than any day, this nazm is important and relevant for us today...


सोमनाथ

बुतशिकन कोई कहीं से भी न आने पाए
हमने कुछ बुत अभी सीने में सजा रक्खे हैं
अपनी यादों में बसा रखे हैं

दिल पे ये सोच के पथराव करो दीवानों
के जहाँ हमने सनम अपने छिपा रखे हैं
वहीँ गज़नी के खुदा रक्खे हैं

बुत जो टूटे तो किसी तरह बना लेंगे उन्हें
टुकड़े-टुकड़े सही दामन में उठा लेंगे उन्हें
फिर से उजड़े हुए सीने में सजा लेंगे उन्हें

गर खुदा टूटेगा हम तो न बना पाएंगे
उस के बिखरे हुए टुकड़े न उठा पाएंगे

तुम उठा लो तो उठा लो शायद
तुम बना लो तो बना लो शायद

तुम बनाओ तो खुदा जाने बनाओ क्या
अपने जैसा ही बनाया तो क़यामत होगी
प्यार होगा न ज़माने में मुहब्बत होगी
दुश्मनी होगी अदावत होगी
हम से उस की न इबादत होगी

वहशत-ए-बुत-शिकनी देख के हैरान हूँ मैं
बुत-परस्ती मेरा शेवा (आदत) है के इंसान हूँ मैं
इक न इक बुत तो हर एक दिल में छुपा होता है
उस के सौ नामों में एक नाम खुदा होता है

-कैफ़ी आज़मी

Somnath

Let no idol breaker arrive ever
a few idols are preserved in my heart
and in memories old

Before you cast a stone on my heart, o believer! remember
that the hiding place of our loves
and of the God of Ghazni
is the same

Should these idols break, i will recreate them
pick up the pieces, hold them in my arms
and establish them again, in my once vanquished heart

But if it is God that breaks, there will be no re-creation,
and no picking up of the pieces

You, however, may be able to pick up the pieces
and create a new God

But God alone knows of the God you will create
God save the world should He be like you
There will be no love in our world,
Just a lot of hatred, a lot of enmity..
I will not be able to worship that God

I am amazed at this madness of idol breaking
Idol worship is my habit, for a human i am
because every human heart houses an idol
one of the million names of which, is God

-Kaifi Aazmi

thanks to 'How Do We Know' for helping translate it into English

3 comments:

Subhendu Mishra said...

Nice poem.

India First.

Ash said...

Beautiful!

T. Mukherjee said...

Please comment:

http://thinkingbeanslivesherlife.blogspot.com/

dreamt before

Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin