A Ghazal By A Sikh Gentleman

[Afzal A. Khan]

Haazireen,

I have always maintained that the Urdu language is not the
monopoly of any particular community. A few "enemies" of this
language, though, keep on spreading that falsehood from time to
time. But as they say, "haathi chala jaata hai aur is tarah
......... waaloN ki parwa naheeN karta."


In the past too, I had posted the "kalaam" of several non-
Muslim poets, like Jagat Mohan Lal RawaaN etc.

Here is a ghazal written by a Sikh Gentleman by the name of
Sardar Kirpal Singh Bedaar :


Dar'yaa-e-mohabbat josh pe hai, maujoN se kinaara kya hoga
Kashti to faqat ik tin'ka hai, tin'ke ka sahaara kya hoga

Ik baar shikaayat karne par, sau baar qayaamat TooTi hai
Bedaad ka jab yeh 'aalam ho, far'yaad ka yaara kya hoga

Har dil men tapish, har lab pe fuGHaaN, har simt jalan, har simt dhuaaN
Dun'ya ke nazaare se baRh kar, dozaKH ka nazaara kya hoga

HaaN, chaara~gari laazim hi sahi, lekin yeh bataao GHam~KHwaaro
Jis dard se dil ko dil kahiye, us dard ka chaara(h) kya hoga

Ach'chha hai k saaqi riNd tire, aalaam-e-jahaaN se door raheN
In phool uRaane waaloN ka, kaaNToN men guzaara kya hoga

Ai hijr ke maaro, pi jaao, talKHi ki shikaayat kya m'ani
Jab zehr gawaara ho na saka, phir 'ishq gawaara kya hoga

Hum auj-e-falak par kya jaaeN, qismat ka sitaara kya DhooNDheN
Qismat to hamaari KHaak naheeN, qismat ka sitaara kya hoga

Bedaar, sahar ke aate hi, kuchh aur siyaahi phail gayee
AaGHaaz hamaara yeh kuchh hai, aNjaam hamaara kya hoga




Afzal

[Naseer]

Post by Afzal A. Khan
Haazireen,
I have always maintained that the Urdu language is not the
monopoly of any particular community. A few "enemies" of this
language, though, keep on spreading that falsehood from time to
time. But as they say, "haathi chala jaata hai aur is tarah
......... waaloN ki parwa naheeN karta."
In the past too, I had posted the "kalaam" of several non-
Muslim poets, like Jagat Mohan Lal RawaaN etc.
Here is a ghazal written by a Sikh Gentleman by the name of
Dar'yaa-e-mohabbat josh pe hai, maujoN se kinaara kya hoga
Kashti to faqat ik tin'ka hai, tin'ke ka sahaara kya hoga
Ik baar shikaayat karne par, sau baar qayaamat TooTi hai
Bedaad ka jab yeh 'aalam ho, far'yaad ka yaara kya hoga
Har dil men tapish, har lab pe fuGHaaN, har simt jalan, har simt dhuaaN
Dun'ya ke nazaare se baRh kar, dozaKH ka nazaara kya hoga
HaaN, chaara~gari laazim hi sahi, lekin yeh bataao GHam~KHwaaro
Jis dard se dil ko dil kahiye, us dard ka chaara(h) kya hoga
Ach'chha hai k saaqi riNd tire, aalaam-e-jahaaN se door raheN
In phool uRaane waaloN ka, kaaNToN men guzaara kya hoga
Ai hijr ke maaro, pi jaao, talKHi ki shikaayat kya m'ani
Jab zehr gawaara ho na saka, phir 'ishq gawaara kya hoga
Hum auj-e-falak par kya jaaeN, qismat ka sitaara kya DhooNDheN
Qismat to hamaari KHaak naheeN, qismat ka sitaara kya hoga
Bedaar, sahar ke aate hi, kuchh aur siyaahi phail gayee
AaGHaaz hamaara yeh kuchh hai, aNjaam hamaara kya hoga
Afzal

Afzal SaaHib, thank you for posting a beautiful Ghazal by Sardar Kirpal Singh Bedaar's poetry, to my knowledge, has not been presented in ALUP by anyone until now. You normally provide a detailed biographical background for the poet but on this occasion perhaps you have delayed this for a later post.

His kalaam has been published in a book called صفیرِ خیال Safiir-i-xayaal and from it I am posting the following from the "tanziyaat" section of the book.

kal ik mariiz-i-qabz se ik nurse ne kahaa
mujh se agar hai pyaar to biimah karaaiye
sun kar yih baat paas se bolaa ko'ii zariif
biime se pahle aap enema karaa'iye!

...............................................................................

3asr-i-Haazir dil-i-raushan nah kare gaa paidaa
kabhii zulumaat se ho gaa nah ujaalaa paidaa

gaal buuRhe nazar aate haiN to "make-up" kar lo
ho hii jaa'e gaa ko'ii chaahane vaalaa paidaa

mujh ko Hairat hai kih MajnuuN ne Minister ban kar
apne dafter hii meN kar lii na'ii Lailaa paidaa

Seth Jii xvud to siyah-faam haiN lekin ghar meN
xvush-nasiibii se hu'aa chaaNd-saa beTaa paidaa

ham ne biivii kii sahelii ko jo dekhaa Bedaar
ho gayaa ghar meN shab-o-roz kaa jhagRaa paidaa

................................................................................

Naseer

[Zoya]

Post by Afzal A. Khan
Haazireen,
I have always maintained that the Urdu language is not the
monopoly of any particular community. A few "enemies" of this
language, though, keep on spreading that falsehood from time to
time. But as they say, "haathi chala jaata hai aur is tarah
......... waaloN ki parwa naheeN karta."
In the past too, I had posted the "kalaam" of several non-
Muslim poets, like Jagat Mohan Lal RawaaN etc.
Here is a ghazal written by a Sikh Gentleman by the name of
Sardar Kirpal Singh Bedaar.

Afzal sahib,

aadaab,

I have been thinking about posting in this thread since I first saw it. The title immediately made me pause and think, but I actually wanted to discuss this topic with my dad before posting a reply, hence the slight delay.

First of all, I had never heard of Sardaar Kirpal Singh Bedaar until your post. To be honest, I found his poetry barely mediocre, and reading Naseer sahib's follow up post confirmed my first impression.

And now to the bigger topic of Sikhs and their love for Urdu language and poetry in general. This topic is very close to my own heart, so I called my dad and discussed it with him in detail. I am limiting my discussion to Sikhs in Punjab, and since partition, the Indian Punjab. A short summary is that during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, all state related matters were handled in Farsi, and during British Raj it changed to Urdu and some English. In fact, my grandfather read/wrote no Devanagari or Gurmukhi, but was highly proficient in Farsi, Urdu and English.
In pre-partition Punjab, when my dad (and mom) started school, all primary education in state run schools was in Urdu. No one learnt Hindi or even Gurmukhi unless they went to Arya school or Khalsa school. In middle school, they learnt English, could take Punjabi as an optional subject, still no Hindi. Math and science in middle school was generally taught in English, other subjects in Urdu.
My dad finished his high school after partition and he says Urdu disappeared completely from all schools within two years! Fast forward to my generation, there was no Urdu being taught anywhere in Punjab, not even as an optional subject! Maybe RK sahib can relate to this topic and add some personal experiences. Someone like me who was always interested in Urdu poetry, had to learn the script from my dad, and tallafuz from All India Radio's Urdu service. There was not a single person of my generation around me who could read Urdu script. Sad. I believe there was still a small Urdu department in Punjab University, but hardly any students.

My dad learnt Gurmukhi script later in life, and still can not read or write Hindi. My dad has a friend, a few years his senior, who did masters in Persian, could not find a job, switched to Urdu, still no job and eventually found a teaching job after getting a Master's degree in Geography.

Sikhs in general have a lot of love for Urdu language, and Urdu poetry, but not knowing the script is a huge handicap. I think the situation may get even more dire when the generation born before partition is no longer with us. Most of the mushairas and mehfils I attended growing up in Punjab (and still attend when visiting) have been with my parents' generation.

Khushbir Singh Shaad, the prominent present day Sikh Urdu poet, who moved to Jalandhar a few years ago, actually grew up in Lucknow. I am not saying that just the knowledge of Urdu script/language will make someone a poet, but it is that much harder without it. No wonder post partition Indian Punjab has produced hardly any Urdu poets, Sikhs or even Hindus.

Let me finish on a happy note. During my most recent visit to Ludhiana, my dad and I attended a mushiara where my friend Khushbir Singh Shaad sahib was the guest of honor. I was very pleasantly surprised and very impressed to hear the kalaam of a young Sikh poet, Amardeep, who is from Patiala. I have to admit, I have not met a Sikh Urdu poet like him in a long time. Shaad sahib introduced me to Amardeep, we were supposed to get together before my return, but couldn't because of my mom's ill health during that time. I have been meaning to share some of Amardeep's kalaam on Alup, and probably will soon.

More later,

____Zoya

[Irfan Abid]

Post by Zoya

Post by Afzal A. Khan
Haazireen,
I have always maintained that the Urdu language is not the
monopoly of any particular community. A few "enemies" of this
language, though, keep on spreading that falsehood from time to
time. But as they say, "haathi chala jaata hai aur is tarah
......... waaloN ki parwa naheeN karta."
In the past too, I had posted the "kalaam" of several non-
Muslim poets, like Jagat Mohan Lal RawaaN etc.
Here is a ghazal written by a Sikh Gentleman by the name of
Sardar Kirpal Singh Bedaar.

Afzal sahib,
aadaab,
I have been thinking about posting in this thread since I first saw it. The title immediately made me pause and think, but I actually wanted to discuss this topic with my dad before posting a reply, hence the slight delay.
First of all, I had never heard of Sardaar Kirpal Singh Bedaar until your post. To be honest, I found his poetry barely mediocre, and reading Naseer sahib's follow up post confirmed my first impression.
And now to the bigger topic of Sikhs and their love for Urdu language and poetry in general. This topic is very close to my own heart, so I called my dad and discussed it with him in detail. I am limiting my discussion to Sikhs in Punjab, and since partition, the Indian Punjab. A short summary is that during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, all state related matters were handled in Farsi, and during British Raj it changed to Urdu and some English. In fact, my grandfather read/wrote no Devanagari or Gurmukhi, but was highly proficient in Farsi, Urdu and English.
In pre-partition Punjab, when my dad (and mom) started school, all primary education in state run schools was in Urdu. No one learnt Hindi or even Gurmukhi unless they went to Arya school or Khalsa school. In middle school, they learnt English, could take Punjabi as an optional subject, still no Hindi. Math and science in middle school was generally taught in English, other subjects in Urdu.
My dad finished his high school after partition and he says Urdu disappeared completely from all schools within two years! Fast forward to my generation, there was no Urdu being taught anywhere in Punjab, not even as an optional subject! Maybe RK sahib can relate to this topic and add some personal experiences. Someone like me who was always interested in Urdu poetry, had to learn the script from my dad, and tallafuz from All India Radio's Urdu service. There was not a single person of my generation around me who could read Urdu script. Sad. I believe there was still a small Urdu department in Punjab University, but hardly any students.
My dad learnt Gurmukhi script later in life, and still can not read or write Hindi. My dad has a friend, a few years his senior, who did masters in Persian, could not find a job, switched to Urdu, still no job and eventually found a teaching job after getting a Master's degree in Geography.
Sikhs in general have a lot of love for Urdu language, and Urdu poetry, but not knowing the script is a huge handicap. I think the situation may get even more dire when the generation born before partition is no longer with us. Most of the mushairas and mehfils I attended growing up in Punjab (and still attend when visiting) have been with my parents' generation.
Khushbir Singh Shaad, the prominent present day Sikh Urdu poet, who moved to Jalandhar a few years ago, actually grew up in Lucknow. I am not saying that just the knowledge of Urdu script/language will make someone a poet, but it is that much harder without it. No wonder post partition Indian Punjab has produced hardly any Urdu poets, Sikhs or even Hindus.
Let me finish on a happy note. During my most recent visit to Ludhiana, my dad and I attended a mushiara where my friend Khushbir Singh Shaad sahib was the guest of honor. I was very pleasantly surprised and very impressed to hear the kalaam of a young Sikh poet, Amardeep, who is from Patiala. I have to admit, I have not met a Sikh Urdu poet like him in a long time. Shaad sahib introduced me to Amardeep, we were supposed to get together before my return, but couldn't because of my mom's ill health during that time. I have been meaning to share some of Amardeep's kalaam on Alup, and probably will soon.
More later,
____Zoya

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!

Thanks for sharing these details. I am not sure if the disappearance of Urdu from the educational curriculum of Punjab was the result of a plan or a mere victim of prioritization of issues, but it's certainly a missed opportunity. I would love to see more of the likes of the wonderful Urdu poets from Punjab, not only Sikhs, but Hindus as well, who have graced Urdu poetry for ages. Unfortunately this is not just the story of Punjab. This has happened pretty much all over India.

Please do share the works of Mr. Amardeep.

niyaazmand,
Irfan :Abid:

[Zoya]

Post by Irfan Abid

Post by Zoya

Post by Afzal A. Khan
Haazireen,
I have always maintained that the Urdu language is not the
monopoly of any particular community. A few "enemies" of this
language, though, keep on spreading that falsehood from time to
time. But as they say, "haathi chala jaata hai aur is tarah
......... waaloN ki parwa naheeN karta."
In the past too, I had posted the "kalaam" of several non-
Muslim poets, like Jagat Mohan Lal RawaaN etc.
Here is a ghazal written by a Sikh Gentleman by the name of
Sardar Kirpal Singh Bedaar.

Afzal sahib,
aadaab,
I have been thinking about posting in this thread since I first saw it. The title immediately made me pause and think, but I actually wanted to discuss this topic with my dad before posting a reply, hence the slight delay.
First of all, I had never heard of Sardaar Kirpal Singh Bedaar until your post. To be honest, I found his poetry barely mediocre, and reading Naseer sahib's follow up post confirmed my first impression.
And now to the bigger topic of Sikhs and their love for Urdu language and poetry in general. This topic is very close to my own heart, so I called my dad and discussed it with him in detail. I am limiting my discussion to Sikhs in Punjab, and since partition, the Indian Punjab. A short summary is that during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, all state related matters were handled in Farsi, and during British Raj it changed to Urdu and some English. In fact, my grandfather read/wrote no Devanagari or Gurmukhi, but was highly proficient in Farsi, Urdu and English.
In pre-partition Punjab, when my dad (and mom) started school, all primary education in state run schools was in Urdu. No one learnt Hindi or even Gurmukhi unless they went to Arya school or Khalsa school. In middle school, they learnt English, could take Punjabi as an optional subject, still no Hindi. Math and science in middle school was generally taught in English, other subjects in Urdu.
My dad finished his high school after partition and he says Urdu disappeared completely from all schools within two years! Fast forward to my generation, there was no Urdu being taught anywhere in Punjab, not even as an optional subject! Maybe RK sahib can relate to this topic and add some personal experiences. Someone like me who was always interested in Urdu poetry, had to learn the script from my dad, and tallafuz from All India Radio's Urdu service. There was not a single person of my generation around me who could read Urdu script. Sad. I believe there was still a small Urdu department in Punjab University, but hardly any students.
My dad learnt Gurmukhi script later in life, and still can not read or write Hindi. My dad has a friend, a few years his senior, who did masters in Persian, could not find a job, switched to Urdu, still no job and eventually found a teaching job after getting a Master's degree in Geography.
Sikhs in general have a lot of love for Urdu language, and Urdu poetry, but not knowing the script is a huge handicap. I think the situation may get even more dire when the generation born before partition is no longer with us. Most of the mushairas and mehfils I attended growing up in Punjab (and still attend when visiting) have been with my parents' generation.
Khushbir Singh Shaad, the prominent present day Sikh Urdu poet, who moved to Jalandhar a few years ago, actually grew up in Lucknow. I am not saying that just the knowledge of Urdu script/language will make someone a poet, but it is that much harder without it. No wonder post partition Indian Punjab has produced hardly any Urdu poets, Sikhs or even Hindus.
Let me finish on a happy note. During my most recent visit to Ludhiana, my dad and I attended a mushiara where my friend Khushbir Singh Shaad sahib was the guest of honor. I was very pleasantly surprised and very impressed to hear the kalaam of a young Sikh poet, Amardeep, who is from Patiala. I have to admit, I have not met a Sikh Urdu poet like him in a long time. Shaad sahib introduced me to Amardeep, we were supposed to get together before my return, but couldn't because of my mom's ill health during that time. I have been meaning to share some of Amardeep's kalaam on Alup, and probably will soon.
More later,
____Zoya

Zoya sahiba, aadaab!
I am not sure if the disappearance of Urdu from the educational curriculum of Punjab was the result of a plan or a mere victim of prioritization of issues,

aadaab Irfan sahib, probably both.

Post by Irfan Abid
but it's certainly a missed opportunity.

Indeed. There is no denying that the diverse but shared literary culture of Punjab suffered greatly due to partition. Irreversible loss.

Post by Irfan Abid
I would love to see more of the likes of the wonderful Urdu poets from Punjab, not only Sikhs, but Hindus as well, who have graced Urdu poetry for ages.

I echo your sentiments. Sadly though, I don't think the present era is conducive to fulfilling this wish.

Post by Irfan Abid
Unfortunately this is not just the story of Punjab. This has happened pretty much all over India.

Right, but Punjab probably suffered the biggest blow of all in this regard.

Post by Irfan Abid
Please do share the works of Mr. Amardeep.

I will, soon. I was actually pleasantly surprised to discover Amardeep's kalaam, quite unexpected in present day Punjab. And you know me, I am quite picky in this respect, and do not give such compliments lightly.

Post by Irfan Abid
niyaazmand,

Thank you.

____Zoya

[Naseer]

Irfan SaaHib and Zoya SaaHibah aadaab.

Both of you seem to be forgetting that there is a bigger chunk of the Punjab in present day Pakistan which has kept the torch of Urdu burning bright more than perhaps anywhere else, at least in Pakistan!

You may know that in Pakistan's provinces the provincial language is taught in schools along with Urdu. This is true apart from Punjab where only Urdu has been taught since independence. I don't know if Punjabi was ever taught in undivided Punjab prior to this event.

Amongst the Punjabi intelegencia there is a very strong resentment about this state of affairs but it seems most Punjabis could n't care less which is quite sad I think. I just would like to add one more thing and that is when I was at school, I never felt for a moment I was learning or taking lessons in various subjects in a language that was foreign to me. Perhaps this is because Punjabi and Urdu are pretty close to each other.

Naseer

[Zoya]

Post by Naseer
Irfan SaaHib and Zoya SaaHibah aadaab.
Both of you seem to be forgetting that there is a bigger chunk of the Punjab in present day Pakistan which has kept the torch of Urdu burning bright more than perhaps anywhere else, at least in Pakistan!

Naseer sahib, of course we are not forgetting the Urdu poets from post partition Pakistani Punjab, how can we? You know that some of them are my personal friends. :-)

Actually, I had initiated my response based solely on the title of this thread, and issued a disclaimer early that I am limiting the discussion strictly to the undivided and thereafter the post partition Indian Punjab. I believe Irfan sahib was simply adding to what I had stated.

Post by Naseer
You may know that in Pakistan's provinces the provincial language is taught in schools along with Urdu. This is true apart from Punjab where only Urdu has been taught since independence. I don't know if Punjabi was ever taught in undivided Punjab prior to this event.

Interesting. I had actually asked my dad that very question. He told me that Punjabi that was taught in the state schools in undivided Punjab was actually written in Urdu script. BTW he also mentioned that calling it Shahmukhi script is a post partition phenomenon, no one used this term back then. Gurmukhi script was mainly taught only in Khalsa schools.

Post by Naseer
Amongst the Punjabi intelegencia there is a very strong resentment about this state of affairs but it seems most Punjabis could n't care less which is quite sad I think.

Sad indeed. To a lesser degree, it is true on the other side too. Somehow in the last few decades, talking in Hindi, in contrast to Punjabi, is considered more 'sophisticated'.

Post by Naseer
I just would like to add one more thing and that is when I was at school, I never felt for a moment I was learning or taking lessons in various subjects in a language that was foreign to me. Perhaps this is because Punjabi and Urdu are pretty close to each other.

Yes, they are, in a sense. But between you and me, khul ke jo gal Punjabi vich ho sakdi ai, oh Urdu/Hindi vich kithhe!! :-)

I better be careful before I get kicked out of the group for violating some clause of Alup's official charter, which has been floating around lately!! ;-)))

Post by Naseer
Naseer

______Zoya