I often felt regret at not knowing Urdu when I would read various collections of sher and shayari in Bengali translations by different people. How much of the original essence of sher or shayari can one truly capture in translation? Still, there was no other way. Translation was my only recourse. Later, I had the good fortune to read some exquisite translated collections of poetry and ghazals by Iqbal, Hafiz, Rumi, Gulzar, Kaifi Azmi, Mirza Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, and others. Just as Sunil’s “Chhobir Deshe, Kobitar Deshe” had drawn me toward France, reading Rabishankar Bal’s “Dozokh Nama” greatly increased my interest in the boundless beauty of Urdu and Persian literature. From childhood, I grew up listening to quite a few ghazals that my father loved. When I was in class nine, I listened to several ghazal cassettes on a two-in-one player, and the tenderness and sweetness of ghazals have kept me deeply enchanted to this day.
In this piece, I have listed quite a few ghazals that I love. Besides Urdu, there are also ghazals here in Hindi, Hindi-Urdu, Persian, Hindi-Persian, and Urdu-Persian. I believe readers will find joy in listening to these ghazals after reading my writing, or listening to them again. It is from this belief that I have kept this piece in note form. Even if you don’t like it yourself, do ask some friend or acquaintance of yours to listen—perhaps they might enjoy it. Connoisseurs say that different people have different tastes. A good point. After reading this piece, if any ghazal comes to mind that could have been here but isn’t, please kindly let me know about that ghazal in the comments.
In Lata Mangeshkar’s voice—Dard se mera daman bhar de ya Allah, tum na jaane kis jahan mein, hum hain mata-e-kucha-o-bazaar ki tarah, aiye dil-e-nadan, neela aasman so gaya, ruke ruke se kadam, yun hasraton ke daag mohabbat mein dho liye, meri tasveer mein rang.
In the voices of Jagjit Singh and Lata Mangeshkar—Ghamka khazana, har taraf har jagah, Allah jaanta hai.
In the voices of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar—Teri bina zindagi se.
In the voices of Suresh Wadkar and Lata Mangeshkar—Khamosh sa afsana.
In the voices of Seema Alim Chandani, Mohammad Rafi, and Lata Mangeshkar—Abhi na jao chhodkar.
In the voices of Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar—Simti hui ye ghariya, zindagi bhar nahin bhulegi.
In the voices of Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, and Lakshmikant Pyarelal—Ek pyaar ka nagma hai.
In Geeta Dutt’s voice—Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam.
In Mukesh’s voice—Kahin dur jab din.
In Kishore Kumar’s voice—Hame tumse pyaar kitna, o meri taraf yu chale aa rahe hain, phir wahi raat hai.
In Jagjit Singh’s voice—Baat nikalegi to phir dur talak jaayegi, ye daulat bhi le lo, koi ye kaise bataaye, tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, tumko dekha to ye khayal aaya, kaun aayega yahan koi na aaya, aap ko dekhkar dekhta reh gaya, kabhi woh bhi aa meri aankh mein, honton se chhu lo tum, jhuki jhuki si nazar, kal chand bhi raat thi, kyu dare zindagi mein kya ho ga, sham se aankh mein nami si hai, yaad nahin kya kya dekha tha, parakhna mat parakhne mein koi apna rehta, main nashe mein hun, mujhse bichhar ke khush rehti ho, pyaar ka pehla khat, apni marzi se kahan apni, hoshwalon ko khabar kya, kabhi un bhi to, tera chehra kitna suhana lagta hai, apni marzi se kahan apni, aah ko chahiye, garaj baras pyaasi dharti par, tere baare mein jab socha nahin tha, khumar-e-gham hai, ab main rashan ki kataron mein nazar aata hun, kal chandni ki raat thi, sham hone ko hai, saamne hai jo usi, pyaar mujhse jo kiya tumne, ab to ghabraake ye kehte hain ke, tere aane ki jab khabar mahke, samajhte the magar phir bhi na rakhi, chand bhi dekha phool bhi dekha, chithi na koi sandesh, apni aankhon ke samandar, hazaron khawaahishen aisi ke har, badi haseen raat thi, baat nikalegi to phir dur talak jaayegi, tere khushbu mein base khat, tum meri rakho laaj haari.
In the voices of Gulzar, Jagjit Singh, Chitra Singh, and Vinod Sehgal—Ibteda.
In the voices of Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh—Agar hum kahiin aur o muskura de, ye daulat bhi le lo, haath chhute bhi to rishte nahin, aayat si koi aaye to lagta hai, dhup mein niklo ghataon mein, bahut pehle se un kadamon ki, dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai, aaj phir unka samna ho ga, us mor se shuru karen, saarakti jaaye hai rukhsi naqab, ye tera ghar ye mera ghar, ye bata de mujhe zindagi, mere dil mein tu hi tu hai, din guzar gaya, mere jaise ban jaoge jab ishq-e-tumhe, duniya jise kehte hain, sunte hain ke mil jaati.
In the voices of Sanjib-Karuna—Khabar-e-taha-e-ishq sun.
In Mehdi Hassan’s voice—Zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya, duniya kiske pyaar mein, gulam-e-rang, mujhe tum nazar se, pyar bhare do sharmile, rafta rafta, ranjish hi sahi, main hosh mein tha to phir use mar gaya kaise, abke hum bichre, apni dhun mein rehta ho, ye dil ye pagal dil mera, hum tere sheher mein aaye hain, gulon mein rang bhare, hamko kiske gham ne mara, mehfil mein bar bar kisi par, aahko chahiye ek umar asar hone tak, tere bheege badan ki khushbu se, mohabbat karne waale kab na honge, kabhi kitabon mein phool rakhna, baat karne mujhe mushkil.
In Mohammad Rafi’s voice—Ek hi baat zamane ki, lagta nahin hai dil mera, na kisi ki aankh ka noor, tanga chuke hai kashmakash-e-zindagi, ab kya misaal dun, chand bhi ka chand ho, chhu lene do nazuk honton ko, kabhi khud pe kabhi halat pe, rang aur noor ki baaraat, koi saagar dil ko behla ta nahin.
In Saigal’s voice—Layi hayat aayi kaza, rumjhum rumjhum chal tihari.
In Manhar Udhas’s voice—Tu is tarah se meri.
In S.P. Balasubrahmanyam’s voice—Tu jo nahin hai to.
In Asha Bhosle’s voice—Dil cheez kya hai, justaju jiski thi us ko tu na, ye kya jagah hai dosto, mera kuch samaan, in aankhon ki masti, khaali haath sham aayi hai.
In the voices of Jagjit Singh and Asha Bhosle—Jab saamne tum aa jaate ho.
In the voices of Kumar Sanu and Asha Bhosle—Tumhare nazron mein humne dekha.
In Ghulam Ali’s voice—Chupke chupke raat din, hamko kiske gham ne mara, khayal o khwaab hui hai, nagri nagri phira musafir, tumhare khat mein naya ek salaam, yaaro mujhe muaf rakho main nashe mein hun, hangama hai kyun barpa, itna tuta hun ke, zindagi se yehi gila hai mujhe, chamakte chand ko tuta hua tara bana, dil mein ik leher si uthi hai abhi, itni muddat baad baad mile ho, hum tere sheher mein aaye the, tamam-e-umar tera intezar humne kiya.
In Pankaj Udhas’s voice—Aap jinke kareeb hote hain, mohe aaina jagse laaj, aur aahista, angdaayi bhi woh lene na, dil khulta hai main nashe, chitthi aayi hai, dil mein na ho jurrat to, dukh sukh tha ek sabka.
In Hariharan’s voice—Asar usko zara nahin hota.
In the voices of Sonu Nigam and Hariharan—Sarfaroshi ki tamanna.
In Talat Aziz’s voice—Zindagi jab bhi teri bazm mein, aaina mujhse meri pehle si soorat, dulhan bane hai raat.
In Anup Jalota’s voice—Patthar bana diya mujhe.
In Anoop Ghoshal’s voice—Tujhse naraz nahin zindagi.
In Mahendra Kapoor’s voice—Beete hue lamhon ki kasak saath.
In Talat Mahmood’s voice—Gham-e-aashiq se kahe do, aaye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal.
In Asad Amanat Ali Khan’s voice—Honton pe kabhi unke mera, kisi aur gham mein itni khalis-e-nishan nahin hai, ye aarzoo thi tujhe.
In Ataullah Khan’s voice—Ishq mein hum tumhe kya, idhar zindagi ka, pyaar nal na saahi.
In Ali Zafar’s voice—Koi ummeed bar nahin aati.
In Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice—Kuch to hawa bhi sard thi, mera gham aur meri har khushi, ishq ka rutba ishq hi jaane, piya re piya re, tere bin nahin lagda, kinna sohna tenu rab ne, zehal-e-miskin taghafuli.
In Roop Kumar Rathod’s voice—Chand ke saath kal raat.
In Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice—Sajana main ghama de azaab, tum hai dil lagi bhul jaani.
In Asif Mehdi’s voice—Suna hai log usse aankh.
In Ahmed Jahanzeb’s voice—Aap ki yaad aati rahi raatbhar.
In Hemant Kumar’s voice—Teri duniya mein jeene se.
In Aziz Nazan’s voice—Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi.
In Suresh Wadkar’s voice—Seene mein jalan.
In Chandan Dash’s voice—Dil hi dil mein khatam hokar.
In Habib Wali Mohammad’s voice—Kab mera nasheman, marne ki duaye kiun mango.
In Asrar’s voice—Tere ishq ki inteha chahata hu.
In Bhupinder Singh’s voice—Kabhi kisi ko mukammal, ek akela is sheher mein, aaj bichhade hain, karoge yaad to har baat yaad aayegi.
In the voices of Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Wadkar—Huzur is kadar bhi.
In the voices of Bhupinder Singh and Shabana Azmi—Gulab jism ka yuhin nahin khila hoga.
In the voices of Bhupinder Singh and Mitali Singh—Samma jalaye, raho pe nazar rakhna, apna koi mile to.
In Mitali Singh’s voice—Kiran bahar.
In Noorjahan’s voice—Mujhse pehli si mohabbat, dil dharakne ka sabab yaad aaya, tum aaye ho na shab-e-intezaar guzri hai.
In Nayyara Noor’s voice—Aaye jazbey-e-dil gher mein chahu.
In Salma Agha’s voice—Dil ke armaan ansuon mein beh gaye, faza bhi hai jawan jawan.
In Reshma’s voice—Lambi judaiye.
In Seeza Roy’s voice and children’s chorus—Lab pe aati hai dua banke tamanna meri.
In Suraiya’s voice—Ye na thi hamari kismat, rahiye ab aisi jagah, nuqta chin hai gham-e-dil.
In Penaz Masani’s voice—Tu agar mujhse khafa hai to.
In Fariha Parvez’s voice—Gesu-e-tabdar ko aur bhi tabdar.
In Bani Jaipuram’s voice—Mere to giridhar gopal.
In Iqbal Bano’s voice—Hai justuju ke khub se hai khubtar kaha, hum dekhenge.
In Anita Singhvi’s voice—Rang pairaahan ka khushbu julf reharane ka naam.
In Fauzia Arshi’s voice—Hasti apni hubab kisi hai.
In Sitarabai Kanpuri’s voice—Soz-e-gam dekhe mujhe usne ye irshad kiya.
In Abida Parveen’s voice—Tune deewana banaya, dhundo ge agar mulkon mulkon, hazaron khahishein aisi, roshan jamal-e-yar se hai, tere aane ka dhoka sa raha hai.
In the voice of Kajal Chandiramani or Qurratulain Balouch—O hamsafar tha magar. (The day our paths diverged with our own consent, that day you too didn’t weep, nor did I.
Yet beloved, what happened today, tell me; you cannot sleep in peace, neither can I!
Among those whose hearts were torn by the horrors of the 1971 liberation war, Pakistani poet Nasir Turabi was one. He is the creator of this immortal song. The song is a lament born from the infinite sorrow through which Bangladesh was born.
(The ghazal is also sung by Abida Parveen, but I am more moved by Kajal Chandiramani.)
In Bharati Vishwanathan’s voice—Sar mein sauda bhi nahin dil.
In Begum Akhtar’s voice—O jo hum mein tum mein qarar tha, ulti ho gayi sab tadbireen, ae mohabbat tere anjam, mere hamnafas mere hamnawa.
In Chitra Singh’s voice—Khuda hamko aisi khudai na de, dil hi to hai na sang, tu nahin to zindegi mein kiya, yu zindegi ki raah mein, hamko dushman ki nigahon, safar mein dhoop to hogi, charkha mera rangla, kisi ranjish ko hawa do, aapko bhool jaye ham itne to bewafa nehi.
In Nahid Akhtar’s voice—Allahi allah kiya karo, shab-e-gam mujhse milkar aise royi.
In Farida Khanum’s voice—Uzr aane mein bhi, shaam-e-firaq ab na pooch, aaj jaane ki zid na karo.
How dear some of these ghazals from the above list are to me, I cannot express! I have these songs saved in my playlist, I listen to them often, and my mind becomes completely peaceful. Ghazals bring solace to the heart. When I listen to music, I never keep in mind which country it’s from, which language, which religion. In music, melody is paramount to me. If along with this the song’s rhythm and singing style touches my heart, then that becomes my song, the treasure of my love. I have suggested listening to the above ghazals in specific voices, an opinion that is entirely my own. The songs exist in other artists’ voices too, but I’ve recommended those whose voices appealed to me most. Regrettably, I have listened to most of these ghazals without understanding their meaning, trusting only my musical sense and melodic intuition from a young age, and I continue to listen this way even now. I don’t feel I’ve ever been deceived in this game of melodic appreciation. Sometimes I look up English translations from various sources and listen to songs while matching the lines with their meanings. There’s a different kind of peace in listening that way too. In melody lies solace, in melody lies freedom!
Kazi Nazrul Islam was the first creator of Bengali ghazals. The credit for bringing ghazals to India goes to Amir Khusro, and in Bengal, our beloved Nazrul did this work. Many call him Bengal’s Bhagirath for flooding Bengal with the words and melodic waves of ghazals. Though Indian ghazals are mainly love songs or romantic compositions combining Persian and Urdu languages, some songs contain devotion, surrender, or self-reflection and self-criticism. Nazrul expressed themes of love in most of his songs. In terms of popularity, many call Nazrul the Mirza Ghalib of India. As a child, he learned Urdu from his uncle Bajle Karim Saheb, and later during World War I, he enlisted in the army and went to Karachi, Pakistan, where he would go to a Punjabi maulvi to study Persian poetry. One cannot write ghazals without proficiency in Urdu and Persian. Nazrul had both, along with infinite love for music. From Bharati Dutta’s writings we learn that once the poet went to visit Delhi. There he met the imam of Jama Masjid. Hearing his exquisite rendition of the Persian ghazal ‘Chashti aur rukh mein di’, the poet was overwhelmed. The song affected him so deeply that he immediately wrote the Bengali song “Ke bideshi, mon udashi, bansher banshi bajao bone” (Who is foreign, the mind melancholy, play the bamboo flute in the forest). A new stream was created in Bengali music. Experts claim this as the first Bengali ghazal.
Kazi Nazrul Islam could write songs with unusual speed and remarkable fluency. It would be seen that while walking on the road or talking with someone, the words of a song would come to his mind. Even if he didn’t have time to write it down immediately, he would jot down the song’s lines in some notebook or on a scrap of paper. Later he would create that song. “Eto jol o kajol chokhe pashani anlo bol ke” (So much water and kohl in the eyes, the stone-hearted one brought strength). At the request of artist Dilip Kumar Roy, son of D.L. Roy, Nazrul wrote this song in one go with his pen in the artist’s notebook. Dilip Kumar would sing this song in the style of Hindustani folk music, in the Kajari style, bringing the essence of Pahadi raga. Later, Atulprasad Sen was so enchanted hearing this song that he too wrote a companion piece: “Jol bole chol, mor shathe chol, tor ankhijol hobe na bifol” (Water says come, come with me, your tears will not be in vain). Nazrul so skillfully blended Iranian language with Bengali that while listening to his ghazals, it never occurs to one that there is so much mixture of Urdu and Persian in these Bengali songs. Under Nazrul’s extraordinary touch, the foreign words don’t feel like words from a different language at all; they feel natural.
I’ll end my writing by sharing some of Nazrul’s created ghazals:
In the voice of Manabendra Mukhopadhyay or Mohammad Rafi—Alga koro go khoper bandhon.
In Manabendra Mukhopadhyay’s voice—Bagichay bulbuli tui, eto jol o kajol chokhe, adho adho bol, tomari kusumbone.
In Haimanti Shukla’s voice—Priyo, jai jai bolo na.
In Parimal Bhattacharya’s voice—Bokulchampar bone ke mor.
In Anjali Mukhopadhyay’s voice—Ke bideshi, mon udashi, gulbagichaar bulbuli ami.
In Shankar Ghoshal’s voice—Eto kotha kigo kohite jane.
In Ela Basu’s voice—Tomar ankhir kosom, shaki.
In Talat Mahmud’s voice—Ashlo jokhon fuler fagun.
In Shipra Basu’s voice—Poth cholite jodi chokite.
In Samaresh Roy’s voice—Agun jalaate ashini.
In Purabi Dutta’s voice—Pashaaner bhangale ghum.
In Firoza Begum’s voice—Amar jabar shomoy holo.