Saturday, March 26, 2005

Musings II

peesaan sharaab ishq dee wala wala peesaan
wa'ada hay ay faqeer da jay tayeen jeesaan
oye mulla toon de fatwe te ruj ke la tazeeraan
kauser toon peesaan mein pehle, tu karesen faqat reesaan

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dekh keh chehra surkh-o-siah ay loag mekoon bezaar aadhin
jay deed vanje meday zakhman do, mekoon sajan bhira bemaar aadhin
sunr keh kahani dardaan dee, kujh aise hin bekaar aadhin
wal buzdili te be-aqli koon ay loag meda kirdaar aadhin
darust hay sab, manenda haan, sab such aadhin jo yaar aadhin
per arz mein hik karenda haan, toray gaal koon ay be-baar aadhin
jadanr ghul vanje koee yaar uttoon, een mojze koon eesaar aadhin
jerha jigger de tukre veil ginre, hoon bande koon dildar aadhin
jayn shay koon gum thhein arsa thhey, oon shay koon dil da qarar aadhin
jekoon waqt da dhara koh rakhe, oonkoon zindgi toon lachaar aadhin
hunr rooh aadhay thee chup vanjaan, na gaal ba'ee mein aakhaan
bahoon ghhut hin loag een dunya te, jerhay eeho jhayn afkaar aadhin

- Hasni Khan

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Musings

hayeen ishq dee zalim nagri da toon khalid bin waleed
jigger meday de tukre ker theendee tedi eid saeed
dukh dariavan lorh ke sohna, na wal tein keetee deed
buss minat hay ay bahoon thhak giya haan kerr hoslay naal shaheed

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wafa keetohee yaar ajeebay
keeta wasda dil meda ghareebay
koee gaal na baat, sabab taan dus
kyoon bunr bethon aap raqeebay

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lagate kyoon ho Haider kee shaan pe kus
kya pharak rahee hai tumharee haram ki nus?
bhool gaye goya woh din saqeefay ka
jab Ali ke liye thaa Khuda ka Rasool buss!

- Hasni Khan

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Sargodha: before and after...

From the 13th of Moharram to the 6th of March, with a bad back, i was on a marathon trip to the rural areas of Tehsil Shahpur, District Sargodha, slaving away and loving every bit of it. First we mapped, then we surveyed. One gains a lot of self-respect when one discovers new reserves of stamina and realises that he is not as incompetent as he had thought himself to be. Anyhow, had the opportunity of seeing the former stronghold of Tiwana glory, Kalra: rotting, but beautiful in its decay. Spent hours of unnecessary meditation on the grave of Al-Haj General Sir Malik Umer Hayat Khan Tiwana (A-Z to the King Emperor). Aik khwahish reh gayee hai...to climb the minar of Kalra's masjid. We shall do that too someday inshAllah. In other villages, the local mob boss wouldnt let go off my hand, had to socialise with the biradri of one terrorist, and enjoyed sprawling in the lawns of a magnificent haveli, all topped off with a visit to Alipur Noon to personally witness the glaring contrast between Kalra and that amazing showcase of the Noon fortune. and the team was great...had too much fun in the evenings. on the downside though, came back with a new ugly craving but hoping to keep this one under control. on the whole, being called the backbone of the devolution project was one reward i wasn't expecting at all.

there has been a great silence since the return from Sargodha, something i remain unable to comprehend. old ghosts coming back to haunt me i guess. the trip opened a lot of old wounds and may have created a few new ones. but one thing is for sure; the only thing i sought to save is more or less lost too. and im sure its my fault...has to be; no other reason appeals to the mind. on the brighter side of life, when you see people who truly deserve each other come together there is nothing but happiness that you can feel. strangely though, even more happiness than those people themselves. but then i have been called the 'exhibitor of extreme emotions'! and i do need some happiness, a change-of-mood at least, these days.

anyway, came back with a greater appreciation of Ghalib, a deeper understanding if you will. and what was that he said:
'aah ko chahiye aik umr asar honay tak,
kaun jeeta hai teri zulf ke sar honay tak?'