Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series
I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.
I hope you liked my choice for Song #2 – Watan ki raah mein watan ke naujawan in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #3.
Song #3
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Theme-word: Waqat ki qaid mein Zindagi hai magar, Chand ghadiyan yahi hain jo azaad hain.
First of All – My Sister Mona Maharaj
This was always the favourite ghazal of my sister Mona Maharaj. She is really very talented. In addition to her singing skills, she has been endowed with extraordinary presentation skills. When my brother in law was in active service of the Indian Army, Mona was often in demand for organising memorable evenings of entertainment. And these would start with her hand crafted invitations that would be delivered to you as if you were selected to receive a present.
I have, to my great luck, listened to her rendition of this ghazal and I do recall the atmosphere she’d build up whilst and before singing it.
Everything favourite of Mona Maharaj eventually becomes my favourite too (she has that effect on me). Everytime I listen to Farida Khanum singing it, I think of Mona Maharaj making the ghazal come alive to me.
Farida Khanum
She was born in Amritsar in the year 1939. Unlike Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, she moved to Lahore from Amritsar in the year 1957. In the 1960s, she was invited by the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan to sing in public and she achieved the kind of stardom she wouldn’t have dreamt about.
She is known by this ghazal penned by Fayyaz Hashmi in the same manner as Begum Akhtar was known for Aye mohabbat tere anjam pe rona aaya penned by Shakeel and Noorjehan for singing Faiz’s nazam: Mujhase pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang.
Just like Ghulam Ali, she is classical singer of Patiala Gharana.
Fayyaz Hashmi
Fayyaz Hashmi was born in Calcutta in 1920. His father, Muhammad Hussain Hashmi adopted the takhallus of Dilgeer as a poet and for writing plays. Coincidentally, my own uncle Harbans Singh also had the takhallus Dilgir (that’s how he spelt it) and has written hundreds of books on poetry and plays. Dilgir uncle started the first academy of performing arts in Chandigarh called Kala Darpan.
Fayyaz Hashmi worked as a poet and screenwriter for both Hindi and Pakistani films. One of his songs sung by Talat Mahmood (in 1941) became very popular: Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi.
This ghazal, thanks to Farida Khanum, is the most popular ghazal that he wrote.
My Introduction to the Ghazal
I cannot have this great ghazal introduced to you without writing something about it. Here is what I wrote about it last night:
गुफ्तगू रहने दो रात गुज़र जाएगी,
चन्द घड़ियों की मुलाकात गुज़र जाएगी।
ज़िन्दगी बख्शी है खुदा ने प्यार के लिए,
फजूल बातों में यह खैरात गुज़र जाएगी।
रेत के ज़र्रे हाथों में अभी आए तो हैं लेकिन,
देखते देखते यह सौगात गुज़र जाएगी।
How to stop Zindagi at a place of your liking and not to let it slip through your fingers like the grains of the sand is the crux of this ghazal. I hope this introduction helps you to dive deep and discover the meaning that is dying to be found out.
The Ghazal
Ladies and gentlemen, you are bound to tell me that I did right by putting it up as Zindagi ghazal and not Raat or Din Song.
Please enjoy: Aaj jaane ki zid na karo…
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
यूँ ही पहलु में बैठे रहो
आज जाने की ज़िद न करो
हाय मर जाएंगे
हम तो लुट जाएंगे
ऐसी बातें किया ना करो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
तुम ही सोचो ज़रा क्यूँ ना रोकें तुम्हें
जान जाती है जब उठ के जाते हो तुम
जान जाती है जब उठ के जाते हो तुम
तुमको अपनी क़सम जानेजां
बात इतनी मेरी मान लो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
वक़्त की कैद में ज़िन्दगी है मगर
चंद घड़ियां यही हैं जो आज़ाद है
इनको खो कर मेरी जानेजाँ
उम्र भर ना तरसते रहो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
कितना मासूम रंगीन है ये समां
हुस्न और इश्क़ की आज बैराज है
कल की किसको ख़बर जानेजाँ
रोक लो आज की रात को
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #3 in the series.
Please await Song #4 – Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka.
