Bhagat Singh Series: The Admirer of Urdu Poetry

March 09, 2015
By Abu Turab Naqvi
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                        Koi dam ka mehman hun ai ahl e mahfil
                          Charagh e sahar hun bujha chahta hun!
                                   - Allama Iqbal

This was one of the couplets along with others that Bhagat Singh scribed in his last letter written to his younger brother Kultar Singh on the 3rd of March 1931.
Bhagat Singh like many other youngsters of his era was fond of Urdu poetry, Mirza Ghalib was his favourite poet in the classics while Iqbal in contemporary poets. Bhagat Singh often used to chant famous couplets of Ghalib when in a good mood.
Urdu poetry was the voice of most of the youth at that time. It contained a lot of couplets that were the metaphors to the desires of revolutionaries. Ram Prasad Bismil's love for poetry and his poetic skills are well known. His song "Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna... " was the most loved composition among the revolutionaries. From the court room to the scaffold, this was the rendering that echoed in the extremity of its glory.

(Source: bhagatsinghstudy.blogspot.com)

The famous author on Bhagat Singh Prof Chaman Lal has discovered a leaf that contains Bhagat Singh's favourite Urdu poetry in his own handwriting. There are various couplets of Mirza Ghalib and Iqbal including Ghalib's famous Ghazal 'Ye na thi hamari qismat.... ." I am reproducing some of these couplets here to help those who are not acquainted with Urdu Script.

The very first couplet written by him is from his favourite poet Mirza Ghalib and it reads,

1) Ishrat- e -qatal gah, ehl- e -tamanna mat pooch
Eid nazara hai Shamsheer ka uryaan hona!

Some other couplets are as following,

2) Kee mere qatl ke b'ad usne jafa se tauba

Haye us zood pasheman ka pasheman hona

3) Haif us char girah kapde ki qismat Ghalib

Jiski qismat mein ho aashiq ka gareeban hona

4) Hazrat e naseh gar aayen(awen) deeda o dil farsh e rah

Koi mujhko ye to samjha do ki samjhayen(awen) gey kya

He has included some couplets of his favourite ghazal from Mirza Ghalib, "Ye na thi hamari qismat..."

Ye na thi hamari qismat jo (ki) wisal e yaar hota

Agar aur jite rahte yahi intezar hota

Tere wa'de per jiye hum to ye jaan jhoot jana

ki khushi se mar na jate agar aitbaar hota

Teri nazuki se jana ki bandha tha ahd e booda

Kabhi tu na tod sakta agar ustwar hota

Ye kahan ki dosti hai (ki) baney hain dost naseh

Koi charasaz hota koi ghamgusaar hota

Kahun kis se main ki kya hai shab e gham buri bala hai

Mujhe kya bura tha marna agar ek baar hota

As mentioned above after Ghalib, Iqbal was his favourite poet in all the contemporary poets. It is known from certain facts that Bhagat Singh has adopted the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad" from Allama Iqbal but some say that this was originally coined by Hasrat Mohani. Bhagat Singh has written various couplets of Iqbal that he liked most. The Roman transcription of some the couplets is being produced for the facility of the readers.

1) koi dam ka mehman hun ai ahl e mahfil

Charagh e sahar hun bujha chahta hun

2) Achcha hai dil ke sath rahey pasban e aql

Lekin kabhi kabhi usey tanha bhi chhor de

3) Khuda ke ashiq to hain hazaron, banon mein phirte hain marey marey

Main uska banda banunga jisko khuda ke bandon se pyar hoga

4) Main zulmat e shab mein le ke niklunga apne darmandah karwan ko

Sharar fashan hogi aah meri , nafas mera sholbaar hoga

5) Na puchh Iqbal ka thikana abhi wahi kaifiyat hai us ki

Kahin sar e rah guzaar baitha sitam kash e intezar hoga

Apart from this written record of Bhagat's favourite couplets and ghazals, there is string of stories narrated by his comrades showing his love for poetry and songs.

#Allama Iqbal