Ali Sardar Jafri

Ali Sardar Jafri was born in Balrampur (India) in 1913. He was one of the founders of Progressive Writers Movement. He graduated from the Anglo-Arabic College, Delhi and became a communist sympathiser during his student life. He went to jail many times in support of the freedom movement. He founded and edited Naya Adab (Lucknow) and Guftugu (Bombay). He has won numerous awards during his life including the pretigious Jnanpith Award. Jafri has nined poetry collections and several prose works in Urdu, Hindi and English to his credit. He died on 1st Aug 2000 in Mumbai.

Ek Khwab Aur, Introduction

apnii kitaab ‘ek khwaab aur’ meN harf-e-awwal mein Ali Sardar Jafri likhte hain,
khwaab aur shikast-e-khwaab is daur ka muqaddar hai’. aur naye khawaab dekhnaa insaaN kaa ek aisaa haq hai jise ko’ii taaqat, ko’ii iqtidaar use marHuum nahiiN kar saktaa. aur shaayed yahii insaaN aur insaaniyat ke mustaqbil kii zamaanat hai

ek khwaab aur

khwaab ab Husn-e-tasavvur ke ufaq se haiN pare
dil ke ek jazbaa-e-ma’suum ne dekhe the jo khawaab
aur ta’beeroN ke tapte hue sehraaoN meN
tashnagii aabla-paa, sh’ola-bakaf mauj-e-saraab
ye tau mumkin nahiin bachpan ka ko’ii din mil jaaye
yaa palat aaye ko’ii sa’aat-e-naayaab-e-shabaab
phuuT nikle kisii afsurdah tabassum se kiran
yaa damak uTThe kisii dast-e-buriidah meN gulaab
aah ! patthar kii lakiireN haiN ke yaadoN ke nuquush
kaun likh saktaa hai phir umr-e-guzishtaa kii kitaab
beete lamHaat ke soye hue tuufaanoN meN
tairte phirte haiN phuuTii huii aaNkhoN ke Habaab
taabish rang-e-shafaq, aatish ruu-e-Khurshiid
mal ke cHehre pe saHar aayii hai KhuuN aHbaab
jaane kis moR pe, kis raaH meN kyaa beetii hai
kis se mumkin hai tamannaoN ke zakhmoN ka Hisaab
aastiinoN ko pukaareNge kahaaN tak aaNsuuN
ab tau daaman ko pakaRte haiN lahuu ke gardaab
dekhtii phirtii hai ek ek ka munh khaamoshii
jaane kyaa baat hai sharmindah hai andaaz-e-Khitaab
dar-ba-dar thokareN khaate huve phirte haiN savaal
aur mujrim ki tarah unse gurezaaN haiN javaab
sarkashii, phir maiN tujhe aaj sadaa detaa huN
maiN teraa shaa’iir-e-aawaaraa-o-be-baak-o-Kharaab
pheNk phir jazbaa-e-betaab ki aalam pe kamand
ek khwaab aur ai himmat-e-dushwaar pasand

Ali Sardar Jafri

niind

raat Khuubsurat hai niind kyuN nahiiN aatii

din kii Khashmagi nazrein kho gayii siyaahii me

Naahnii kaRoN kaa shor, beRioN kii jhankaare

NqaidioN kii saaNsoN kii tund-tez aavaaze

NjailaroN kii badkaari, gaalioN ki bauchhaareN

bebasii kii Khaamoshii, Khaamoshi kii faryaadeN, tahnashiin andhere meN

shab ki shoKh doshiizaa Khaardaar taaron ko

aahniiN hisaaroN ko paar kar ke aayii hai

bhar ke apne daaman meN jangaloN kii Khush-buueN

ThandakeN pahaaRoN kii mere paas laayii hai

raat Khuubsurat hai niind kyuN nahiiN aatii

neelguuN jawaaN seena, neelguuN jawaaN baaheN

kahkashaaN kii peshaanii, neem chaaNd ka juuRaa

maKhmalii andhere kaa, pairahan laraztaa hai

waqt ki siyaah zulfeN Khaamoshi ke shaanoN per

Kham-ba-Kham mahaktii haiN aur zamiiN ke hontoN per

narm shabnamii bosay, motioN ke daantoN se KhilKhilaa ke haNste haiN

raat Khuubsurat hai niind kyuN nahiiN aatii

raat peing letii hai, chaaNdnii ke jhuule meN

aasmaan par taare nanhe-nanhe haathoN se

bun rahe hain jaaduu saajhingaron ki aavaazeN,

kah rahi hain afsaanaduur jail ke baahar baj rahii hai shehnaaii

rail apne pahioN se loriaaN sunaatii hai

raat Khuubsurat hai niind kyuN nahiiN aatii

roz raat ko yuNhii niind meri aankhon se

bewafaaii kartii hai

mujhko chhoR kar tanhaa jail se nikaltii hai

Bambayii kii bastii meN mere ghar ka darvaaza jaa kar KhatKhataati hai

ek nanhe bacche kii ankhRioN ke bachpan meN

miithe miithe KhwaboN ka shahed Ghol detii haii

k hansiiN parii ban kar paalnaa hilaati hai loriaaN sunaatii hai

Ali Sardar Jafri