Jagjit Singh, the maestro of ghazals. He is the man who is responsible for the mass popularity of ghazals, no easy feat. And believe me, selecting just five of his ghazals is also no easy feat. Here is my tribute to the maestro who has transformed my life with his soul stirring music.
*1. Shola Hoon(Echoes)
I may have a fire blazing inside me but I don’t feel the need to burst into flames. I do not have the need to prove a point to anybody. I often speak the truth and I don’t need to try hard for it. I have wounds like everybody else, only I don’t make a public display of them. I may run to help someone who is falling down but I may not feel the need to stand and salute the sun that is on its way up.*
Shola hoon. bhadakne ki guzarish nahin karta
Sach muuh se nikal jaata hai koshish nahin karta
Main zakhm to rakhta hoon, numaaiyish nahin karta
Girti huyee diwaar ka humdard hoon lekin
Chadhte huye sooraj ki parasthish nahin karta
This ghazal is like my best friend. I listen to it very often. I hum it often, sometimes when I am very lonely and sometimes when I am surrounded by many people and yet very lonely. This ghazal talks of principles which are so rare in this materialistic world of today.
*2.Maana ke musht-e-khak(Echoes)
I agree that I may not be bigger than a fragment of earth, yet my fate is not dependent on the mercies of the winds of time. I am painting the inks of my destiny on my face keeping a mirror in front of me. So I know my reality and my limitations. I know that I am no Sikander. Yet I am somebody who will write my own fate with my own hands *
maana ke musht-e-khak se badh kar nahin hoon main
lekin hawa ke rehmon-karam par nahin hoon main
chehre pe mal raha hoon siyaahi naseeb ki
aaina haath mein hai sikandar nahin hoon main
This ghazal will make you feel strong and rejuvenated. You will no longer feel the need to lament over your fate and your adversities in your path. You will understand that life is about striving to achieve your dream and live your life at your own terms despite your limitations.
*3. Dhoop mein niklo(Sajda)
Is life beyond cold logic and reason? Does the meaning of life escape us intellectuals completely? Does life meet you sometime when you are walking on a sunny day, or when you are caught in a spring shower? Does life surprise you with with pleasant surprises when you are least expecting them?*
Dhoop mein niklo ghataaon mein nahakar dekho
Zindagi kya hai kitaabon ko hataa kar dekho.
Faasla nazron ka dhokha bhi to ho sakta hai
Wo mile ya na mile, haath badha kar dekho
This ghazal is very appropriate for everybody who can’t see beyond bookish knowledge and intellectual thinking, like me. I tend to rationalize everything, even feelings and emotions and hardly ever take a decision if it is not based on logic. Hence it hits home somewhere. The most beautiful line in this ghazal is ‘who sitara hai chamakne do use aankhon mein… kya zaroori hai usay jism bana kar dekho(He is a star, let him shine in your eyes, why is it necessary to reduce him into an earthly body to love him?)
*4. Ek purana mausam lauta(Marasim)
Sometimes, when the time stands still and the mind remembers the moments which can never come back and laughter that has faded into yesterday. The silent moments dissolve into delicate memories which shine like gems in your heart.*
Ek Purana Mausam lauta, yaad bhari purvayee bhi
Aisa to kam hota hai, who bhi ho tanhayee bhi
Do do shaklen dikhtee hain is bahke aaine mein
Mere saath chala aaya hai aapka ek saudayee bhi
I have never been able to listen to this ghazal without tears in my eyes. It speaks of old reminiscences, like old black and white photographs, forgotten names and memories that have faded away with time. Yet for a sentimental person like me, these memories(of my childhood and the people who enriched my life) are very precious.
*5. Koi mausam aisa aaye(Face to face)
Seasons keep changing. Is there a season that will come and bring along with it, your fulfilled dream? *
Koi mausam aisa aaye, usko apne saath jo laaye
Logon se tareef suni thi, us se milke dekha jaaye
Dil ka haal hai jugnu jaisa, jalta jaaye, bujhta jaaye
Beete lamhe kuchh aise hain, khushboo jaise haath na aaye
Ever wished for some thing that you know will never granted to you? Ever longed for some star that can never be yours? It could be a person, an event, a special day. Though the heart knows that it’s impossible to achieve, yet the longing remains, beating with every beat of your heart. A dream that walks with you, breathes with you, sleeps with you and wakes up with you….
