 "Mehfil-e-Sahir | Celebrating 100 years of Sahir Ludhianvi: Hussain Haidry reads 'Main To Kuch Bhi Nahin'")
आप क्या जाने मुझको समझतें हैं क्या? Aap kya jaane mujhko samajhte hain kya?
मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं Main to kuch bhi nahin
इस क़दर प्यार इतनी बडी भीड का मैं रखूंगा कहां Is qadr pyaar itni badi bheed ka main rakhunga kahaan
इस क़दर प्यार रखने के क़ाबिल नहीं मेरा दिल मेरी जां Is qadr pyaar rakhne ke kaabil nahin mera dil meri jaan
मुझको इतनी मोहब्बत न दो दोस्तो Mujhko itni mohabbat na do doston
सोच लो दोस्तो Soch lo doston
इस क़दर प्यार कैसे सम्भालूंगा मैं Is qadr pyaar kaise sambhaalunga main
मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं Main to kuch bhi nahin
*
प्यार एक शख़्स का भी अगर मिल सके Pyaar ek shaqs ka bhi agar mil sake
तो बडी चीज़ है ज़िन्दगी के लिए To badi cheez hai zindagi ke liye
आदमी को मगर ये भी मिलता नहीं Aadmi ko magar ye bhi milta nahin
मुझको इतनी मोहब्बत मिली आपसे Mujhko itni mohabbat mili aapse
ये मेरा हक़ नहीं मेरी तक़दीर है Ye mera haq nahi meri taqdeer hai
मैं ज़माने की नज़रों में कुछ भी न था Main zamaane ki nazron me kuch bhi na tha
मेरी आँखों में अब तक वो तस्वीर है Meri aankhon me ab tak woh tasveer hai
इस मोहब्बत के बदले, मैं क्या नज़र दूं Is mohabbat ke badle, main kya nazar doon
मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं Main to kuch bhi nahin
*
इज़्ज़तें शोहरतें चाहतें उल्फ़तें Izzatein shauhratein chaahtein ulfatein
कोई भी चीज़ दुनिया में रहती नहीं Koi bhi cheez duniya me rehti nahin
आज मैं हूं जहां कल कोई और था Aaj main hoon jaha kal koi aur tha
ये भी एक दौर है वो भी एक दौर था Ye bhi ek daur hai woh bhi ek daur tha
*
आज इतनी मोहब्बत न दो दोस्तो Aaj itni mohabbat na do doston
कि मेरे कल की ख़ातिर न कुछ भी रहे Ki mere kal ki khatir na kuch bhi rahe
आज का प्यार थोडा बचा कर रखो Aaj ka pyaar thoda bacha kar rakho
मेरे कल के लिये Mere kal ke liye
कल जो गुमनाम है, कल जो सुनसान है Kal jo gumnaam hai, kal jo sunsaan hai
कल जो अंजान है, कल जो वीरान है Kal jo anjaan hai, kal jo veeran hai
मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं हूं Main to kuch bhi nahin hoon
मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं Main to kuch bhi nahin
***
“What is the secret behind Sahir Ludhianvi’s everlasting appeal?” Surinder Deol asks in an essay for _Firstpost_, examining the poet-lyricist’s life and legacy in the year of his 100th birth anniversary. Mehfil-e-Sahir is Firstpost’s ode to Ludhianvi, a collection of video tributes by seven leading Hindi film lyricists — from Varun Grover to Kausar Munir, Irshad Kamil, Shellee, Raj Shekhar, Mayur Puri and Hussain Haidry. Each of these lyricists has picked the verses that speak most to them, explaining why Sahir’s words resonate even three decades after his death. Sahir Ludhianvi was born on 8 March 1921, in Ludhiana. His poetry and film lyrics from the 1940s onwards made him wildly popular, and earned him titles such as “the people’s poet” and “bard of the underdog”. “Today we are witnessing new threats to democracy and secularism… In this context, Sahir’s voice is essential,” Deol notes in his Firstpost essay. “The values he championed are here to stay for the better part of this century.” _View the complete **Mehfil-e-Sahir** series here._
***
Hussain Haidry reads: ‘Main To Kuch Bhi Nahin’ (Daag, 1973) Ludhianvi’s poems or nazms had this unique lyrical quality to it that made them just apt enough to be used as songs in films. There are many nazms of the celebrated poet-lyricist that went on to become memorable songs, be it Khubsoorat Mod which is popularly known by the song ‘Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se Ajnabee Ban Jaaye Hum Dono’ from the 1963 film Gumraah , or Chakle that we also know as ‘Jinhen Naaz Hai Hind Par’ from Guru Dutt’s 1957 Pyaasa. ‘Main To Kuch Bhi Nahin’ is, however, a rare exception. “Ludhianvi wrote this nazm after receiving numerous congratulatory messages and accolades upon being conferred with the Padma Shri in 1971. The nazm was titled ‘Aaj Ka Pyaar Thoda Bacha Kar Rakho’,” mentions Hussain Haidry. Unlike his other poems, this wasn’t made into a song. In fact, it was read out as a monologue by Rajesh Khanna in Yash Chopra’s 1973 film Daag. In the scene, Khanna’s character is also being honoured with some award and he says this poem as a thanksgiving note amid thunderous applause from the audience. “This nazm is a favourite of mine because unlike most Urdu poems, its lines aren’t on a single metre. It doesn’t have stanzas; it’s more like a free-flowing verse. Yet, it has a rhythmic pattern which is perhaps also a reason why it sounds rhythmic when it is used as a monologue in the film,” adds Haidry.
Editorial support, text and coordination by Suryasarathi Bhattacharya | Video edited by Akshay Jadhav | Art by Satwik Gade
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