The
Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari said that it had been observed that the poetry
of Faiz Ahmad Faiz blends skilfully classical sobriety and artistry with modern
incisiveness and ruthlessness of expression in exposing to light the turmoil
and revolutionary urges of the time.essing after releasing Special issue of
“Think India” quarterly on Faiz Ahmad Faiz at a function here today, he opined that Romance and revolution thus
became part of the same impulse and, in Faiz’s own words, “gham-e-jaana aur
gham-e-douran eik hi tajrabe ke do pehlu hain”. The resulting mix is overpowering;
it accounts for the popularity of Faiz in the subcontinent and beyond.
Shri Ansari said that the previous week had been a spiritually
uplifting one for him personally. On Friday he was in Dhakka participating in
the joint Bangladesh-India celebration of Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary. Today, he is here
to release this volume. Two great poets, both born Indian, who used the medium
of verse to reflect on issues of wider concern. One thought in evolutionary
terms, the other in revolutionary ones. The menu of options, a teasing one, was
laid bare.
Following
is the text of the Vice President’s address :
“I am happy to be here today to
participate in the release of the Faiz Centenary number of Think India.
It brings together writings and impressions of a good number of shaidaa ee yaan-e-Faiz the world over
and would be of particular value to the younger, post-Faiz, generation.
This
week has been a spiritually uplifting one for me personally. On Friday I was in
Dhakka participating in the joint Bangladesh-India celebration of Rabindranath
Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary. Today, I am here to release this
volume. Two great poets, both born Indian, who used the medium of verse to
reflect on issues of wider concern. One thought in evolutionary terms, the
other in revolutionary ones. The menu of options, a teasing one, was laid bare.
It
has been observed that the poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz blends skilfully classical
sobriety and artistry with modern incisiveness and ruthlessness of expression
in exposing to light the turmoil and revolutionary urges of the time. Romance
and revolution thus became part of the same impulse and, in Faiz’s own words, “gham-e-jaana aur gham-e-douran eik hi
tajrabe ke do pehlu hain”. The resulting mix is overpowering; it accounts
for the popularity of Faiz in the subcontinent and beyond.
Faiz saheb’s verses challenge authoritarian
edifices and evoke hope for a better tomorrow:
Kahaan hai manzil-e-raahe tamanna hum bhi dekhen gai
Yeh shab hum par bhi guzre gi, yeh farda hum bhi dekhen
gai
Theher ai dil , jamaal-e-roo-e- zaiba hum bhi dekhain gei
Again, in the well
known lines of Tarana:
Darbaar-e-watan main
ek din sub jaane wale jaaen ge
Kooch apni saza to pohnchen ge, kooch apni jaza le jaaen
ge
Ai khak nasheeno, uth baitho, woh waqt qareeb aa pahuncha
hai
Jab takht giraae
ja ain ge, jab taaj uchale jaa en ge
And, there are
expressions of despair emanating from the harsh experience of life:
Himmat-e-ilteja nahin baaqi---Zabt ka howsala nahin baaqi
Ho chuka khatm ahd-e-hijr o wisal---Zindagi main maza
nahin baaqi
Or
Jo chal sako to chalo ke raahe wafa bahut mukhtasar
hui hai
Muqaam hai ab koi na manzil, faraaz-e-daar o rasan se
pehle.
The time Faiz Ahmad Faiz spent in
jail produced some of his most evocative verses. He explained it convincingly: Jail khana, aashqi ki tarah, khud eik
bunyaadi tajraba hai,jis main fikr aur nazar ka eik aadh naya dareecha khud
bakhud khul jaa ta hai.
The volume before us also brings
forth some delectable episodes in the life of Faiz. One relates to his meeting
with Jazbi in Lucknow
in 1936. Another to how, on being recruited in the public relations department
of the army in World War II, he developed a motivational approach for the
soldiers and for which he received an OBE.
One of the contributors to this
volume has summed up the sentiments of many who read and cherish Faiz: “He
makes us feel good about ourselves. He makes our lives bearable. He gives us a
glimpse of hope.”
One last word before I conclude. In
November 1984, I was wandering in Urdu Bazar and acquired a collection of Faiz
entitled Waraq Waraq. It was edited
in 1975 by a distinguished predecessor of mine in this office, the late Shri
Krishan Kant. In an erudite Introduction, he dwelt on various aspects of the
poet’s work. I will share with you his concluding lines:
Bharat main jahan Urdu kasm-pursi ke aalam main hai,
nai nasl Faiz ke kalam ko surma samajh kar aankhon se lagaati hai. Mehnat aur
sarmay ki kash ma kash ka shaoor jun jun awam main barhta jai ga, aane wali
naslain usai ek aham tareeki aur funni dastawaiz ke taur par harz-e-jaan banaen
ge.
The poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz earned
him immortality in his lifetime. It is incumbent on us, all of us, to pass on
this precious heritage to succeeding generations. D.P. Tripathi ji has earned
our gratitude by bringing forth this collection of writings”.
SK