Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Trips down memory lane…was recently asked, ‘What made you interested in Faiz?’ a question that can easily be answered by replying with the renowned ghazals one has heard, or the ‘hum daikhain gay’ chant of Iqbal Bano members of all sections of society happily claim to uphold. Lots of usual reasons. Though I’m gradually losing confidence in my mental archives, I did manage to trace two possible starting points for the love affair of Faiz’s poems.

Did one instance occur before the second? Or was it the other way round? Whatever the case, the thing that I can be reasonably sure of is that it doesn’t matter. The fact is I was 14 years old, in love with Christina, had just given Junoon’s Album1 one final chance and didn’t know what to take to class as part of the ‘bring something about your country’ assignment.

In Junoon Volume 1, the song ‘jeeain’ begins with a poem by Faiz…a memorable set of lines, but one which weren’t entirely understood until many months later when I’d read the complete poem. However, it was the other poem which marked a turning point.

I normally didn’t ask dad questions related to studies. I always ended up further confused. But this was a last minute thing and I needed help. So I asked him as he was rushing out for his field work in Wad Madani (we were in Sudan). He quickly took out the first book that came off the shelf which happened to be Faiz’s ‘nuskhaha-e-vafa’ and chose the first poem that came up – it was called ‘Kuttay’ (Dogs) and without considering my obvious displeasure at the selected title went on to explain in detail the underlying theme.

The seeds were laid then and I admit that though not know that well, it is among the best poems of Faiz I’ve read. And for all intents and purposes is responsible for the ideological shift I’d taken, on who I’d select as my heroes and who I would not.

Yeh galiyoun kay avara baykaar kuttay,
Keh bakhsha gaya jin ko zoaq-e-gadai,
Zamanay kee phatkaar sarmaya un ka,
Jehaan-bhar ke dhatkaar un kee kamaii…

[These filthy wandering street dogs,
Who have been blessed with unending poverty,
Life’s aimlessness is their only investment,
The world’s merciless kicks are their only earning…

And after describing the unenviable, poverty-stricken masses who have seemingly no hope, Faiz ends the poem with the imploring lines…

Koi un ko ehsaas-e-zillat dikhladay
Koi un kee soee hui dum hiladay…

[If only they realized the extent of their humiliation,
If only they could be awoken from their slumber…]