Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, born in 1938 in Delhi, is an eminent Urdu poet and lyricist. His poetry is often described as lacking in any singular identity thereby defying neat categorizations. His poetry reflects the checkered trajectories of a poet who "traveled in many directions". His poetry uses both village and urban landscapes to explore nature and human relations. Influenced by the events surrounding Partition, his poetic spirit is still out in search of his home and his nation returning to the theme of expecting the impossible unity of the soldiers on opposite sides of the Indo-Pak border. To know more about Fazli, continue to read this insightful biography on him. Personal Life
Fazli is an Indian poet who responds to the tragic present of South Asia with a rare sensitivity. It is said that the inspiration to write poetries generated in Fazli when once in his young times he passed by a Hindu temple and heard the priest singing a bhajan from Surdas' compositions, about Meera and her eternal love for lord Krishna. It was a bhajan full of sorrow and longing. The beauty of it inspired Fazli as it got him introspecting the beautiful bond between human beings that connects them on such a deep emotional level. He studies Ghalib and Mir thoroughly but found that knowledge limited, therefore, he extended his knowledge to other writers like Meera, Kabir, etc. and then started studying world renowned poets like T.S. Eliot, Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Takasaki, etc.
Major Work
Nida Fazli has received various awards including Khusro Award, Best Poetry Award from Maharashtra Urdu Academy, Hindi Urdu Sangam Award and Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998. In order to make a living, Fazli moved to Bombay in the year of 1964. His poetic writing was much appreciated by filmmakers and scriptwriters and therefore, he started being invited to mushairas and all kinds of poetry recitations. He started getting famous for his colloquial style of writing in Hindi and Urdu language. He has written songs for movies like Sur, Aap Toh Aise Na The, Sarfarosh, Gudiya, Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahi, etc. He has been contributing his critical essays to BBC Hindi on the topics of literature and contemporary issues.
Examples Of Fazli's Work: Ab Khushi hai Na Koi Gham Rulane Wala
Ab khushi hai na koi ghum rulane wala
Humne apna liya har rang zamaane wala
Usko rukhsat toh kiya tha mujhe maalum na tha
Sara ghar le gaya, ghar chhod ke jaane vala
Ik musaafir ke safar jaisi hai sab ki duniya
Koi jaldi mein koi der se jaane vala
Ek be-chehra si ummid hai chehra-chehra
Jis taraf dekhiye aane ko hai aane vala.
English Translation:
There is no happiness now, neither there is anyone left in my life that can make me cry,
I have accepted the ways of the world and life
I had bid him goodbye but I did not quite understand
That he will take everything from my house before leaving
We are all travelers on the path of this life
Some people are in hurry and some people are lagging behind
I have got this unidentified hope from my life
Everywhere I look I feel like you are about to show your face to me again.
Har Taraf Har Jagah Beshumaar Aadmi
Har taraf har jagan beshumaar aadmi
Phir bhi tanhaiyo ka shikar aadmi
Subah se sham tak bhojh dhota hua
Apni hi laash ka khud mazaar aadmi
Har taraf bhaagte daurte raste
Har taraf aadmi ka shikar aadmi
Roz jeeta hua roz marta hua
Har nae din naya intezaar aadmi
Zindagi ka muqaddar safar dar safar
Aakhiri saans tak beqaraar aadmi!
English Translation:
Everywhere and in every direction, there are several men
Even then a man is a victim of his own loneliness and silences
From morning to evening men work hard and bear so much
And thus a man makes a grave for his own dead body
In every direction there are several fleeting paths and choices
But unfortunately on every path the man is a victim of another ma
Everyday a man dies many deaths and resurrects from his own ashes a several times
Every day there is a new waiting a new challenge for a man
The fate of a man is not fixed; it changes with each phase in life
This is what makes a man restless till his last breath.
Apna Gham Leke Kahin Aur Naa Jaya Jaayein
Apna gham leke kahin aur na jaya jaaye
Ghar mein bikhari hui cheezo ko sajaya jaaye
Jin chirago ko hawao ka koi khauf nahin
Unn chirago ko hawao se bachaya jaaye
Baag mein jaane ke adab hua karate hain
Kisi tilti ko na phulo se udaya jaaye
Khudkhushi karne ki himmat nahi hoti sabmein
Aur kuch din yuhi auron ko sataya jaaye
Ghar se masjid hai bohot dur chalo yun karlein
Kisis rote hue bachche ko hasaya jaaye
English Translation:
I cannot take my pain anywhere else now
I have to sort this house out since everything is messed in here
The feelings that do not get scared of anything
It is probably time for those feelings to be curbed
There is a proper protocol to do everything in this world, even to visit a garden
You should not force the butterfly to leave the flower and fly away
I do not even have the strength to commit suicide
I have made up my mind to bother people with my life for some more time
You do not have to go too far from your house to do something noble
If you find someone in need, help him.
