Tu kisi rail si guzarti hai...

I discovered a gem and a legend of the Hindi literature through this beautiful song of a beautiful movie - The first Hindi Ghazal writer of India - Dushyant Kumar.

"Tu kisi rail si guzarti hai, main kisi pul sa thartharata hun"

The lines from his poem stubbornly stuck to my cerebral hemispheres, acing both in the context of melody and the gravity resonating from its every innocent verse.

Today on seeing Masaan, I could only acknowledge, commend and heedlessly comment, "Ee picture kaun banaya hai bay!' 

(I am not allowed the use of the word 'bay' at home and elsewhere. In my defense, for me 'bay' is a mere form of expression that I have culturally imbibed and so fondly like to use)

Dushyant Kumar is the distinct poet who brought in the culture of simplistic wordage and idiosyncrasy in Hindi poetry. It was a bold step in the age where Hindi literature had just distanced itself from Urdu and become the voice of the Nation / awaam ki awaaz.

Dushyant Kumar, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Harivansh Rai Bachhan, Sumitra Nandan Pant were the flag bearers of Hindi poetry which was Nationalistic and inspiring youth to independence. 

Here's my favourite Inqulaabi poem from him - 

हो गई है पीर पर्वत-सी पिघलनी चाहिए,

इस हिमालय से कोई गंगा निकलनी चाहिए।

आज यह दीवार, परदों की तरह हिलने लगी,

शर्त लेकिन थी कि ये बुनियाद हिलनी चाहिए।

हर सड़क पर, हर गली में, हर नगर, हर गाँव में,

हाथ लहराते हुए हर लाश चलनी चाहिए।

सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,

सारी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए।

मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही,

हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

(Most of us wouldn't know it's by him while we have used these lines in Hindi essays, debates and one-act plays, I didn't.)

Kumar died at the young age of 42 in 1975. I am sure he'd have a lot to write that year, were he healthy.  Here's the poem which inspired Varun Grover to write lyrics of Masaan's song - 

मैं जिसे ओढ़ता-बिछाता हूँ

मैं जिसे ओढ़ता-बिछाता हूँ, वो ग़ज़ल आपको सुनाता हूँ

एक जंगल है तेरी आँखों में, मैं जहाँ राह भूल जाता हूँ

तू किसी रेल-सी गुज़रती है, मैं किसी पुल-सा थरथराता हूँ

हर तरफ़ ऐतराज़ होता है, मैं अगर रौशनी में आता हूँ

एक बाज़ू उखड़ गया जबसे, और ज़्यादा वज़न उठाता हूँ

मैं तुझे भूलने की कोशिश में, आज कितने क़रीब पाता हूँ

कौन ये फ़ासला निभाएगा, मैं फ़रिश्ता हूँ सच बताता हूँ