bandagi kyon na raas aati hai — Aslam Saifi

"kyaa haal hai hamaaraa kyaa haadisa huaa hai paDh lijiye hamaare chehre pe sab likhaa hai tum aazmaa ke dekho dhoka tumhein huaa hai vo main nahin huun yaaro vo meraa aaina hai main narm narm lahja vo pattharon kaa tevar kis mein hai zor kitnaa ye aaj dekhnaa hai hai zo'm kis mein kitnaa hai sabr kis mein kitnaa haathon mein us ke khanjar lab pe mire du'aa hai shaayad hai ye bhi koi saazish nai-naveli mayyat pe meri aa kar qaatil bhi ro rahaa hai pahle ye uljhanon ki divaar to giraa lo phir us ke baa'd 'saifi' aage ki sochnaa hai"

"mahrum zindagi hai savaali kabhi kabhi jaise kisi faqir ki thaali kabhi kabhi aksar tasavvuraat mein uDtaa rahaa huun main kaam aa gai ye khaam-khayaali kabhi kabhi ijaad-e-nau to vaqt kaa zauq-e-jamil hai baasi kaDhi bhi us ne ubaali kabhi kabhi nafrat ki aag phail rahi hai idhar udhar hoti hai mere ghar mein divaali kabhi kabhi ye zindagi ki qabr bahut tang hai magar jiine ki raah aur nikaali kabhi kabhi jaise sharif log bhi circus ke ho gae maahaul ne lagaai hai taali kabhi kabhi 'saifi' nae mizaaj kaa ye shahr to nahin jiddat yahaan bhi aai niraali kabhi kabhi"

"kis qadar ziddi hain zid pe aD gae aap to pichhe hamaare paD gae dostaana guftugu aur dil mein kuchh mere chehre ko vo shaayad paDh gae sochnaa hogaa hamein 'aalam-panaah lashkari aapas mein kaise laD gae ye to honaa thaa huaa afsos kyaa zard patte the havaa se jhaD gae vo miri Thokar ke patthar the kabhi taaj mein jo aap ke hain jaD gae ro'b thaa jin kaa thaa jin kaa dabdaba vo manon miTTi ke niche gaD gae mujrimon ko to rihaai mil gai aur ham suuli pe 'saifi' chaDh gae"

"kali kali ke labon par ye naam kis kaa hai tire chaman mein ai maali qiyaam kis kaa hai kahin pe dil hain bichhaae gae kahin palkein ye kaun aayaa hai ye ehtimaam kis kaa hai use raqib na samjhein to aur kyaa samjhein hamaare naam ke pichhe ye naam kis kaa hai tamaam shahr samajhtaa hai paarsaa mujh ko main muqtadi huun magar tu imaam kis kaa hai sivaa tumhaare koi qatl kar nahin saktaa vo tum nahin to bataao ye kaam kis kaa hai bahaana-baazi kiyaa kar na ai mire saaqi suraahi kis ke liye hai ye jaam kis kaa hai tumhin pe naaz hai naazaan na ho bhalaa kaise hai 'saifi' jis kaa takhallus ghulaam kis kaa hai"

"phir sar-phiri havaaon ki saazish bahut hui sukhe the khet shahr mein baarish bahut hui ham to du'aa ke phuul luTaate rahe sadaa lekin zaraa si baat pe ranjish bahut hui saavan ki buund buund kaa aisaa huaa asar us bevafaa se milne ki khvaahish bahut hui saabit kisi tarah na miraa jurm ho sakaa haalaanki khair-khvaahon ki saazish bahut hui dil TuTne se pahle ye sochaa nahin gayaa dil joDne ki baa'd mein koshish bahut hui laayaa thaa is pe phuul chaDhaane ke vaaste kyaa jaane kyon mazaar mein jumbish bahut hui 'saifi' mujhe thi aas ki hogaa na kuchh alag lekin mere gunaah ki pursish bahut hui"

"khud haal aa ke dekh lo khaana-kharaab kaa ab tak ye muntazir hai tumhaare javaab kaa taa'rif kyaa karun abhi tanqid kyaa karun kuchh baab hi paDhaa hai tumhaari kitaab kaa ai sard-qaum tujh mein haraarat ki thi kami ehsaan hai ye tujh pe mire inqalaab kaa yaadon ki titliyon ko ta'ajjub huaa bahut qissa sunaa gayaa vo adhure gulaab kaa tum kyaa gae ki duniyaa hi meri ujaD gai puchho na mujh se haal mire iztiraab kaa suraj se aaj phir hui shaayad kahaa-suni utraa huaa saa munh hai mire maahtaab kaa sharmindagi to hogi ai 'saifi' bahut mujhe aa jaaegaa jo vaqt hisaab-o-kitaab kaa"

"vo mujhe zindagi bataataa hai phir bhalaa kyon nazar churaataa hai main usi ko uThaa rahaa thaa par vo mujhe hi faqat giraataa hai yaad us ko kiyaa yahaan main ne par mujhe vo vahaan bhulaataa hai raaz saare bataa diye main ne kyon magar raaz vo chhupaataa hai log masruf hain mohabbat mein aur vo dil miraa dukhaataa hai"

"jis din se meraa khvaab suhaanaa badal gayaa us din se zindagi kaa fasaana badal gayaa sunne lagaa huun jab se nasihat baDon ki main jaari thaa jo labon pe taraana badal gayaa pahchaan kaa havaala bhi baaqi nahin rahaa chehre ke saath aaina-khaana badal gayaa uThti nahin hai aankh bhi ab aasmaan ki samt jab se gali kaa chaand puraanaa badal gayaa tahzib jin ke ghar ki 'alaamat thi kal talak afsos aaj un kaa gharaanaa badal gayaa 'azmat kaa taaj sar pe hai 'akhilesh' ke sajaa aisi havaa chali ki zamaana badal gayaa itni sharaafaton mein kami aa gai hai aaj pahle thaa jo libaas puraanaa badal gayaa ahl-e-vafaa ne jis ki thi taarikh ki raqam 'faaruq' 'ishq kaa vo fasaana badal gayaa"

"tirgi shama bani raahguzar mein aai saaat ik aisi bhi kal apne safar mein aai jis jagah chehra hi meyaar-e-vafaa Thahraa hai khaak hi khaak vahaan dast-e-hunar mein aai teri nazron mein thi duniyaa to yahi kyaa kam thaa hashr ye hai ki tu duniyaa ki nazar mein aai baar-haa yaaron ne saahil se kahaa thaa ham hain baar-haa naav magar apni bhanvar mein aai zindagi samjhun ise yaa ki ise maut kahun vo jo mehmaan ki surat mire ghar mein aai yuun bhi taarikh ki taarikh raqam hoti hai nikli taarikh mahal se to khanDar mein aai khvaab hi khvaab ki taabir huaa to jaanaa zindagi kyuun kisi aankhon ke asar mein aai shama jalte hi bujhi aur dhuaan aisaa uThaa lazzat-e-shaam yahaan khvaab-e-sahar mein aai zindagi kuchh hai 'ataa' sher-o-adab hai kuchh aur ye do-rangi ki vabaa kaisi hunar mein aai"

"khaamushi ke batn se ye guftani paidaa hui main ba-zaahir chup huaa aur shaaeri paidaa hui is tarah saabit huaa gham aur khushi kaa imtizaaj hanste hanste us ki aankhon mein nami paidaa hui jurm ki paadaash mein ham khaak par pheinke gae so yahaan par intiqaaman zindagi paidaa hui khauf ne hi maslahat ki raah bhi ijaad ki main andheron se Daraa aur raushni paidaa hui dil mein kab utri kisi ke be-maaani guftugu baat karne se to bas aavaaz hi paidaa hui"

"zindagi bojhal hui aazaar se jism jhuktaa jaa rahaa hai baar se doston ne is qadar dhoke diye aur raghbat baDh gai aghyaar se zindagi kaa ik nayaa imkaan huaa ik daricha khul gayaa divaar se ab bayaan kaise karun rudaad-e-gham kaam mushkil hai dil-e-naa-chaar se hijr ki raaton mein bahtaa hi rahaa ek naala chashm-e-dariyaa-baar se misl-e-majnun regzaaron mein rahe sar paTakte ret ki divaar se ham asiraan-e-mohabbat hain yahaan uljhe hain ab gesu-e-khamdaar se 'qalb' teri ghazlein yuun shaadaan karein dard nikle hai tire ashaar se"

"zindagi dushvaar hogi ye kabhi sochaa na thaa vo bagule gham ke uTThe jin kaa andesha na thaa saamne tum aa gae ho to bataa duun jaan-e-jaan jaise dil dhaDkaa thaa ab ki vaise dil dhaDkaa na thaa ye iraada kar liyaa thaa ham na bichhDeinge kabhi TuTeinge ik pal mein rishte ye kabhi sochaa na thaa yaad-e-maazi miT rahi hai vaqt ki raftaar se ab tasavvur mein hamaare koi bhi chehra na thaa sakht hairat ho rahi hai dekh kar apnaa vajud dhuup mein the sab ke saaye par miraa saayaa na thaa shauq-e-manzil dekh meri dekh meraa hausla shahr-e-dil ke raaston mein main kabhi Thahraa na thaa 'qalb' ko sahraa-navardi raas kyaa aati bhalaa vo kabhi aavaargi mein dar-ba-dar bhaTkaa na thaa"