har manzar-e-hayaat baDi be-dili kaa thaa — Indr Mohan Mehta Kaif

"aasmaanon se na utregaa sahifa koi ai zamin DhunD le ab apnaa masihaa koi phir dar-e-dil pe kisi yaad ne dastak di hai phir bahaa kar mujhe le jaaegaa dariyaa koi ye to mahfil na hui maqtal-e-ehsaas huaa aaina de ke mujhe le gayaa chehra koi kitne viraan hain yaadon ke dar-o-baam na puchh bhuul kar bhi idhar aayaa na parinda koi main is aaseb-zada shahr mein kis se puchhun kyuun mire pichhe lagaa rahtaa hai saayaa koi maangtaa hai mire aamaal kaa har roz hisaab 'kaif' jo mujh mein rahaa kartaa hai mujh saa koi"

"kis ko ham-safar samjhein jo bhi saath chalte hain aashnaa se lagte hain ajnabi nikalte hain ai miri sharik-e-gham kaash tu samajh sakti kitne an-bahe aansu qahqahon mein Dhalte hain raat ki khamoshi mein jab koi nahin hotaa dil se biiti yaadon ke qaafile nikalte hain tah-ba-tah andheron tak raushni to phailegi ek raat ki zid mein sau charaagh chalte hain manzilon ke dhoke mein saathiyo na ruk jaanaa manzilon se aage bhi raaste nikalte hain"

"khvaab jo dekhe jhuTe nikle kuchh na milaa taabiron mein dil ab kis ko DhunD rahaa hai album ki tasviron mein ik gosha to aisaa bhi ho jis kaa koi naam na ho saari dharti baTi hui hai mulkon mein jaagiron mein kaandhon ke rishte bhi kyaa hain shahron shahron phaile hain dil kaa dard samajhne vaalaa kaun mile rahgiron mein kuchh hamein duniyaa raas na aai kuchh dil ne man-maani ki baiTh ke rang bharaa karte hain ab apni tasviron mein dil ke rishte duur ki baatein phir bhi kuchh aisaa lagtaa hai ham tum vo sab bandhe hue hain an-dekhi zanjiron mein 'kaif' ye dil kaa gorakh-dhandaa samjhein to samjhaaein bhi ham divaane hain jaa baiThe mast-e-alast faqiron mein"

"be-naam se phirte the kaam aa gai rusvaai har ajnabi chehre par pahchaan ubhar aai har raat dar-e-dil par dastak diye jaataa hai sone hi nahin detaa ik jazba-e-saudaai jo baais-e-ranjish thi us baat kaa charchaa kyaa us ne bhi nahin puchhi main ne bhi na dohraai gham ek musaafir hai kyaa jaane kahaan Thahre aankhon ki nami bah kar lahje mein utar aai ham 'kaif' thake haare chauraahe pe jaa baiThe DhunDi to kahaan jaa kar is shahr mein tanhaai"

"kal tak aasuda-dili thi aashiyaan thaa aur main aaj hai bikhraa huaa ek ek tinkaa aur main main kise aavaaz detaa aur suntaa bhi to kaun mere gird-o-pesh khvaabon kaa nagar thaa aur main ham-safar to thaa magar gham-aashnaa vo bhi na thaa faasla rakh kar chale the meraa saayaa aur main ab akele mein bhi tanhaa main kabhi hotaa nahin is qadar maanus hain vo ek kamra aur main us ne moti chun liye main sipiyaan chuntaa rahaa apne apne zarf ke qaidi the dariyaa aur main 'kaif' kitni mukhtasar hai zindagi ki daastaan ik saraabon kaa safar hai ek sahraa aur main"

"aaj ham sar-e-mahfil is qadar hanse yaaro gham jo bhuul baiThe the yaad aa gae yaaro chup hain qaafile vaale mutmain hain rahbar bhi dard bujh gayaa yaaro khvaab luT gae yaaro tum the raunaq-e-mahfil har khushi tumhaari thi ham charaagh-e-mahfil the raat-bhar jale yaaro zindagi ke jo lamhe pyaar se sameTe the vaqt ke bayaabaan mein sab bikhar gae yaaro 'kaif' ghar ke baahar to har taraf andheraa hai apne apne ghar raushan sab ne kar liye yaaro"

"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"