Contents: 1. House. 2. My past sits heavy on my shoulder. 3. A moment in time. 4. First meeting. 5. Ghazal. 6. A sense of regret. 7. Lucknow could it be? 8. Afternoon. 9. Ghazal. 10. Circle. 11. Ghazal. 12. Courage. 13. Ghazal. 14. Ghazal. 15. Advice. 16. Two nights. 17. Ghazal. 18. Dispersion. 19. Ghazal. 20. Tranquil ocean. 21. Mirror. 22. The custom of giving. 23. For Jafri. 24. Somnath. 25. Chameleon. 26. Nehru. 27. Ghazal. 28. Enough! the loyalty of friends. 29. Ghazal. 30. With such sweet revenge. 31. Renewal. 32. Ghazal. 33. Habit. 34. Invitation. 35. Lamps. 36. I do not know what these eyes. 37. Vagrant worship. 38. The last night. 39. How does one explain. 40. We have given our lives. 41. Explosion. 42. Smile. 43. A humble gift. 44. Stranger. 45. Ibn-e-Mariam. 46. Second storm. 47. A dancing spark. 48. Caution. 49. Woman. 50. A kiss. 51. Life.
"One of the finest Urdu poets of the subcontinent, Kaifi Azmi has borne witness to an entire era of social change. Born in 1918 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, in a zamindar family, Azmi wrote his first poem at the age of eleven. He joined the Communist party when he was nineteen, and wrote for the party paper Quami Jung. Subsequently, he moved to Bombay, and wrote his first lyric for the film Buzdil, directed by Shahid Latif, in 1948. A member of the progressive writers' movement, Azmi has been an active spokesperson for several workers' unions and works passionately to rectify social injustices even today.
"This richness of experience and maturity of perspective is captured in his poems, which reflect the many aspects of Azmi – man, lover, activist and poet. Some of his best verses are about the plight of the exploited, like the famous 'Makaan' which highlights a system where the poor, homeless, footpath dwellers build palaces for the rich to live in. At the other end of the spectrum are his love poems, including the memorable lyrics for films – among them, 'Waqt ne kiya….' – that haunt the reader with their tenderness and contained passion, proving him to be a master at conveying the various nuances of love. Azmi's preoccupation with and expert handling of such disparate themes are indicative as much of his zest for life as his sincerity and honesty of experience.
"Brilliantly translated by Pavan K. Varma, this bilingual selection, published on the occasion of Kaifi Azmi's eighty-first birthday, brings to a wider audience the wisdom and lyricism of Azmi's poetry." (jacket)
Edited by Qwest - 17 years agoGrieving daughter and actress-turned-MP Shabana Azmi breaks down near the body of her father Kaifi Azmi at their residence in Mumbai on Friday. — PTI photo |
New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed deep sorrow at the death of Kaifi Azmi.
Edited by Qwest - 17 years agoLyrics | ||||||||
aa muskuraake ke zakhm khaana aa gaya | Lata Mangeshkar [+], Talat Mehmood [+] [duet,+] | Mohammed D Shafi | Kaifi Azmi | Zindagi |
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aa pyaar ki baahoon mein | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Jaidev | Kaifi Azmi | Chand Grahan | </> | |||
aa utha le apna jaam kya tujhe kisise kaam | Ranu Mukherjee [+] | Jaidev | Kaifi Azmi | Faasla | </> | |||
aaj ham apni duaaon ka asar dekhenge | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Ghulam Mohammed, Naushad Ali [both] | Kaifi Azmi | Pakeezah |
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aaj jash-e-khushnaseebi hai hamaare | Chandrani Mukherjee [+], Krishna Kalle [+] [duet,+] | Iqbal Qureshi | Kaifi Azmi | Aalam Aara | </> | |||
aaj ki kaali ghata mast matwaali ghata | Geeta Dutt [+] | Kanu Roy | Kaifi Azmi | Uski Kahani | </> | |||
aaj socha to aansu bhar aaye muddaten ho gayi muskuraaye | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Madan Mohan Kohli | Kaifi Azmi | Hanste Zakhm |
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</> | ||
aaja aaja o mere dilbar | Usha Mangeshkar [+] | Prem Dhawan | Kaifi Azmi | Shair-E-Kashmir Mahjoor | </> | |||
aaja rota hai kyon jaan khota hai kyon | Mohammed Rafi [+] | Madan Mohan Kohli | Kaifi Azmi | Ghar Ka Chirag | </> | |||
aajkal ke chhokre | Asha Bhonsle [+], Hemant Kumar [+], Manna Dey [+] [trio,+] | Hemant Kumar | Kaifi Azmi | Balma Bada Nadaan (Bojpuri) | </> | |||
aake apni suratiya dikha jaaya karo | Asha Bhonsle [+] | Madan Mohan Kohli | Kaifi Azmi | Sultana Daku | </> | |||
aana hi padega sar ishq ke qadmon pe | Talat Mehmood [+] | Khaiyyam Sharmaji | Kaifi Azmi | Lala Rukh |
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</> | ||
aandhi aaye ki toofan koi gham nahin | Mahendra Kapoor [+] | Jag Phool Kaushik | Kaifi Azmi | Saat Hindustani | </> | |||
aankhen mila gori gori baanhon mein aa | Asha Bhonsle [+], Kishore Kumar Ganguly [+] [duet,+] | Chitragupta | Kaifi Azmi | Hamara Adhikar | </> | |||
aansu ki do boonde | Asha Bhonsle [+], Mohammed Rafi [+] [duet,+] | Bipin Babul | Kaifi Azmi | Forty Days / Chaalis Din | </> | |||
aao aao tumhen bataaoo ki ma kya hai | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Madan Mohan Kohli | Kaifi Azmi | Ghar Ka Chirag | </> | |||
aao beqaraar dil ho chuka hain mujhko | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Hemant Kumar | Kaifi Azmi | Kohra | </> | |||
aapse pyaar hua jaata hai khel tushvaar hua jaata hai | Suraiyya [+] | Ghulam Mohammed | Kaifi Azmi | Shama |
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aayega koi aayega koi aayega liye dil ka karaar aayega | Asha Bhonsle [+] | Iqbal Qureshi | Kaifi Azmi | Dil Aur Patthar | </> | |||
aayi abke saal diwaali munh par apne khoon male | Lata Mangeshkar [+] | Madan Mohan Kohli | Kaifi Azmi | Haqeekat |
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</> |
film{Aakhri Khat}
starring{Rajesh Khanna, Indrani Mukherjee}
singer{Mohammed Rafi}
music{Khaiyyam}
lyrics{Kaifi Azmi}
Song title{aur kuchh der Thahar aur kuchh der na jaa}
aur kuchh der Thahar aur kuchh der na jaa
aur kuchh der Thahar \threedots
raat baaqii hai abhii raat me.n ras baaqii hai
paake tujhako tujhe paane kii havas baaqii hai
aur kuchh der Thahar aur kuchh der na jaa
aur kuchh der Thahar \threedots
jism kaa ra.ng fazaa me.n jo bikhar jaayegaa
maharabaan husn teraa aur nikhar jaayegaa
laakh zaalim hai zamaanaa magar itanaa bhii nahii.n
tuu jo baaho.n me.n rahe vaqt Thahar jaayegaa
aur kuchh der Thahar aur kuchh der na jaa
aur kuchh der Thahar \threedots
zi.ndagii ab inhii.n qadamo.n pe luTaa duu.N to sahii
ai hasiin but mai.n Kudaa tujhako banaa duu.N to sahii
aur kuchh der Thahar aur kuchh der na jaa
aur kuchh der Thahar \threedots
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Contents: Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan - Shaguftagi Ka Latafat Ka / Kavita Krishnamurthy - Tum Mohobbat Ko Chupati Kyon Ho and Do Nigahon Ka Achaanak / Alka Yagnik - Woh Bhi Sarahane Lage. Style - Ghazal. An album presenting an amazing cross-section of eminent talents from two generations who present the quintessential flavour of Kaifi Azmis poetry in all its phases, moods and rhythm, where the romantic poetry goes hand-in-hand with revolutionary through the soul stirring music of Khayyam. Sung by the artistes like Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayanand Roop Kumar Rathod |
???? ????
(Kaifi Azmi)
( 1919 - 2002 )
Kaifi Azmi was an Indian lyricist. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri. He is the father of the actress Shabana Azmi.
Uncertain about his date of birth Azmi Saab however was certain that he was born in enslaved India, grew old in Independent India and that he would die in Socialist India. He was born as Akhtar Husain Rizvi, in a small hamlet, Majwan, in the district of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh in a family of landlords. His father Syed Fateh Husain Rizvi, though was a landlord, but took up employment first in a small native state, Balharah, as a tahsildar and later on other areas of Uttar Pradesh. He decided to send his sons to schools imparting modern education, including English, against the stiff opposition of his relatives. However, Azmi Saab could not get this opportunity because his elders wanted him to be a theologian. He was admitted in Sultan-ul-Madaris, a reputed seminary in Lucknow. However his nonconformist nature created many problems for the authorities of the seminary. He formed a Students' Union and asked all the students to go on strike for getting their demands fulfilled. The strike continued for one and half year. Though the strike was called off, he was expelled from the seminary. This was the end of his elders' dream to train him to be a theologian. Azmi Saab could not seek modern education but he passed various examinations of Lucknow and Allahabad Universities that helped him acquire command over Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages.
During this period the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very much impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible cooperation and encouragement to him. Consequently, Azmi Saab began to win great acclaim as a poet. His initiation into poetry was most interesting. At the age of eleven he, somehow, managed to get himself invited to a Mushaira and over there recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal, which was very much appreciated by the President of the Mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought that he recited his elder brother's ghazal. When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi Saab accepted the challenge and within no time completed a ghazal. That particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India sung by none other than the legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar and went thus: Itna to Zindagi Mein Kisiki Khalal Pade Hasne se ho Sukoon Na Rone se Kal Pade. He however abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India agitations of 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party in 1943. He was asked to shift base to Mumbai and work among the workers and started party work with lot of zeal and enthusiasm and at the same time would attend Mushairas in different parts of India. In 1947, he reached Hyderabad to participate in a Mushaira. There he met with Shaukat, fell in love with her and both got married. Shaukat Kaifi, later on, became a well known actress of theatre and film.
Like most of the Urdu poets, Azmi Saab began as a ghazal writer cramming his poetry with the oft-repeated themes of love and romance in a style that was replete with clichs and metaphors. However, his association with the Progressive Writers' Movement and Communist Party made him embark on the path of socially conscious poetry. In his poems he highlights the exploitation of the subaltern masses and through them he conveys a message of the creation of a just social order by dismantling the existing one. Yet, his poetry cannot be called plain propaganda. It has its own merits; intensity of emotions, in particular, the spirit of sympathy and compassion towards the disadvantaged section of society are the hallmarks of his poems. His poems are also notable for their rich imagery and in this respect his contribution to Urdu poetry can hardly be overstated. He published three anthologies of poetry Aakhir-e-Shab, Jhankar and Awaara Sajde. Recently Penguin came out with a translation of his poems in English - Selected Poems Kaifi Azmi.
Azmi Saab was also an active member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and in later years its president. His role in theatre was very important — he ensured that even after the communist movement started dying, its cultural component was kept alive. Once or twice he got young writers to produce plays and perform them at the Bhulabhai Desai Hall to collect funds for the Communist Party.
Azmi Saab's stint in film includes working as lyricist, writer and yes even actor! His early work as story writer was mainly for Nanubhai Vakil's films like Yahudi ki Beti (1956), Parvin (1957), Miss Punjab Mail (1958) and Id ka Chand (1958). But perhaps his greatest feat as a writer was Chetan Anand's Heer Ranjha (1970) wherein the entire dialogue of the film was in verse. It was a tremendous achievement and one of the great feats in Hindi Film writing. Azmi Saab also won great critical accolades for the script, dialogues and lyrics of M.S. Sathyu's Garam Hawa (1973), based on a story by Ismat Chughtai. The film, chronicles the plight of the minority Muslims in North India and is set in Agra after the first major partition exodus. Balraj Sahni played to perfection the central role of an elderly Muslim shoe manufacturer who must decide whether to continue living in India or to migrate to the newly formed state of Pakistan. Garam Hawa remains today one of the most poignant films ever to be made on India's partition. Azmi also wrote the dialogues for Shyam Benegal's Manthan (1976) and Sathyu's Kanneshwara Rama (1977). As a lyrics writer though he wrote for numerous films, he would always be remembered for Guru Dutt's Kaagaz ke Phool (1959) and Chetan Anand's Haqeeqat (1964), India's greatest ever war film. In the former who can forget Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari Bichde Sabi Baari Baari or Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Situm and Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bhulaya Hoga or Kar Chale Hum Fida Jaan-o-Tan Saathiyon in the latter. The last mentioned patriotic song causes goose p***les even when heard today. Some other notable films for which he wrote the lyrics include Uski Kahani (1966), Bawarchi (1972), Pakeezah (1972), Hanste Zakhm (1973) and Razia Sultan (1983). He also played a memorable old man in Naseem (1995),a touching film centered around the destruction of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. The film is set in June-December 1992, the days preceding the demolition of the Masjid on December 6, 1992 by Hindutva fanatics. Naseem (Mayuri Kango) is a schoolgirl belonging to a middle class Mumbai based Muslim family. She enjoys a warm relationship with her aged ailing grandfather (Azmi Saab). With increasing horror the family watches on their TV the news of the build up at Ayodhya while the grandfather regales her with stories of life in pre-independence Agra. The grandfather dies on December 6 coinciding with the news of the destruction of the mosque. Azmi Saab's brilliant performance provides not just a reminder but a literal embodiment of the cultural traditions at stake those tragic days. It was a performance his daughter, multiple National Award winning actress Shabana Azmi, was proud of.
Kaifi Saab has won various awards and he has been honoured by various national and international institutions. These include the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award, the Soviet Land Nehru Award and the Sahitya Academy Award for his collection, Awaara Sajde, the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy's Special Award for his contribution to Urdu literature and the Afro-Asian Writers' Committee's Lotus Award. He also won the National Award and Filmfare Award for the screenplay and dialogue of Garam Hawa. Azmi Saab was also the subject of a documentary film Kaifi Azmi (1979) made by Raman Kumar. His son Baba Azmi is a reputed cinematographer while son-in-law Javed Akhtar is a well known writer, lyricist and poet and daughter-in-law Tanvi, a fine actress in her own right.
This group of firebrand writers and poets also became the moving spirit of the Communist Party of India. Their romance with the left movement saw them spend time in jail. After India became free these writers realised the need for regular work to keep the home fires burning. Ask Shabana Azmi and she will tell you how her father and mother, Shaukat Azmi, better known as Moti Apa, had to spread newspapers in a small room of the party office as bed before the Hindi film industry came to their help. In fact, most of the progressive writers moved to Bombay because the Hindi film industry needed the skills of these talented Urdu writers for it to strike roots in post-Partition India. After Sahir the poet from Azamgarh was, perhaps, the most successful lyric writer. Of course, the students of literature would remember him for his contribution to Urdu poetry. But a vast body of his fans and admirers was made up of lovers of Hindi film songs. He started his career as a song writer with Shahid Latif's "Buzdil" and went on to gain a permanent place in Bollywood's hall of fame with "Kaagaz Ke Phool" and "Haqeeqat". His commitment to the country's secular values saw him pen a memorable poem captioned "Ram ka Doosra Banwas" on the demolition of Babri Masjid that resulted in a wave of hate crimes throughout the country. He must have been in deep pain in his last moments not because of the attack of asthma, but because of the madness that shows no signs of abating in Gujarat.
Edited by Qwest - 17 years ago'He was today's Mirza Ghalib' Bollywood pays tribute to Kaifi Azmi |
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As told to Lata Khubchandani
Edited by Qwest - 17 years agoAzmi had expressed a wish to be buried at Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He is likely to be buried in Mumbai at 5 pm on Friday.
Edited by Qwest - 17 years ago