Aaj bazaar mein pa bajolan chalo

Jo rukke toh koh-e-garan the hum
Jo chale toh jaan se guzar gaye
Rahe yaar humne kadam kadam
Tujhe yaadgaar bana diya

Aaj baazaar mein pa bajolan chalo
Aaj baazaar mein pa bajolan chalo
Chashm-e-nam, jaan-e-shoreeda kafi nahin
Tohmat-e-ishq-posheeda kafi nahin
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo

Dast afshan chalo, mast-o-raqsan chalo
Dast afshan chalo, mast-o-raqsan chalo
Khak bar sar chalo, khoon badaman chalo
Rah takta hain sab shehr-e-janaan chalo
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo

Hakim-e-shehr bhi, majma-e-aam bhi
Hakim-e-shehr bhi, majma-e-aam bhi
Teer-e-ilzam bhi, sang-e-dushnam bhi
Subh-e-nashaad bhi, roz-e-naakaam bhi
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo
Aaj baazaar mein pa-bajolan chalo

Inka dum-saaz apnay siwa kaun hain
Shehr-e-janaa mein ab baa-safa kaun hain
Dast-e-qatil kay shaya raha kaun hain
Rakht-e-dil bandh lo, dil figaro chalo
Phir hameen qatl ho aain yaro chalo

Movie: In Custody/Muhafiz (1993)
Director: Ismail Merchant
Singer: Hariharan
Lyricist: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Music Composers: Zakir Hussain and Ustad Sultan Khan

I have been waiting to feature Faiz Ahmed Faiz here. Earlier this year, when citizens decided to raise their voices against the CAA and NRC, Faiz’s ‘Hum dekhenge’ resounded at protest venues. I am ashamed to admit that it was the first time I was hearing the poem. I wanted to feature it here almost immediately but since I was unfamiliar with the work of Faiz, some research was needed to figure out how to stay within the framework of this site.

Finally, on the occasion of the anniversary of his demise, I am able to feature this beautiful nazm, which was part of the 1993 film Muhafiz. Faiz is credited as the lyricist for this movie but this is more an instance of Faiz’s poems being used rather than him writing for the movie. In fact, this is a poem that Faiz apparently wrote following an experience of being taken to a dentist from his jail cell in Lahore, in chains. Since Faiz’s direct association with Hindi films was rather limited (nearly non-existent), it was thanks to posts by his admirers that I was able to find this song. This research also led me to a post that discussed the meaning of the poem, which was great because honestly this is Urdu that is beyond my rather basic comprehension.

Faiz had a BA in Arabic and an MA in English Literature. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Pakistan and his poetry is flush with the idea of a revolution that dismantles power structures and makes the world a better place for the poor and marginalized. It is testament to the brilliance of his work and unfortunately, to the relatively unchanged power structures that Faiz remains popular and relevant even today.

In Muhafiz, this song appears when the central protagonist, a once renowned Urdu poet passes away. So, it felt appropriate to feature today. For me, this is a song that I look forward to listening to again and again so that I can enhance my Urdu vocabulary and unravel the many layers of meaning that are contained in it. ~ R