Great Urdu poets: Behzad Lakhnavi

Behzad Lakhnavi is one of my favourite poets. I fell in love with his poetry after watching Merchant Ivory's film Muhafiz, when I was in my early teens. Apart from Faiz, the film had Bahzad's ghazals.

hameN kis tarah bhuul paayegii duniyaa
ki DhuunDhe se hamsaa na paayegii duniyaa

qayaamat kii duniyaa meN hai dil-farebii
qayaamat meN bhii yaad aayegii duniyaa

What is the purpose of life? It intrigues all of us. So much effort man makes on this earth but isn't it all futile in a way. The poets and writers leave behind their works and wonder what will happen to them? Will their writings help the future generations in understanding the world. The writer derives satisfaction in the fact that words written by them would guide and inspire the coming generations and immortalise the writer.

Click to read the ghazal in Urdu, Hindi and Roman scripts.

I especially like his ghazal, which I have earlier posted on this blog.

aye jazba-e-dil gar main chahuuN har chiiz muqaabil aa jaye
manzil ke liye do gaam chaluun aur saamne manzil aa jaye

Click to read

Another ghazal of Behzad Lucknawi is as follows:

diivaanaa banaanaa hai to diivaanaa banaa de
varnaa kahiiN taqdiir tamaashaa na banaa de

aye dekhne vaaloN mujhe haNs haNs ke na dekho
tum ko bhii mohabbat kahiiN mujh saa na banaa de

maiN DhuuNDh rahaa huuN merii vo shamaa kahaaN hai
jo bazm kii har chiiz ko parwaanaa banaa de

Essentially a poet of love, Bahzad is also remembered for his 'naats'. I have heard from elders that his naats were daily broadcast on radio in the morning in the decades of 60s and 70s.

Another ghazal has the following couplets:

mujhe kar ataa sirf baar-e-mohabbat
maiN bandaa huuN parvardigaar-e-mohabbat

maiN ek but* ko Khud hii Khudaa kah rahaa huuN
ajab chiiz hai aitbaar-e-muhabbat
(but=idol, बुत)