Ibn-e-insha
Reading Ibn-e-insha these days… very refreshing, great fun. Ghazal lovers… he is the one who wrote, “Kal Chaudhvin ki raat thi” sung beautifully by Ghulam Ali (jagjit singh has too, but I think his and Ghulam Ali’s performances and renderings cannot be compared).
Here is the complete ghazal with the shers (couplets) not sung by both the singers and a rough English transliteration
Kal chaudhavin ki raat thi, shab bhar raha charcha tera
Kuchh ne kaha ye chaand hai, kuchh ne kaha chehra tera
Ham bhi wahin maujood the, hamse bhi sab poochha kiye
Ham hans diye, ham chup rahe, manzoor tha parda tera
Is shehr mein kisse milein, han se to chhooti mehfilein
Har shakhs tera naam le, har shakhs deewana tera
Kooche ko tere chhod kar jogi hi ban jaaein magar
Jangal tere, parbat tere, basti teri, sehra tera
Ham aur rasm-e-bandagi aashuftagi? Uftaadgi?
Ehsaan hai kya-kya tera, ai husn-e-beparwa tera
Do ashq jaane kiske liye, palkon pe aa kar tik gaye
Altaaf ki bearish teri, ikraam ka darya tera
Ai bedareeg-o-beamaan, hamne kabhi ki hai fughaan?
Hamko teri wehshat sahi, hamko sahi sauda tera
Ham par ye sakhti ki nazar? Ham hein faqeere rehguzar
Rasta kabhi roka tera? Daaman kabhi thama tera?
Haan-haan teri soorat haseen, lekin to aisa bhi nahin
Is shakhs ke ashaar se shohraa hua kya-kya tera
Bedard sunni ho to chal, kehta hai kya achhi ghazal
Aashiq tera, ruswa tera, shaair tera insha tera
Insha has also written some poems and prose of very political nature. Some time soon I’ll bring some of that stuff with translation on this blog. Wish me luck!
April 5, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I love insha. He was one of the wittiest urdu prose writers and truly an amazing poet.
April 10, 2008 at 8:59 am
I love hime too. I loved his “Urdu ki Aakhri Kitab”
April 10, 2008 at 6:55 pm
lol @ urdu ki akhri kitab
, its very funny…and so is khumaar-e-gandam and all his travelogues….and his poetry is amazing, i just re-read dil-e-wehshi, the first poem is enough to make u read the whole thing over and over again, “jab umr ki naqdi khatam hui”…:)
i see ure into subversive poetry…have u read jalib?
April 11, 2008 at 8:26 am
no… but thanks for introducing me to him. i found some stuff on the net. I’m pretty okay with Urdu language but lag behind on my grip on the script. I’ve read Insha in only in Hindi transliteration. So my reading of Urdu poets is limited and prose… I almost can’t handle
April 11, 2008 at 2:23 pm
ohh…thats sad.
u can watch his mushaira videos if you want to. here are some links.
http://video.google.com/url?docid=-7992173788748993874
http://video.google.com/url?docid=-8978175453272526185
May 7, 2008 at 8:29 am
” “Kal Chaudhvin ki raat thi” sung beautifully by Ghulam Ali (jagjit singh has too, but I think his and Ghulam Ali’s performances and renderings cannot be compared). ”
Have you listened to Jagjit singing it live on his “Parwaaz” album? It is mesmerising!
June 7, 2008 at 10:40 am
listen INSHA JI UTHO by ustad Ammant Ali Khan….u will definitly love him
June 11, 2008 at 6:40 pm
@ Asfaendyar wazir:
The rendition of the same ghazal by his (Ustad Amanat Ali Khan’s) son Asad Amanat Ali Khan, is also brilliant.
September 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Couldnt find your rough english transliteration of ‘Kal chaudvin ki raath thi..’
September 18, 2008 at 8:45 am
No… because I haven’t done it! I inserted the ghazal only because folks in India know it well, better than they know Insha… just as a way of introducing/positioning Insha as a popular poet. Sorry if you were disappointed.
January 14, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Ibne Insha’s Urdu ki Akhri Kitab is a class in itself. His satire is marvellous. Although the book was written for Pakistani readers but every satire is equally applicable to Indians too. Really a great piece of literature. I consider it one of the ten greatest books I have ever read.
January 14, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Dear Ghazala, you are doing great work. Some of Ibne Insha’s poems have also been sung by Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali, Sukhwinder etc. Really, Insha Ji is grat. He deserves better notice.
June 5, 2009 at 5:21 pm
ye baatein jhoothee baatein hain
ye logon ne phailaee hain,
tum Insha ji ka naam na lo
kya Insha jee saudaee hain
Beautiful Ghazal,great rendition by Ghulam ali.One of me and my wife’s favorites.We liked it so much that we wrote it down and sang it to each other as in a concert
July 19, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Came here searching for a place to buy Ibn-e-insha’s “Urdu Ki Aakhri Kitab” (Hindi Transliteration). Can anyone suggest where can I buy it from. I used to have it as a kid, but have lost it now.
July 20, 2009 at 3:43 am
Ambuj, it has been published by Rajkamal paperbacks. any good store that stocks their books will have it or order it directly from them.
September 5, 2009 at 8:11 am
hes great its not just the content he had in his ghazals but imagine the thinking ..wow grt
December 11, 2009 at 5:28 am
“Insha” is my favourite personality, he is a great poet and prose writter.i read his
‘urdu ki aakhri kitab, aawara gard ki dairy, duniya gol ha, chalty ho to cheen ko chaliye” all of them were enjoyable.
June 14, 2011 at 2:17 am
Ala bohat ALA