Releasing the Faiz Centenary number of Think India, here he said that romance and revolution became part of the same impulse and, in Faiz’s own words, “gham-e-jaana aur gham-e-douran eik hi tajrabe ke do pehlu hain”. The resulting mix is overpowering; it accounts for the popularity of Faiz in the subcontinent and beyond.
Faiz’s verses challenge authoritarian edifices and evoke hope for a better tomorrow:
Kahaan hai manzil-e-raahe tamanna hum bhi dekhen gai
Yeh shab hum par bhi guzre gi, yeh farda hum bhi dekhen gai
Theher ai dil , jamaal-e-roo-e- zaiba hum bhi dekhain gei
Again, in the well known lines of Tarana:
Darbaar-e-watan main ek din sub jaane wale jaaen ge
Kooch apni saza to pohnchen ge, kooch apni jaza le jaaen ge
Ai khak nasheeno, uth baitho, woh waqt qareeb aa pahuncha hai
Jab taaj giraae ja ain ge, jab taaj uchale jaa en ge
And, there are expressions of despair emanating from the harsh experience of life:
Himmat-e-ilteja nahin baaqi—Zabt ka howsala nahin baaqi
Ho chuka khatm ahd-e-hijr o wisal—Zindagi main maza nahin baaqi
Or
Jo chal sako to chalo ke raahe wafa bahut mukhtasar hui hai
Muqaam hai ab koi na manzil, faraaz-e-daar o rasan se pehle.
The time Faiz Ahmad Faiz spent in jail produced some of his most evocative verses. He explained it convincingly: Jail khana, aashqi ki tarah, khud eik bunyaadi tajraba hai,jis main fikr aur nazar ka eik aadh naya dareecha khud bakhud khul jaa ta hai.
“The volume before us also brings forth some delectable episodes in the life of Faiz. One relates to his meeting with Jazbi in Lucknow in 1936. Another to how, on being recruited in the public relations department of the army in World War II, he developed a motivational approach for the soldiers and for which he received an OBE”.
In November 1984, he said, I was wandering in Urdu Bazar and acquired a collection of Faiz entitled Waraq Waraq. It was edited in 1975 by a distinguished predecessor of mine in this office, the late Shri Krishan Kant. In an erudite Introduction, he dwelt on various aspects of the poet’s work. I will share with you his concluding lines:
Bharat main jahan Urdu kasm-pursi ke aalam main hai, nai nasl Faiz ke kalam ko surma samajh kar aankhon se lagaati hai. Mehnat aur sarmay ki kash ma kash ka shaoor jun jun awam main barhta jai ga, aane wali naslain usai ek aham tareeki aur funni dastawaiz ke taur par harz-e-jaan banaen ge.
The poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz earned him immortality in his lifetime. It is incumbent on us, all of us, to pass on this precious heritage to succeeding generations.