Shehenshaah-e-Awaaz: Rafi
Written by Sarah Modi
Tukde hain mere dil ke
Yeh Rafi ke anmol geet
Chaahe saathi ho na koi manzil
Hain Rafi ke nagme hi mere meet
Is rang badalti duniya mein
Kuchh qaayam hain to bas Rang-e-Rafi
Taarif karun kya uski jis per naaz kare woh khuda bhi
Sau baar janam lenge tab bhi na banenge Rafi jaise kalaakaar
Chaudhwin ka chaand ho ya aaftaab ho o mere saaz-e-sarkaar
Hum bekhudi mein tumko hi pukaarte rahenge
Kuchh is tarah zindagi ka saath nibhaate chalenge
Ae mousiki ke mehboob tujhe usiki mohabbat ki kasam
Tu aaja re aa zara aa, banke toote is dil ka marham
Tere bina yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hain
Yeh rang aur noor ki baaraat bhi ab shor ka kaarwaan hain
Tu aaja ke intezaar mein jaane ko hain yeh jaan bhi
Ehsaan tera hoga jo tu pura kar de mera armaan bhi
Khuda-e-shehenshaah ne banwaake teri aawaaz ka haseen Taj Mahal
Saari duniya ko mohabbat ki nishaani di hain
Khuda ka yeh ishq ishq hain ishq ishq
Isi ishq ki na bhoolne waali kahaani di hain
Chale aaj hum jahaan se bhi
Teri yaad mein duniya ko bhulaaye rakhenge
Din dhal jaaye chaahe raat
Tere dil ki aawaaz ko seene se lagaaye rakhenge
Jo baat tujh mein hain woh aaj kisi mein bhi nahin
Tu chaahe paas ho chaahe door ho
Tere nagma-o-sher ka andaaz kisi mein bhi nahin
Ab lagta nahin hain dil mera suron ke ujade dayaar mein
Tum nahin to soz nahin aaj nazmon ke akhtiyaar mein
Seene mein sulagte hain na jaane kitne dard bhare afsaane
Magar aapne yaad dilaaya to yaad aaye shokhiyon se bhare taraane
Ab kya misaal doon main tumhare dilkash taano ki
Ghazal ban gayi hain sadaa khaamosh armaano ki
O mere shah-e-khubaan jab tum mere paas hote ho koi dusra nahin hota
Is bhari duniya mein tumhari sukoon-e-aawaaz ke siwa koi aasra nahin hota
Yeh geet tumhare jo rahte hain mere aas paas har kahin
Unhein baar baar sunker bhi jee chaahta hain ke
Abhi na jaao chodker dil abhi bhara nahin
Yeh duniya yeh mehfil aakhir hoti kis kaam ki
Agar usmein no hoti daastan
Aapke nagmon se bhari shaam ki
Bahut shukriya badi meherbani meri zindagi mein huzoor-e-ghazal aap aaye
Ishaaron ishaaron mein kah doon sab jo ab mujhse aur kaha na jaaye
Bas yeh hasrat hain ke is duniya mein
Hum do kaam kar jaaye
Tumhare tarannum sang jiye
Tumhare taraano sang mar jaaye
Thank you my friends for your generous appreciation of my tribute to Rafi saab. It is impossible to capture Rafi’s ingenuity in any prose or poetry. Sorry Yesudas ji I cannot translate the poem in English. Mahesh ji, Syed ji, Muhammad ji, and Nasreen ji I am grateful for your kind words. Thank you all. Long Live Rafi and his melodies!
Sorry friends, my Urdu knowledge is near-zero. So I could not understand what the above comments mean. However, I do grasp that the author has poured her heart out on Rafi Saab.
May I request a translation into English? To me, Rafi Saab is the Best, Second Best and Third Best Singer of all time – the slot for the 4th position would easily be claimed by K J Yesudas…
Sarah Modi Ji ne Rafi saab ke bahut hi maqbool gaano ko pirokar jo geetmala yahan pesh ki hai, wo naakabile faramos hai..Aqidat ki ek khuisusi misaal hai…Sarah ji
ka Rafi saab ke prati pyaar dikhaata hai.. Padhkar kafi khush hua…
Well, this is quite close to being an ultimate tribute to RAFI Saheb. It is a great piece of inventiveness that is probably only possible for someone who knows what he or she really needs to say.
I know for sure having followed Rafi Saheb’s songs for more than half a century. He was the only one who could do justice to the genius of such a great variety of music composers and actors of his times.
Wah, kya baat hai!