Ek Sachchi Amma ki Kahaani!

I wrapped up the last leg of my 10 km walk and a satisfying smile covered my face. This was often followed by a small act of self-pampering - treating myself to a dose of good music, while positioned strategically on the corner bench of the park, amidst the man-made "nature". Talk of simple pleasures of life!

As I approached my regular bench, I saw a frail figure already seated there. It would have looked really rude to just turn around so I continued forward. And now I could see the figure on the bench more distinctly - an elderly woman (okay make that old!), clad in a printed cotton salwar-kurta, of short and petite frame, with the darkness of times she had traversed through, written all over her face!

Her face was engulfed by lines, of all sizes, running in all directions. When she saw me, those lines curved into a smile, reminding me of the caricatures we drew in our art class. I smiled hesitantly and sat on the bench, at a considerable distance, the maximum a limited size bench could offer. 

She had now turned towards me, and I could feel her gaze on me. It was slightly uncomfortable and I was already doubting my sensibilities while choosing to sit there when she asked, 

"Aap yahiin rehte ho beta?" 

The voice was shaking. I could feel the vibrations. Oh wait, I could hear the vibrations. I looked up from my phone and said a quick, "ji..", only to get busy in my phone again, or at least pretend to!

Well, to cut the long story short, we spent the next half an hour talking, rather me listening to her. She seemed to be a highly intelligent lady, very well read, and having excellent communication skills. It turned out, she had just returned from her son's place in Delhi, where she was taken to, after the death of her husband. 

She turned into the quintessential proud mother when talking about her highly successful son. Her eyes gleamed when she informed me about her son being a state-topper, while in college, and how she had stood by him, through his fears and apprehensions, as a mother. She seemed to remember those incidents which definitely occurred at least fifty years before, with such precise detailing like it was just yesterday. She talked about her accomplished daughters who lived in the same city. She talked about her adorable grand-children, and how they ALL wanted her to stay in Delhi only but it was she who was adamant to come back - to this old house in the city, where she had to fend for herself, with no support from any one, at the tender age of 80. 

I was reminded of this beautiful poem by Zehra Nigaah, "Ek Sachchi Amma ki Kahaani." Something cringed deep within me, that almost felt like a pain. I got up, gave her a tight hug, promised to meet her the next day, and left with that pain now brimming my eyes.

Mire bachche ye kehte haiN

“Tum aati ho to ghar meiN raunaqeiN khushbueiN aatii haiN

Ye jannat jo milii hai sab unhii  qadmoN kii barqat hai

Hamaare vaaste rakhna tumhaaraa ik sa.aadat hai

Badii mushqil se maiN daaman chhuDaa kar lauT aayii hooN

Vo aaNsuu aur wo ghamgeen chehre yaad aate haiN

Abhii mat jao, ruk jao, ye jumle sataate haiN

MaiN ye saari kahaani aane waaloN ko sunaatii hooN

Mire lahaje se lipTaa jhuuT sab pehchaan jaate haiN

Bahut tahziib waale log haiN sab maan jaate hain

              -Zehra Nigaah (Ek Sachchi Amma ki Kahaani)

मिरे बच्चे ये कहते हैं 

"तुम आती हो तो घर में रौनक़ें खुशबुएँ आती हैं 

ये जन्नत जो मिली है सब उन्ही क़दमों की बरक़त है 

हमारे वास्ते रखना तुम्हारा इक सआदत है।" 

बड़ी  मुश्क़िल से मैं दामन छुड़ा कर लौट आयी हूँ 

वो आँसू और वो ग़मगीन चेहरे याद आते हैं 

अभी मत जाओ रुक जाओ,  ये जुमले सताते हैं 

मैं ये सारी कहानी आने वालों को सुनाती हूँ 

मिरे लहजे से लिपटा झूट सब पहचान जाते हैं 

बहुत तहज़ीब वाले लोग हैं सब मान जाते हैं 

                           

                 - ज़ेहरा निगाह (एक सच्ची अम्माँ की कहानी)

©Fursatnama

सुना है....ज़ेहरा निगाह / Sunaa Hai by Zehra Nigaah

                                
Zehra Nigaah was born into a literary family in Hyderabad, India. She migrated to Pakistan in 1947. Her writing career began at a very young age. When she was 14 years old, she learnt the poetry of prominent poets by heart.  She is inspired by classical tradition of Urdu poetry.

“Around 1922, the living room in Zehra's family home used to serve as the centre stage for historic meetings of poets of the stature of Iqbal, Firaq, Makhdoom, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Majaz. “Academics, poetry and music completed my home,” she says, adding, “My mother used to learn music from her ustaad [teacher] from behind a purdah. My maternal grandfather used to encourage us children to revise tough poets like Haali and Iqbal with correct meanings, pronunciations and reading style. He would tempt us by saying, ‘If you memorise Iqbal's Jawab-e-Shikwa or Musaddas-e-Hali, you will get five rupees.' And we would wield all our energies to memorise them. Such was my training that at four I had learnt the correct recitation style and pronunciation and by the time I was 14, I had learnt the masterpieces of most big poets by heart.” {Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zehra_Nigah }

सुना है....

सुना है जंगलों का भी कोई दस्तूर होता है।

सुना है शेर का जब पेट भर जाए तो वो हमला नहीं करता

दरख़्तों की घनी छाँव में जा कर लेट जाता है।  

हवा के तेज़ झोंके जब दरख़्तों को हिलाते हैं

तो मैना अपने बच्चे छोड़ कर

कव्वे के अंडों को परों से थाम लेती है

सुना है घोंसले से कोई बच्चा गिर पड़े तो सारा जंगल जाग जाता है।

सुना है जंगलों का भी कोई दस्तूर होता है।

सुना है जब किसी नदी के पानी में

बये के घोंसले का गंदुमी साया लरज़ता है

तो नदी की रूपहली मछलियाँ

उसको पड़ोसी मान लेती हैं।

कोई तूफान आ जाए, कोई पुल टूट जाए तो

किसी लकड़ी के तख़्ते पर

गिलहरी साँप बकरी और चीता साथ होते हैं।

सुना है जंगलों का भी कोई दस्तूर होता है!

ख़ुदा'वन्दा!  जलील-ओ-मो'तबर! दाना-ओ-बीना! मुंसिफ-ओ-अकबर!

मिरे इस शहर में अब जंगलों ही का कोई क़ानून नाफिज़ कर

कोई दस्तूर नाफिज़ कर….

सुना है जंगलों का भी कोई दस्तूर होता है।

- ज़ेहरा निगाह

Sunaa Hai

Sunaa hai jangaloN ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai.

Sunaa hai Sher ka jab peT bhar jaaye, to wo hamla nahiiN kartaa 

DarakHtoN ki ghanii chaaoN meiN jaa kar leT jaata hai. 

Hawaa ke tez jhoNke jab darakHtoN ko hilaate haiN  

To Mainaa apane bachche chhor kar

Kavve ke anDoN ko paroN se thaam letii hai.

Sunaa hai ghoNsale se koii bachchaa gir paDe, to saara jungle jaag jaataa hai

Sunaa hai jangaloN ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai.

Sunaa hai jab kisii nadii ke paanii meiN

Ba’ye ke ghoNsale ka gandumii saaya laraztaa hai

To nadii kii rupahalii machhliyaaN usko paDosii maan letii haiN

kabhii toofaan aa jaaye, koi pul TooT jaaye to

kisi lakDii ke takHte par

gilaharii, saaNp, bakrii aur cheetah saath hote haiN

Sunaa hai jangaloN kaa bhi koi dastoor hota hai.

KHuda'bandaa! Jaleel-o-Mo'tabar! Daana-o-Biina! Munsif-o-Akbar!

Mire iss shehar meiN ab jangaloN hii kaa koi qanoon naafiz kar

Koi dastuur naafiz kar…

Suna hai jangaloN ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai!

-Zehra Nigaah