Bismil Azimabadi
Bismil Azimabadi (1901 20 June 1978) was an Indian freedom fighter, landlord, and an Urdu poet from Patna, the capital of Bihar.
Family
Bismil Azimabadi's real name was Syed Shah Mohammad Hasan, he was born in 1901 at Azimabad (Mughal name of ...
as a dedication to young freedom fighters of the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
, , retrieved via Google Books on 19 May 2013
Composition & publication
In 1921 Bismil wrote this poem, following the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...
and other atrocities by the British colonialists. It was first published in journal "Sabah", published from Delhi. The ghazal has 11 couplets. Khuda Bakhsh Library has preserved the original copy and page of his diary containing this poem written by him and the corrections done by his mentor Shad Azimabadi.
War-cry of independence movement
The poem was immortalised by
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil ( Hindi: राम प्रसाद "बिस्मिल") (11 June 1897 — 19 December 1927) was an Indian poet, writer, revolutionary and an Indian freedom fighter who participated in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918, a ...
, an Indian freedom fighter, as a war cry during the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
period in India.
It has also been associated with the younger generation of
inter-war
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...
freedom fighters such as
Ashfaqullah Khan
Ashfaqulla Khan (22 October 1900 – 19 December 1927) was an Indian independence activist in the Indian independence movement and co-founder of the Hindustan Republican Association.
Early life
Khan was born in the Shahjahanpur district of th ...
,
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary*
* who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer
*
* in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian nationa ...
and
Chandrashekhar Azad
Chandra Shekhar Tiwari ( (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican ...
.
1992 Budget Speech
The first line of the poem was recited by
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
in his Budget Speech of 1992, on the floor of
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
.
The Ghazal
''
sarfaroshī kī tamannā ab hamāre dil meñ hai
dekhnā hai zor kitnā bāzū-e-qātil meiñ hai
ai shahīd-e-mulk-o-millat main tere upar nisār
le tere himmat ke charchā ghair ki mahfil mein hai
vaah-e-qismat paañv kī ai jo.ab kuchh chaltī nahīñ
kārvāñ apnā abhī tak pehlī hī manzil meiñ hai
rahrav-e-rāh-e-mohabbat rah na jaanā raah meiñ
lazzat-e-sahrā-navardī dūrī-e-manzil meiñ hai
shauq se rāh-e-mohabbat kī musībat jhel le
ik ḳhushī kā raaz pinhāñ jāda-e-manzil meñ hai
aaj phir maqtal meñ qātil kah rahā hai baar baar
aa.eñ vo shauq-e-shahādat jin ke jin ke dil meñ hai
marne vaalo aao ab gardan kaTāo shauq se
ye ġhanīmat vaqt hai ḳhanjar kaf-e-qātil meñ hai
māne-e-iz.hār tum ko hai hayā, ham ko adab
kuchh tumhāre dil ke andar kuchh hamāre dil meñ hai
mai-kada sunsān ḳhum ulTe paḌe haiñ jaam chuur
sar-nigūñ baiThā hai saaqī jo tirī mahfil meñ hai
vaqt aane de dikhā deñge tujhe ai āsmāñ
ham abhī se kyuuñ batā.eñ kyā hamāre dil meñ hai
ab na agle valvale haiñ aur na vo armāñ kī bhiiḌ
sirf miT jaane kī ik hasrat dil-e-'bismil' meñ hai
...
Manoj Kumar
Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...
's ''
Shaheed
''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...
'' (1965) on the life of
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary*
* who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer
*
* in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian nationa ...
Sarfarosh
''Sarfarosh'' () is a 1999 Indian action drama film written, produced and directed by John Matthew Matthan and starring Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Bendre and Mukesh Rishi. John started working on ''Sarfarosh'' in 1992. Seven years ...
'' (''Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye''), and in the 2002 Hindi film, ''
The Legend of Bhagat Singh
''The Legend of Bhagat Singh'' is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language biographical period film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is about Bhagat Singh, a Freedom Fighter who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hin ...
''. The poem has also been used in the 2000 film, ''
Dhadkan Dhadkan may refer to:
* ''Dhadkan'' (1946 film), a 1946 Bollywood film
* ''Dhakhan'' (2000 film), a 2000 Indian romantic drama film
* ''Dhadkan'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Bhojpuri action-romance-comedy film
* ''Dhadkan'' (TV series), an I ...
'' and 2006 film, ''
Rang De Basanti
''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkarni, ...
''. The poem is also referenced in abridged form in the 2009 movie, ''
Gulaal
Gulal or abir ( bn, আবীর) or abhir ( or, ଅଭୀର) is the traditional name given to the coloured powders used for the typical Hindu rituals, in particular for the Holi festival or Dol Purnima (though commonly associated with the ...
'' by
Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...
. The poem has also been recently used in
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
Kakori conspiracy
The Kakori Train robbery (''prapt'' of Kakori Conspiracy) was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925, during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj. It was organised by Hindustan R ...