The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. The late Kaifi Azmi sahab, a renowned urdu poet, left behind a compelling thought in his poem ‘Intishar’ (divulging) [mp3 excerpts of the poem’s narration]. An awakening line in the poem goes like, “jise bhii dekhiye maazii ke ishtehaar saa hai“, which may be roughly translated to “whoever you see is a ghost of what they were“. Are we taken farther from our own self than we should be? Distant from what we were born to be or destined to become or struggling to follow? Nomads looking for a place to settle in a parallel world of thoughts – a static world at war betweet despair and hope.
baaziichaa-e-atfaal hai duniyaa mere aage
hotaa hai shab-o-roz tamaashaa mere aagemat puuchh ke kyaa haal hai meraa tere piichhe
tuu dekh ke kyaa rang hai teraa mere aage
Sometimes I wonder, on what pedestal does a poet muse. The apathy is gripping, yet tender.