mai.n terii nazar kaa suroor hoo.N / woh jo ham me.n tum me.n qaraar thaa

The Ghazal bearing the following opening couplet can be said to be The Best Known Ghazal from Momin Khan Momin's deewaan:

woh jo ham me.n tum me.n qaraar thaa, tumhe.n yaad ho ke na yaad ho
wahii yaa'ni waa'da nibaah kaa, tumhe.n yaad ho ke na yaad ho

In fact, the rhyme-anchor (a.k.a radeef) 'tumhe.n yaad ho ke na yaad ho' is arguably one of the two Most Famous radeef in the entire history of Urdu poetry, the other being 'aahista aahista'.

In the film Jahan Ara (1964), lyricist Rajinder Krishan used a radeef that is almost identical to Momin's:

mai.n terii nazar kaa suroor hoo.N, tujhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho
tere paas rahake bhii door hoo.N, tujhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho

The song was beautifully composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Talat Mahmood



There is also a lesser known tandem version of the same lyric with a different tune sung by Lata Mangeshkar, which appears at the beginning of the song "jab jab tumhe.n bhulaayaa, tum aur yaad aaye" (Lata + Asha duet):



If you were able to endure that entire mujra song, allow us to reward you with a fantastic rendition of Momin's Ghazal by the Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor; it's a pure joy to behold:

charaaG dil ka jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

Firaq Gorakhpuri's exquisite Ghazal was an inspiration for a great filmi Ghazal written by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

sukuut-e-shaam miTaao bahut a.ndheraa hai
suKan kii sham'a jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

dayaar-e-Gam me.n dil-e-beqaraar chhuuT gayaa
sambhal ke Dhuu.nDhane jaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

ye raat vo ke suujhe jahaa.n na haath ko haath
Kayaalo duur na jaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

laTo.n ko chehare pe Daale vo so rahaa hai kahii.n
ziyaa-e-ruKh ko churaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

havaa_e.n niim shabii ho.n ki chaadar-e-a.njum
naqaab ruK se uThaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

shab-e-siyaah me.n gum ho ga_ii hai raah-e-hayaat
qadam sambhal ke uThaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

guzashtaa ahd kii yaado.n ko phir karo taazaa
bujhe charaaG jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

thii ek uchaTatii hu_ii nii.nd zi.ndagii usakii
'Firaq' ko na jagaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

For the film Chiraag(1960) Majrooh Sultanpuri used the same refrain - bahut a.ndhera hai.

ibn-e-batuuta baGal meN juutaa

Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena had written a poem for children:

ibn-e-batuuta pahen ke juutaa, nikal paRe tuufaan meN
thoRii havaa naak meN ghus ga_ii thoRee ghus kaan meN
kabhii naak ko kabhii kaan ko malte ibn-e-batuuta
isii biich meN nikal paRaa unke paaNv kaa juutaa
uRte uRte juutaa unkaa jaa pahuNchaa jaapaan meN
ibn-e-batuutaa khaRe rah gaye mochii kii dukaan meN

Gulzar wrote ibn-e-batuutaa baGal meN juutaa in Ishqiya (2010)

mai.n dil kii dil me.n rakhtaa huu.n

There was a film named "Sanam Teri Kasam" which was released in 2009. No, we are not talking about the "Sanam Teri Kasam" (1982) which had Kamal Hassan and Reena Roy. This one had Saif Ali Khan, Pooja Bhatt and Atul Agnihotri. Its not just the title of the film which is old, the whole film is. It was made in 1995, but wasn't released. It was called "Sambandh" in those days. No, not the 1969 "Sambandh". Anyway, this one had a song sung by Kumar Sanu and Pankaj Udhas, which went: mai.n dil ki dil me.n rakhtaa huu.n bas ye hii meraa dosh hai jisme.n jitnaa pyaar hai utnaa vo Kaamosh hai. Sameer was the lyricist. An older poet Natiq Lakhnavi (878-1950) ha famously written the following sh'er kah rahaa hai josh-e-dariyaa se samandar kaa sukuut jisme.n jitnaa zarf hai utnaa vo Kaamosh hai Listen to the song!

merii ghaaghrii me.n/mere lahe.nge me.n ghu.nghruu/mere pairo.n me.n ghu,nghruu

merii ghaaghrii me.n ghu.nghru lawaa de written by Prem Dhawan for Sawan (1959)


A year later ghaaghrii becomes lahe.nga and lawa becomes lagaa in the mukhRaa
mere lahe.nge me.n ghu.Ngharuu lagaa de From Basant (1960) written by Qamar Jalalabadi


The last one became the most popular of the three, in Sangharsh (1968) the hero is singing the song, so instead of the lahengaa, the ghu.nghruus are on the feet.Shakeel Badayuni wrote the song.

mere pairo.n me.n ghu.Ngharuu ba.nDhaa de to phir

ham aur tum aur ye samaaN

So, what are the chances that the beginning of a song sung by the same singer and picturised on the same actor would be the same?

In 1959 Usha Khanna debuted as an Music Director for Dil Deke Dekho. The shooting was nearly complete when Shammi Kapoor heard Usha humming a tune. He liked it so much that asked it to be included in the film. The result was "ham aur tum aur ye samaa.n kyaa nashaa nashaa sa hai" by Majrooh.




The next year Shankar Jaikishen looked beyond Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri for the first time and got Rajinder Krishen to write for College Girl. Perhaps Rajinder Krishen too liked the 1959 song as much as Shammi Kapoor, for he added "lovely lovely lovely" to ham aur tum aur ye samaa.n!



Of course both Shailendra and Hasrat were livid with SJ for going to another lyricist. A miffed Shailendra wrote "chhoTii sii ye duniyaa pahchaane raaste hain tum kahee.n to miloge, kabhii to miloge, to puuchhe.nge haal." Which was later tuned by SJ for Rangoli!

diiwaanaa aadamii ko banaatii haiN roTiyaaN

Nazeer Akbarabadi (1740-1830) wrote extensively. roTiyaaN is a famous nazm of his:

jab aadamii ke peT me.n aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
phuulii nahii.n badan me.n samaaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
aa.Nkhe.n parii_ruKho.n se la.Daatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
siine uupar bhii haath chalaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
jitane maze hai.n sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii se jis kaa naak talak peT hai bharaa
karataa phire hai kyaa vo uchhal kuud jaa ba jaa
diivaar phaa.Nd kar ko_ii koThaa uchhal gayaa
ThaaThTha ha.Nsii sharaab sanam saaqii is sivaa
sau sau tarah kii dhuum machaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
jis jaa pe haa.NDii chuulhaa tavaa aur tanuur hai
Khaaliq kii qudarato.n kaa usii jaa zahuur hai
chuulhe ke aage aa.Nch jo jalatii huzuur hai
jitane hai.n nuur sab me.n yahii Kaas nuur hai
is nuur ke sabab nazar aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
aave tave tanuur kaa jis jaa zabaa.N pe naam
yaa chakkii chuulhe kaa jahaaN gulzaar ho tamaam
vaaN sar jhukaa ke kiijiye DanDavat aur salaam
is vaaste ke Kaas ye roTii ke hai.n muqaam
pahale inhiiN makaanoN meN aatii haiN roTiyaaN
in roTiyoN ke nuur se sab dil haiN puur puur
aaTaa nahii.n hai chhalanii se chhan chhan gire hai nuur
pe.Daa har ek us kaa hai barfii-o-motii chuur
har_giz kisii tarah na bujhe peT kaa tanuur
is aag ko magar ye bujhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
puuchhaa kisii ne ye kisii kaamil faqiir se
ye mehr-o-maah haq ne banaaye hai.n kaahe ke
vo sun ke bolaa baabaa Khudaa tujh ko Khair de
ham to na chaa.Nd samajhe na suuraj hai.n jaanate
baabaa hame.n to ye nazar aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
phir puuchhaa us ne kahiye ye hai dil kaa nuur kyaa
is ke mushaahide me.n hai khulataa zahuur kyaa
vo bolaa sun ke teraa gayaa hai sha_uur kyaa
kashf-ul-quluub aur ye kashf-ul-qubuur kyaa
jitane hai.n kashf sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii jab aa_ii peT me.n sau qand ghul gaye
gul_zaar phuule aa.Nkho.n me.n aur aish tul gaye
do tar nivaale peT me.n jab aa ke dhul gaye
chaudaa tabaq ke jitane the sab bhed khul gaye
ye kashf ye kamaal dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii na peT me.n ho to phir kuchh jatan na ho
mele kii sair Khvaahish-e-baaG-o-chaman na ho
bhuuke Gariib dil kii Khudaa se lagan na ho
sach hai kahaa kisii ne ke bhuuke bhajan na ho
allaah kii bhii yaad dilaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
ab jin ke aage maal_puye bhar ke thaal hai.n
puurii bhagat unhii.n kii vo saahab ke laal hai.n
aur jin ke aage rauGanii aur shiir_maal hai
aarif vohii hai.n aur vohii saahab kamaal hai.n
pakii pakaa_ii ab jinhe.n aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
kapa.De kisii ke laal hai.n roTii ke vaaste
lambe kisii ke baal hai.n roTii ke vaaste
baa.Ndhe ko_ii rumaal hai rotii ke vaaste
sab kashf aur kamaal hai.n rotii ke vaaste
jitane hai.n ruup sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii se naache piyaadaa qavaayad dikhaa dikhaa
asavaar naache gho.De ko kaavaa lagaa lagaa
ghungharuu ko baa.Ndhe paik bhii phirataa hai naachataa
aur is ke sivaa Gaur se dekho to jaa ba jaa
sau sau tarah ke naach dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
duniyaa me.n ab badii na kahii.n aur niko_ii hai
na dushmanii va dostii na tund kho_ii hai
ko_ii kisii kaa aur kisii kaa na ko_ii hai
sab ko_ii hai usii kaa ke jis haath Do_ii hai
naukar nafar Gulaam banaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii kaa ab azal se hamaaraa to hai Khamiir
ruukhii bhii roTii haq me.n hamaare hai shahad-o-shiir
yaa patalii hove moTii Khamiirii ho yaa katiir
gehuu.N ju_aar baajare kii jaisii ho 'Nazeer'
ham ko sab tarah kii Khush aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N




Majrooh Sultanpuri reworked this as diwaanaa aadamii ko banaatii hain roTiyaan for Kali Topi Lal Rumal (1959)