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1 / 25 : Featured

fikr-e-maash maatam-e-dilaur khayaal-e-yaar

tum sab se maazrat

ke tabeeyaat udaas hai

worry about livelihood, my heart's lament

and thoughts of my beloved

i beg your forgiveness

but am a bit melacholic today

Javed Akhtar (10)

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

fikr (m) (5)

concern, fear

maash (f) (1)

livelihood

maatam (m) (1)

mourning

yaar (19)

friend, beloved

maazrat (f) (1)

apologies

tabeeyat (f) (2)

disposition, condition

Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (120)

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2 / 25 : Featured

zindagi mein

zindagi jaisa koi to kaam ho

declare your love

regardless of the outcome

let there be in life

something that resembles life

Priyamvada Ilhan (1)
izhaar (m) (5)

express, announce

anjaam (m) (7)

result, end

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3 / 25 : Featured

jala ke apna diya

raushni makaan mein la

lights of the street are surely

a thousand times brighter

but light your own lamp

and bring light into the house

charaagh (m) (15)

lamp, light, flame

raahguzar (m) (5)

path

bright, shining

raushni (f) (9)

light, brightness

makaan (m) (5)

house

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4 / 25 : Featured

mil jaaye toh miTTi hain

kho jaaye toh sona hai

that which is called life

is but a bizarre toy

what we get is dirt

what we lose is gold

2013: Padma Shri

1998: Sahitya Akademi

duniya (m) (26)

world

jaadu (m) (2)

magic, magical, bizarre

khilona (m) (2)

toy

miTTi (f) (3)

soil, dirt, mud

sona (m) (1)

gold

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5 / 25 : Featured

aksar bigaD ke khud

meri haalat sambhal gayi

i am grateful for

the ups and downs of the world

often, my situation goes awry

before it corrects itself

Anonymous

grateful

jahaan (m) (16)

world, universe

nasheb (m) (2)

descent, decline

faraaz (m) (1)

height, ascent

aksar (7)

often

bigaD (m) (1)

destroyed, spoilt

haalat (f) (4)

condition, situation

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6 / 25 : Featured

tum acche maseeha ho

shifa kyun nahi dete

the restless have fallen sick

why don’t you offer a medicine

you are such a good healer

why don’t you cure their illness

bedam (m) (1)

breathless, lacking energy

dawaa (f) (6)

medicine, cure

maseeha (m) (4)

saviour, messiah

shifa (m) (1)

healing, cure

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3

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7 / 25 : Featured

azal se zehn-e-insaan

basta-e-auhaam hai saaqi

religion but a fanciful belief

a string of delusions

forever the human mind has been

hostage to a bundle of superstitions

1971: Padma Shri

2013: Commemorative Stamp India

vahm (m) (2)

illusion, suspicion, fear

mazhab (m) (5)

religion

khayaal (m) (16)

thoughts

saaqi (f) (11)

wine-pourer, bartender

azal (m) (3)

eternity, from beginning

zehn (m) (4)

mind

insaan (m) (12)

human

basta (m) (1)

bundle

auhaam (m) (1)

superstition

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8 / 25 : Featured

main Doob bhi gaya to

shafaq chhoD jaaunga

i am the sun of life,

will leave warmth behind

even if i sink

i will leave a glow behind

sooraj (m) (4)

sun

ramaq (m) (1)

warmth

Doob (m) (4)

sink, drown

shafaq (m) (4)

glow, twilight

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9 / 25 : Featured

tamanna raqs karti hai

takhayyul gungunaata hai

when this someone called to

wish me a new year on the phone

desire dances around me

my imagination stars to sing

1997: Jnanpith Award

1967: Padma Shri

tamanna (m) (13)

wish, desire

raqs (m) (3)

dance

tahneeyat (f) (1)

wishes, greetings

takhayyul (m) (1)

imagination

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10 / 25 : Featured

raftaar (f) (3)

fast, speed

inquilaab (m) (7)

revolution

slow, deliberate

tez (4)

fast, speed, quick

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11 / 25 : Featured

agar nahi hain mere ashar

mein maane na sahi

no craving for appreciation

nor a concern for reward

if my words makes no sense

it is what it is

tamanna (m) (13)

wish, desire

sataish (f) (1)

compliment

silay (m) (1)

reward

parwaah (m) (1)

concern, care

ashar (m) (1)

wisdom

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3

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12 / 25 : Featured

ek musaafir bhi

qaafila hai mujhe

need a companion

not a crowd

one such person

is a caravan for me

humsafar (m) (4)

companion

hujuum (m) (4)

crowd, throng

musaafir (m) (7)

fellow traveler

qaafila (m) (4)

caravan

2

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4

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13 / 25 : Featured

mujh se mere gunaah ka hisaab

aye khuda, na maang

the painful scars of unmet desires

keep coming to my mind

don't from me also ask, oh god,

an account of my sins

daag (m) (2)

scar

hasrat (f) (11)

desire, mostly unmet

dil (m) (112)

heart

shumaar (m) (2)

count, tally

yaad (m) (35)

memory, remember

gunaah (m) (2)

sins, crimes

hisaab (m) (3)

count, account

khuda (m) (31)

god

maang (f) (3)

ask, seek

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5

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14 / 25 : Featured

lekin ek safar par ai dil

ab jaana to hoga

i too feel frightened

by the lonely quietness of the path

but my heart is set on this journey

i have no choice but to go

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

Dar (m) (2)

fear

raaste (m) (4)

path, paths

sannaate (m) (1)

silence, quietness

safar (m) (25)

journey, travel

par (m) (20)

wings, feathers / upon

dil (m) (112)

heart

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4

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15 / 25 : Featured

hum logon ko sach kahne ki

aadat bhi bahut thi

may the wealth of the hypocrites

of the city bring you joy

but we also had the habit

of telling the truth

khush (9)

happy

shahr (m) (13)

city

munaafiq (m) (1)

hypocrite

aadat (f) (3)

habit

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16 / 25 : Featured

ye nagar sau martaba

luTa gaya

of this heart’s desolation

what’s there to say

a hundred times has

this city been plundered

dil (m) (112)

heart

viraani (f) (2)

desolation, loneliness

mazkur (m) (1)

mention

nagar (m) (1)

city

sau (m) (3)

hundred

martaba (m) (1)

times

luTa (m) (1)

plunder, rob

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17 / 25 : Featured

rahbar ne mil ke luuT liya

raahzan ke saath

of our caravans, majrooh,

the story is this

the ruler has looted us

joining hands with the robber

1993: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

2013: India Commemorative Stamp

qaafile (m) (2)

caravans

daastaan (m) (4)

story, tale

rahbar (m) (7)

guide, leader, ruler

luuT (2)

loot

raahzan (m) (4)

robber, looter

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7

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18 / 25 : Featured

abr to baara maas

hota hai

the eyes do not

always shed tears

but the clouds are there

all year long

abr (m) (6)

cloud, clouds

maas (m) (1)

month

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2

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19 / 25 : Featured

dhaDkne jo suna doon tumko

ghabra hi jaaogi tum

if i were to tell you my wishes

you will surely blush

if i were to listen to my heartbeat

you will surely be scared

iraaden (m) (1)

desires, wishes

bata (9)

speak, tell

sharma (m) (1)

shy, bashful

suna (9)

hear

ghabra (3)

scared, terrified

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20 / 25 : Featured

kahin kuchh cheez zyaada hai

kahin kuchh kam hai

today, wherever you see

it seems in this world

some are too many

and, some too few

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

cheez (m) (7)

things, matter

zyaada (m) (6)

excess, too many

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2

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21 / 25 : Featured

kah diya us ne ki

phir hum kya karen

after listening to my entire

story of sorrow and despair

she said

well, what can i do?

gham (m) (19)

sorrow, sadness

saari (3)

entire, allof

daastaan (m) (4)

story, tale

ranj (m) (3)

grief, hurt, sorrow

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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22 / 25 : Featured

magar har shakhs

tanha ja raha hai

travelers all around

travelers everywhere

but each of them

traveling alone

musaafir (m) (7)

fellow traveler

taraf (m) (4)

from (that side)

shakhs (m) (16)

person, individual

tanha (m) (7)

alone

1

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23 / 25 : Featured

kuchh sitaare mire seene

mein samaaye hue hai abhi

some stars are

twinkling in my eyes

some others are

gathered in my heart

sitaare (m) (2)

stars

palkon (m) (1)

eyelids

seene (m) (8)

heart, chest

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24 / 25 : Featured

jo kho gaya main

usko bhulaataa chala gaya

that which i got in life

i thought of it as my good fate

those that i lost

i moved on, forgetting them

1971: Padma Shri

2013: Commemorative Stamp India

mil (8)

meet

muqaddar (m) (8)

fate, fortune

samajh (f) (6)

understand, understanding

kho (5)

lose

forgetting

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25 / 25 : Featured

shahr waale mera

mauzoo-e-sukhan jaante hain

in how many sheaths of words

can i hide you

people of the city know

you are the subject of my speech

lahjon (m) (1)

manner, tone, speech

ghilaafon (m) (1)

covers, sheaths

shahr (m) (13)

city

maujuu (m) (1)

topic, subject

sukhan (m) (8)

speech, spoken words

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Friends, Family, & Community (142)

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Alfaaz Ki Mehfil is a curated space for timeless poetry celebrating words, emotions, and the enduring beauty of expression. From classic Urdu couplets to modern reflections, it brings together generations of poetic voices that speak of love, longing, hope, and the human soul.

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