AMU Tarana:The Breath of Aligs-In Camera Of Engr Maqbool Akram

“Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, main apne chaman kaa bulbul hun”, this one line is a magical string that connects Millions of Aligs all around word. Their head and foot move in same pitch, tempo and rhythm, all around word with this Nazam “Tarana-E-Aligarh (Nazr-e-Aligarh).

Tarana is sung in chorus, with full josh, by a group of boys and girls in a uniform:Boys in black sherwani and girls in white salwar suit. When this Tarana is sung with orchestra in chorus with orchestra with all the vigour, it appears that Aligs are able to move mountains and create waves in the most calmest lakes.

Tarana starts in rhythm as Lounging sea breeze further it changes in roaring waterfall and ends with powerful sound of thunderstorms….and then a pin drop silence.

The Story of AMU Tarana

The tarana itself is a fine creativity of Urdu penned by Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz.He was AMU Aligarh, student in between 1930 and 1936. In one of visit (1936) of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to AMU Aligarh, he asked students to sing university song.

He was surprised that university has not its own anthem- Tarana. The very next morning, Asrarul Haq Majaz, student of AMU at that time, was ready with a masterpiece nazam.Later this nazam (Nazr-e-Aligarh) was truncated and adopted as official lyrics of AMU tarana.

Majaz first recited it the same year 1936, in the Union Hall, in the presence of the Pro-Vice Chancellor (PVC) A.B. Ahmed Haleem Saheb.When Majaz reached the lines Haleem saheb asked to stop the recital and walked out:---

“Yahan ham ne kamanden dali hain, Yahan hum ney shabkhoon maray hain;

Yahan hum nay qabayen nochi hain, yahan hum nay taj utarey hain”

The huge gathering of students asked him to continue but Majaz did not. After some time, he relaxed and completed it in the Union Hall’s lawns (between Morrison court and Union building).

Although Majaz left the university campus, his poetry continued to influence students. Ishtiaque Ahmad Khan, a B. Ed student (1954-55) was also one such person. 

An address by the VC, Dr Zakir Husain, to the final year students inspired Khan to do something long-lasting for the university. He thought of putting Majaz’s Nazr-e-Aligarh to tune and was confident of it becoming the university song.

Ishtiaque Ahmad Khan created the tune in the last week of September, 1954, and requested the President of the Union, Ahmad Saeed, to present Tarana to university. He refused angrily on hearing the poet’s name–Majaz being a progressive writer.But; Dr.Zakir Husain vice chancellor at that time agreed and even acknowledged that it was one of Majaz’s best works.

 It was October 17^th (Sir Syed Day),1954, when Ishtiaque Ahmad Khan was at dais in the Stretchy Hall along with his troupe (Saleh Naiyyar, Ghulam Haider Ejaz and Fasih). 

Izzat Yaar Khan, Secretary of SS Hall Music Club, started the tune on the harmonium and soon the hall was reverberating with the sound of “Ye mera chaman…” Dr.Zakir Husain VC of that time was impressed. Even Saeed appreciated the poem and apologised to Ishtiaque about his stand earlier.

Lyric of AMU Tarana

Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, main apne chaman ka bulbul hun

Sar-shaar-e-nigah-e-nargis hun, paa-basta-e-gesu-e-sumbul hun

Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, ye mera chaman hai mera chaman

Main apne chaman ka bulbul hun

Jo taaq-e-haram mein roshan hai, WO shama yahan bhi jalti hai

Is dasht ke goshe goshe se, ek joo-e-hayat ubalti hai

Ye dasht-e-junoon deewanon ka, ye bazm-e-wafa parwanon ki

Ye shahr-e-tarab roomanon ka, ye khuld-e-bareen armanon ki

Fitrat ne sikhai hai ham ko, uftad yahan parwaz yahan

Gaye hain wafa ke get yahan, chheda hai junoon ka saaz yahan

Is bazm men taighen khenchin hain, is bazm mein saghar tode hain

Is bazm men aankh bichhai hai, is bazm mein dil tak jode hain

Har shaam hai shaam-e-Misr yahan, har shab hai shab-e-Shiraz yahan

Hai saare jahan ka soz yahan aur saare jahan ka saaz yahan

Zarraat ka bosa lene ko, sau baar jhuka aakaash yahan

Khud aankh se humne dekhi hai, batil ki shikast-e-faash yahan

Jo abr yahan se uthega, wo saare jahan par barsega

Har joo-e-rawan par barsega, har koh-e-garan par barsega

Har sard-o-saman par barsega, har dasht-o-daman par barsega

Khud apne chaman par barsega, ghairon ke chaman par barsega

Har shahr-e-tarab par garjega, har qasr-e-tarab par kadkega

Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega

Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega

Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega

Barsegaa, Barsegaa, Barsegaaa...

A brief Biography of Asrarul Haq Majaz
In a small life of 44 years only, Asrar-ul-Haq 'Majaz', called 'keats' of Urdu literature, gave the world of Urdu poetry a great deal of compositions. 

In fact, the entire generation of that time was a victim of love; it was a victim of somebody's love. And so the Aligarh tarana came into being. Majaz died a year after it was first played.

Ismat Chugtai had once remarked to Majaz, “Girls love Majaz to such an extent that it cannot be explained.” Majaz known for his witty sense of humour replied: “But they marry rich people in their life.”

Ali Sardar Jafri has presented the life and poetry of Majaz in the serial Kehkashan, he is of the opinion that “Aligarh Muslim University ko apne jin farzando par naaz hai unme eik Asrar-ul Haq Majaz hai. Majaz ki zindagi ek adhuri ghazal thi. 

Uski shairi ka sara husn uske adhoorepan me hai. San 1930 ke aas-paas, shairi ke ufaq par eik khubsurat sitara jagmagaya, logo ne hairat aur masarrat se uski taraf dekha, lekin dekhte hi dekhte woh aasmaan par chandi ki eik lakeer banata hua guzar gaya”.

After graduation Majaz was offered a position as assistant editor of Awaaz, the newly established journal of the All India Radio.The move from Aligarh to Delhi was not as favorable as it should have been.

Majaz, who had such a large fan following of young female students at Aligarh, lost his heart to a married woman in Delhi who was his admirer.

The lady in question belonged to a wealthy reputed family and had no intentions of abandoning her well-connected husband for a penniless poet. But majaz was hopelessly in love and he wrote some of his most beautiful, romantic poems in this phase of his life:

Chalke Teri ankhon se sharab aur ziyadah

 mahkein tere ariz ke gulab aur ziyadah

 Allah kare zor-e shabab aur ziyadah (“Unka Jashn-e Salgirah”

It is very regrettable that the winner got very little life. At the age of 44, he said goodbye to this dying world. The way of their goodbye from this world was too painful and horrific. Doctors had forbidden him to drink alcohol, but where did the doctors' advice come in front of their friends? He was drinking toddy, but all of them were like poison.

It is said that on December 4, 1952, in the evening of humiliating evening, Majaz spent the night with friends on the roof of any log stand of Lucknow. The friends went crazy and drunk in there. The world was awakened on the morning of December 5, but where did the wizards live? He had interrupted this world.

मजाज़ : उर्दू शायरी का कीट्स

ऐसा मुक़ाम किसे हासिल हुआ कि गर्ल्स कॉलेज में किसी शायर के नाम की लाटरियां निकाली जाएं कि वह किसके हिस्से में पड़ता है? ऐसा कब हुआ कि किसी की कविताओं को तकिये के नीचे छिपाकर उनकी गर्मी महसूस की जाए? और कहीं अपने सुना है कि लड़कियां अपने बेटों का नाम किसी शायर के नाम पर रखने की कसमें खाएं?

दरअसल जिसके इश्क में उस दौर की समूची एक पीढ़ी शिकार थी, वह किसी और के इश्क का शिकार हो चुका था. सो जवां दिलों की आह ने कभी भी मजाज़ का पीछा न छोड़ा.उसकीबर्बदी का क़िस्सा दिल्ली में शुरू हुआ था. अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम यूनिवर्सिटी से बीए करने के बाद लाखों लड़कियों का दिल तोड़ता हुआ बड़ी-बड़ी आंखों, लंबे कद और ज़हीन शायरी करने वाला मजाज़ दिल्ली में आल इंडिया रेडियो की ओर से प्रकशित होने वाली पत्रिका ‘आवाज़’का एडिटर बन गया था. यहां वह एक ऊंचे घर वाली लड़की, जो शादी-शुदा थी, को अपना दिल दे बैठा. उसने दिल तोड़ दिया या कहें कि समाज की बदिशें आड़े आ गईं. जो भी है, इस नाकामी को लेकर जब वह अपने शहर लखनऊ आया तो साथ में शराब की लत ले आया|

The End