URDU POET TILOK CHAND MEHROOM WAS A GREAT LOVER OF KASHMIR

                                                                            

INDO PAK MUSHIARA MARCH  1952..

The Indo-Pak Mushaira of 1952 was held at New Delhi and presided over by well-known freedom fighter Asaf Ali ( husband of Aruna Asaf Ali ). Asaf Ali was the Governor of Odisha at that point in time. You can also see Sufi Tabassum, noted Poet from Amritsar ( with a Karakulli type of cap ) in the picture. On his right side, you can see young Josh Malihabadi. To his left is Kanwar Mahinder Singh Bedi. Close the mike, and on the right-hand side, to Asaf Ali is Tilok Chand Mehroom with a typical NWFP Kula and Pagri on his head. And on his right is Pandit Labhu Ram  "Josh" Malsiyani.

Sufi Tabassum belonged to a Kashmiri family from Amritsar that migrated to Pakistan in 1947. Sufi Tabassum ( 1899-1878 ) wrote in three languages: Persian, Urdu and  Punjabi. He was a successful lyricist of Pakistani film Industry. The popular Punjabi song " meray shauq da nahin eitibaar tenu, aa ja vekh mera intezaar aa ja" is his composition.

 The well-known Urdu poet Tiloke Chand Mehroom ( 1887-1966 ), father of noted Urdu poet Jagan Nath Azad, was also an acknowledged and respected Urdu poet of the subcontinent. He was a patriot and a secular personality. He visited Kashmir many times before 1947 and happened to be a great lover of its natural beauty. He also felt intensely about the poverty that was visible almost everywhere in Kashmir then. 

I share some lines from Tilok Chand Mehroom's poem on Kashmir.......

“ Tu reshmi doshaale dniya ko de Raha hai,

Tera jamaal rangeen rakhshaan hai cheethhadon mein,

Daur e khizaan bhi tera hai rashq e sadh bahaaraan, 

Aey vaadi e gul afshaan……………..

Duniya ke ahle imaan kehtain hain jis ko jannat ,

Sharmindaa ho ke tujh se rooposh ho gayi hai,

Varna kahin to hotay aasaar bagh e rizwaan,

Aey vaadi e Gul Afshaan…

 I quote his grandson, Adarshazad Arora:-

"He and Dr Iqbal exchanged letters, and I saw two letters to him from Dr Iqbal in my father's study room. There was adabi nok jhonk too. Tilok Chand Mahroom's couplet is known.

"Chorhi  jo Iqbal ne rah e watan parasti,

Ga kar naya tarana sara jahan hamaara,

Hum ne bhi ek misre mein baat khatm kar di,

Sara jahan tumhara hindustan hamara"

In his teens, Tilok Chand Mahroom sent a poem for review to Akbar Allahabadi, who was in the last phase of his life. Akbar wrote back, "Apke aasaar ache hain, and composed a rubai in praise. Mahroom also wrote a rubayi thanking Akbar Allahabadi..

"Hai daad ka musthik kalaam e mahroom,

Lafzon ka jamaal aur maani ki hujoom.

Hai inka sukhan mufeed-o-danish amooz,

Inki nazmon ki hai baja mulk mein dhoom.

( Akbar Allahabadi )

"Tabai mauzoon khudai bartar se mili,

Taseer e kalaam kalb e muztar se mili,

Aaya mujhko yakeen ki shair hun mein,

Jab daad-e-sukhan janab akbar se mili "

( Avtar Mota  03.09.2014 )

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