Habib Jalib

Habib Jalib
Habib Jalib was a Pakistani revolutionary poet, left-wing activist and politician who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression.

Early life

Habib Jalib was born as Habib Ahmad on 24 March 1928 in a village near Hoshiarpur, British India. He migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India and worked as a proofreader for Daily Imroze ofKarachi. He was a progressive writer and soon started to grab the audience with his enthusiastic recitation of poetry. He wrote in plain language, adopted a simple style and addressed common people and issues. But the conviction behind his words, the music of his voice and his emotional energy coupled with the sensitivity of the socio-political context is what stirred the audience.

Political views

Jalib was a Marxist-Leninist and aspired to the ideals of Communism. He was initially a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), but joined the National Awami Party (NAP) in 1957 following the ban on the CPP in 1954.. His views led to imprisonment.

Bhutto's government

In 1972 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power. According to sources close to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, one day Habib Jalib went to Bhutto's place to meet him. When Bhutto on invited him to join his political Party, Jalib asked, "Have the oceans ever fallen in rivers?"
After Bhutto's death, Habib Jalib wrote the following poem:
ٹوٹا ہے کہاں اس کا جادو
اک نعرہ بنا ہے اس کا لہو
ثابت ہوا دھڑکن دھڑکن پر وہ شخص حکومت کرتا تھا
لڑتا تھا وہ اپنے جیسوں سے ہم سے تو محبت کرتا تھا
His magic has not been broken
His blood became a slogan
It has been proved,that he ruled his people's hearts
He used to fight with the people like him (Feudal Lords), but with the (poor) people like us, he used to love.

Zia-ul-Haq's martial law

During General Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship, Jalib wrote a poem on Zia, in which he asked how he could write darkness as Zia ( Zia literally means light in Urdu).

ظلمت کو ضیا، صر صر کو صبا، بندے کو خدا کیا لکھنا

Darkness as light, Hot desert wind as a morning breeze

How can I write a human as God?

Benazir Bhutto's government

After General Zia-ul-Haq's death in 1988, Benazir Bhutto came to power and released Habib Jalib.^{[citation needed]} Disappointed at the state of the nation, when asked if he felt any change after democracy, he said:

حال اب تک وہی ہیں فقیروں کے

دن پھرے ہیں فقط وزیروں کے

ہر بلاول ہے دیس کا مقروض

پاؤں ننگے ہیں بے نظیروں کے

Haal ab tak wahi hain faqiroan kay

Din phiray hain faqat waziroan kay

her Bilawal hai Dais ka maqrooz

paoon nangay hain Benazeeroan kay

The status of the poor is still the same

the days of the ministers have indeed changed

every Bilawal (name of the only son of Benazir Bhutto) of the country is under debt

while Benazirs (literally the poor) of the country walk without shoes

Death

Habib Jalib died on March 13, 1993. His family refused the offer of the government to pay for his funeral expenses. Qateel Shifai expressed his sorrow and grief in these words:

اپنے سارے درد بھلا کر اوروں کے دکھ سہتا تھا

ہم جب غزلیں کہتے تھے وہ اکثر جیل میں رہتا تھا

آخر چلا ہی گیا وہ روٹھ کر ہم فرزانوں سے

وہ دیوانہ جس کو زمانہ جالب جالب کہتا تھا

Apney saarey dard bhula kar auron ke dukh sehta tha

Hum jub ghazlain kehtey thay wo aksar jail main rehta tha

Aakhir chala hee gya wo rooth kar hum farzanoun se

Wo deewana jisko zamana Jalib Jalib kehta tha^[7]

Poetry

He mainly wrote about the evils brought upon society by corruption and inequity. An example is:

فرنگی کا جو میں دربان ہوتا

تو جینا کس قدر آسان ہوتا

میرے بچے بھی امریکہ میں پڑھتے

میں ہر گرمی میں انگلستان ہوتا

مری انگلش بھی بلا کی چست ہوتی

بلا سے جو نہ میں اردو دان ہوتا

سر جھکاکے جو ہو جاتا 'سر' میں

تو لیڈر بھی عظیم الشان ہوتا

زمینیں میری ہر صوبے میں ہوتیں

میں واللہ صدرِ پاکستان ہوتا

Farangi ka jo main darbaan hota

Tho jeena kis kadar aasaan hota

Meray bachay bhi amreeka may parthay

Main Har garmi may main Inglistaan hota

Meree English bhi balaa ki chusth hotee

Balaa say jo na main Urdu-daan hota

Sar jhuka kay jo ho jaata sir main

Tho leader bhi azeem-u-shaan hota

Zameenain meree har soobay may hoteen

May wallah sadr-e-Pakistan hota

www.urdubhasha.blogspot.com/habibjalib