In 2012, his centenary celebrations held all around the world culminated with larger than life tributes paid to his unique poetic genius. His verse has remained as fresh as the morning dew even more than a hundred years later. And it shows no sign of fading away from the hearts of poetry lovers the world over. It is spring now and one can recall one of the most quoted couplets of Faiz “Gulon mein rang bharey, baad-e-naubahaar chaley bhi aao ke gulshan ka kaarobaar chaley”.
His connection with the Doon valley, through three persons, was a strong bond and has remained so.
Faiz has lived and will live on in the hearts of millions of poetry lovers across the world. Faiz Ahmad Faiz was born more than a century ago (1911) on February 13 in Sialkot in pre-Partition Punjab. It was indeed a fortunate and auspicious day for the world of poetry.
He grew up surrounded by literature with a father who was a friend to many writers, including Muhammad Iqbal. His schooling took him to lahore where he studied Arabic and English literature. When he began teaching at the M.A.O College in Amritsar, Faiz made friends with Mahmood –uz-Zafar and his wife, Dr Rashid Jahan, who were from Dehra Dun. Both were among the pioneers of progressive writers' movement in India.
Faiz was greatly influenced by them and became an active member of the association. So the second part of Naqsh-e-Faryadi depicts the change in his thinking that came with his coming into contact with progressive writers. Thus begins the period of Faiz's poetry with a purpose.
But Doon’s “Faiz connection” did not end with the death of Mahmud-uz Zafar and Rashid Jahan. This link exists even now. The link is none other than a dignified, graceful and amazingly brilliant lady called Dr Sarvat Rahman. She was a close friend and neighbour of the family of Mahmood-uz-Zafar in the good old days of the Doon valley (1920s to 1950s). Dr Rahman , when I met her a few years ago, gave me the great news that her latest work of translation (Fifty poems of Faiz) had been published and was ready for release in the poet’s centenary year. It is a trilingual version (Urdu,English and French). Her volume “100 Poems By Faiz Ahmed Faiz” was brought out in 2002 and remains one of the most sought –after publications by lovers of the Urdu language and poetry. It brought Faiz close to the hearts of those who do not read the Urdu script but are keen to read it in Roman script and translations. Interestingly, this volume is dedicated “to the memory of Hamida, Rashida Apa and Mahmud.” Hamida was Mahmud-uz-Zafar’s sister and Sarvat’s best friend. She met Faiz when she was a 16 year old girl.” The year was 1941 and I was a young student of lady Hardinge Medical College. My friend Hamida, who belonged to Dehra Dun, told me that Faiz was in Delhi with her brother Mahmud-uz -Zafar and sister in law Rashid Jahan. I went to meet him and he gave me his first book-Naqsh-e-Fariyadi.”
“I first translated his poems into French and then from French to English”, said Rahman who was practicing as a medical doctor in France for many years before returning home to the Doon valley and settling in to her translations of Urdu poetry around thirty years ago.
Renowned poet Javed Akhtar once said in his tribute to Faiz, “ Faiz’s poetry is like the moonlight, it beautifies all it touches.”
Faiz can be described as a “cross-cultural” poet. Influences like Keats ,Shelley and Byron were rapidly assimilated by the young Faiz into his own tradition. This was quite natural as Faiz studied and taught English literature and his knowledge of it was profound.
At the same time, he was imbued with the Sufi ideals of Hafiz and Rumi and all the great Urdu poets. Romance and politics, sensuous lyricism and fiery passion, mingle inextricably in Faiz’s poetry. As it is now spring time and this great poet was born in spring, it would be apt to quote from his “nazm” on the arrival of spring.