In the Foreword of the book – Shayaree – e – Zindagi, Javed Akthar Sahab says that Poetry is an eternal gift in its most natural, most powerful and appealing format. Poetry is something that gives an inner peace during the time of crisis for most of us who are connoisseurs of art. Perhaps that’s what soothes us when we are down or low. I seldom write poetries but whenever I write its full of emotions. That’s the beauty of a poem. It may be short, but it reflects the state of our mind.
Shayaree-e-Zindagi has a tagline called Poetry for Life. Yes, indeed! This book is a compilation of Shayrees , couplets and poetries written by famous Urdu and Hindi poets. It is based on the different elements of life. The couplets are based on the elements of life such as Beauty, Longing, Relationships, Love, Promise, Waiting, Dream, Pain, Grief, Memory, Destination, Courage, Leadership, Self Pride, Philosophy of Love, Spiritualism and other couplets. J.S Mishra, the master behind the book is a bureaucrat and is a poetry lover too. Most of his works are commendable and he has a deep liking for poems especially Hindi.
Shayaree-e-Zindagi – Poetry for Life has been divided into seventeen chapters and the couplets constituting the chapters have been given in Devanagari as well as in English Transliteration. This is done basically for the readers who find it difficult to recite it in the Devanagari script so that they can enjoy the beauty of the couplet. Also, J.S Mishra has taken efforts to translate the couplets into English for the Non-Hindi Poetry fans.
I read the book and the collection of the Urdu/ Hindi shayree’s is awesome. I liked it.
I am sharing few of them here.
“Husn kee subah ik shikst-e-jameel
Husn kee Shaam kaamraanee hai,
Ye kuchh afsaan-e-takhyyul hai,
Kucchh haqueeqat kee tarjumaanee hai” – Majaz Lakjnawi
Translation
“Morning of the beauty may be a lovely failure,
Evening of the beauty if success,
This is partly an imaginary story,
And partly an interpretation of reality”
—-
“Gairon kee baat chhodiye gairon sey kya milaa,
Apnon ney kya diyaa hamein, apnon se kya milaa” – Kaifi Azmi
Translation
“Leave aside talking about others, what have others given,
What did our own give us, what did we get from them.”
For many more interesting ones, do read the book.
The book features poems of elite Urdu/ Hindi poets like Kaifi Aazmi, Majaz Lakhnawi, Ghalib, Jigar Moradabadi, Riyaz Khairabadi, Hasrat Mohani, Zauq, Faiz, Firaq, Nida Fazli, Abdul Hameed Adam and many more.
This is a must read for all the Urdu, Hindi Poetry fans out here. Do read it.
About J.S Mishra.
An Engineering graduate from IIT Roorkee and an Indian Administrative Service officer, J.S. Mishra has been widely acclaimed as a competent administrator, an enabling leader, an effective writer, and a passionate poet.He has published five collections of Hindi poems and five acclaimed worldwide books. His poems have equally been praised and welcomed by both lovers of literature and common readers alike. He is the recipient of numerous state honours, citations and certificates for his scholarly and meritorous achievements.
