Sahir Ludhianvi: Silver Memories, Romantic Sahir Options Rating

[nasir]

GHAZAL OR NAZM?
AS LONG I AM ENRAPTURED I DON'T CARE.

NASIR.

[bawlachintu]

BC-ur new avtaar- neither do u look like a bawla nor a chintu

u look like a experienced suave seducer.

Yes I do, in real life too
Thanks for the compliment, cinemanaic.

'Bawla' word is taken in memory of my swargiya girlfriend and
'chintu' is the address used by my uncle living in Delhi.

By the way, chintu is a very common address in Delhi. A word used to call
employees, subordinates, teammembers etc etc

[bawlachintu]

Tapti hui rahon se tujhe anch na pahunche
deewane ke ashqon ki ghata saath liye jaa

Must be written by Sahir in melancholy moments and composed by
the MD in same mood, I think.

Identify which song these lines are taken from??
Describe the song if possible.

[nasir]

Tapti hui rahon se tujhe anch na pahunche
deewane ke ashqon ki ghata saath liye jaa

Must be written by Sahir in melancholy moments and composed by
the MD in same mood, I think.

Identify which song these lines are taken from??
Describe the song if possible.

These lines are from the heart wrenching song: BARBAADE MUHABBAT KI DUA SAATH LIYE JAA.
From LAILA MAJNU (1976) the comeback period of Rafi Sahaab. MD: Madan Mohan.

NASIR.

[zankib]

the music for this song was arranged by jaidev.
barbaad-e-muhabbat sounds more jaidev-ish than
mm-ish. But this song also showed up on one of HMV's madan mohan
compilations. jaidev tried his level best to match the mood of master
madan mohan. tere dar pe aaya hoon is a pure madan compilation

[Bhrung]

BC., I am pasting a useful article on this from the web:

Subject: What is Ghazal????
From: mzaidi@eden.rutgers.edu (LAHORI)

Madhavi, I am pasting Abhay Avchat's article, the one Zaidi refers to. In the modern era, Zaidi's views are a trifle outmoded. He would prefer to restrict the definition of a ghazal to the traditional 'ravani' ghazal. But the great ghazal writers of the twentieth century, Jigar, Faiz and many others have definitely and definitively expanded its perimeters to include 'tarakkipasand' and 'jadeed' ghazals. Anyway here's Avchat's basic article :

What is a Ghazal? : eBazm.comWhat is a Ghazal ?
Author : Abhay Avachat


Ghazal ! The word originates from arabic, meaning, "way or mannerism of talking
to or talking about women." Thus in fact it s an expression of love! But in this
ever changing world the ghazal has become a reflection of the life around us,
and now there is hardly any sphere of human interaction which the ghazal hasn't
touched.

To better understand the finer nuances of Urdu ghazal it is imperative to
understand the structure around which a ghazal is woven!

Classical Definition of Ghazal

Briefly stated Ghazal is a collection of Sher's which follow the rules of
'Matla', 'Maqta', 'Beher', 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'. So to know what Ghazal is,
it's necessary to know what these terms mean.

To understand these terms easily , we will take an example.

1. koi ummid bar nahin aati
koi surat nazar nahin aati.

2. aage aati thi haale dil par hasi
ab kisi baat par nahin aati

3. hum wahan hain, jahan se humko bhi
kucch hamaari khabar nahin aati

4. kaabaa kis muh se jaaoge 'Ghalib'
sharm tumko magar nahin aati


What is a Sher ?
It's a poem of two lines. This definition is deceptively simple. Please note
that, every Sher is a poem in itself ! A Sher does not need, anything around it,
to convey the message. All the 4 stanzas in our example are independent poems,
Sher's.

So Ghazal is necessarily a collection of two-line-poems called Sher. [ So the
Rafi solo "rang aur noor ki baaraat kise pesh karu" is NOT a Ghazal, as every
stanza is of 3 lines, and not 2. ]

What are other restrictions ? Many, and important ones.
[ Any collection of Sher's is not Ghazal. Some good examples are ; the famous
Mukesh song from Yehoodi, "yeh mera deewaanaapan hai" ; and the title song of
"dil apana aur preet parayi". Each stanza in these songs can be considered as an
independent Sher, but they are NOT Ghazal's. To understand, why, we have to wait
till 'Kaafiyaa, 'Radif'. ]

What is 'Beher' ?
'Beher' is the 'meter' of the Sher's. It can be considered as the length of the
Sher. Both the lines in the Sher *MUST* be of same 'Beher'. And all the Sher's
in one Ghazal *MUST* be of the same 'Beher'. There are 19 (!!) kinds of 'Beher'.
But in simple terms, 'Beher' is categorized in 3 classes. Short, medium, long.

Small :
ahale dairo-haram reh gaye
tere deewane kam reh gaye
[ Also Talat song, "dil-e-nadan tuze hua kya hai" ]

Medium :
umr jalwo me basar ho, ye zaruri to nahin
har shab-e-gam ki seher ho, ye zaruri to nahin
[ And by Gulzar, "ruke ruke se kadam, ruk ke baar baar chale" ]

Long :
ai mere humnashin, chal kahin aur chal, is chaman me ab apanaa guzaaraa nahin
baat hoti gulon ki, to seh lete hum, ab to kaaton pe bhi haq hamaaraa nahin
[ The filmfare winner, "Manzile apani jagah hai" !! Yes ! It IS a Ghazal. And
the Shayar is Prakash Mehra !! surprise , surprise !! ]

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of SAME 'Beher'.


What is 'Radif' ?
In a Ghazal, second line of all the Sher's MUST end with the SAME word/s. This
repeating common words is the Radif' of the Ghazal. In our example, the 'Radif'
is "nahin aati". [ Sometimes, the Ghazal becomes known by its 'Radif'. eg.
"jaraa aahista chal" sung by Pankaj Udhas. On RMIM we all know one Ghazal by the
'Radif' as "aahista aahista", don't we ? or is it 2 or 3 ? :-)

What is 'Kaafiyaa' ?
'Kaafiyaa' is the rhyming pattern which all the words before 'Radif' MUST have.
In our example the 'Kaafiyaa' is "bar", "nazar", "par", "magar" etc. This is a
necessary requirement. Something which is followed even in the exceptions to all
these rules.

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of same 'Beher', ending in same 'Radif' and
having same 'Kaafiyaa'. [ That's the reason, why "yeh mera diwanapan hai" etc.
are NOT Ghazals. There is no common thing which can be called 'Kaafiyaa' and
'Radif'. ]

What is 'Matla' ?
The first Sher in the Ghazal *MUST* have 'Radif' in its both lines. This Sher is
called 'Matla' of the Ghazal and the Ghazal is usually known after its 'Matla'.
There can be more than one 'Matla' in a Ghazal. In such a case the second one is
called 'Matla-e-saani' or 'Husn-e-matla'. In our example, the first Sher is the
'Matla'.

What is 'Maqta' ?
A Shayar usually has an alias ie. 'takhallus' eg. Mirza Asadullakhan used
'Ghalib' as his 'takhallus' and is known by that. Other examples are 'Daag'
Dehlvi, 'Mir' Taqi Mir, Said 'Rahi', Ahmed 'Faraz' etc. There is a Sher in a
Ghazal, the last one, which has the Shayar's 'takhallus' in it. [ A Shayar, can
use the 'Maqta' very intelligently. He can "talk to himself" like one in our
example. I have lots of favourite Sher's which are 'Maqta' of some Ghazal. Some
gems are

koi nam-o-nishan puchhe to ai kaasid bataa denaa,
takhallus 'Daag' hai, aur aahiqon ke dil me rehte hai

and

jab bhi milte hain, to kehte hain, "kaise ho 'Shakil'",
iske aage to koi baat nahin hoti hai

The first one uses the meaning of the 'takhallus' to create the magic, and the
second one is just simple, simply beautiful. ]

To summarize, Ghazal is a collection of Sher's (independent two-line poems), in
which there is atleast one 'Matla', one 'Maqta' and all the Sher's are of same
'Beher' and have the same 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'.

[mmuk2004]

For Anupama, two songs soaked in despair...

Here are the lines from "Raseedi Ticket" quoted by Anupama:

Amrita Pritam wrote in her autobiography - Raseedi Ticket :-
"I recall - many years ago when Sahir had come to Delhi, he invited me and Imroz to the hotel where he was staying. We were there for a couple of hours. Sahir had placed an order for whisky and there were three glasses on the table. We returned deep into the night.And when it was almost midnight - Sahir called me up saying : " There are still three glasses lying on the table, and by turn I am sipping from each of them, and writing '' These Empty Goblets Are My Companions." ( Mere Saathi Khaali Jaam )

Dooj ka Chand(1964): Roshan

Mehfil se uth jane walon tum logon par kya ilzaam
Tum abaad gharon ke baasi main awaara aur badnaam
Mere Saathi, mere saathi, mere saathi khaali jaam

Do din tumne pyar jataya, do din tumse mel raha
Aachha khasa waqt kata aur achha khasa khel raha
Ab us khel ka jikr hi kaisa, waqt kata aur khel tamaam
Mere saathi...

Tumne dhoondhi sukh ki daulat, maine pala gham ka rog
Kaise banta kaise nibhta ye rishta aur ye sanjog
Maine dil ko dil se tola tumne maange pyar ke daam
Mere Saathi ...

Tum duniya ko behtar samjhe main pagal tha khwaar hua
Tumko apnane nikla tha khud se bhi bezaar hua
Dekh liya ghar phoonk tamasha jaan liya apna anjaam
Mere saathi...

Bezaar: angry, disgusted, out of humor
Khar: angry, thistle/thorn,


Mehfil se uth jane walon... the sense of being suddenly abandoned, it is a very dramatic and visual beginning. The word "abaad" is suggestive of being peopled, flourishing, whereas the opposite of that would be "barbaad" which is not actually used in the song to describe the poet's situation. Instead the opposting term is "awaara" "badnaam" suggesting his disassociation from any social moorings...
The only companions he has are -and it is in the repetition and brilliant rendition of Rafi's "mere saathi, mere saathi, mere saathi...khali jaam", that the song really packs the emotional punch...and it is this word "Khaali" that finally opposes the earlier analogies of mehfil and abaad.

That emptiness seeps into the following stanzas. He rejects any sense of fulfilment in their relationship, it has been a futile time offering nothing, "waqt Kata aur khel tamam".
The opposing images that he chooses for the lover and the girl who left him are unique in that they do not form what I can only call parallel oppositions. In the same way as "abaad" is not pitted against "barbaad" in the second stanza, in response to"tumne dhoondhi sukh ki daulat" the poet is not saying he has chosen "pyar ki daulat" but uses the much more galling "maine pala gham ka rog" ... It is definitely not a positive emotion that he pits against his beloved's materialism... There is nothing heroic or defiant but something very dreary about this image, it is a sickness that he has nurtured...Only in the last line does he allow himself an accusation: "Maine dil ko dil se tola/tumne maange pyar ke daam" but in the next stanza the tone lapses back into despair.

A situation where the beloved has chosen someone else over the lover/poet and is obviously in a better position is often accusatory in tone but in this song the dominant emotion is that of exhausion. He agrees that she understood the world better, she is a survivor, he is the crazy one who ended up getting angry and disillusioned. The second line is an ironic look at himself, rare in disappointed lovers... "tumko apnane nikla tha khud se bhi bezaar hua" he was looking to support her in a relationship and has ended up alienated from himself. The self criticism continues, he has ended up with nothing, his "house" blown up into dust, becoming a mere spectacle of the moment and he knows where he is headed...

Now take a look at another song from a drunk lover once again in Rafi's magical voice(I cannot imagine any other singer singing this song)

Whereas the first song emerges out of personal disappointment at the breaking up of a relationship the self ananlysis, depairing though it is,still functions from within the parameters(social/material/emotional), drawn by society. The second song is much more nihilistic. Emerging out of the same situation, it goes on to incredible, iconoclastic denunciations, a coalesing of perhaps a lot of the questions and emotions that one feels/or might feel across the span of a lifetime, or some of those at least...


Vaasna (1968): Chitragupt

Aaj is darja pila do ke na kuch yaad rahe
Bekhudi itni badha do ke na kuch yaad rahe

Dosti kya hai wafa kya hai mohabbat kya hai
Dil ka kya mol ahsaas ki keemat kya hai
Hamne sab jaan liya hai ke haqeeqat kya hai
Aaj bas itni dua do ke na kuch yaad rahe

Muflisi dekhi ameeri ki ada dekh chuke
Gham ka mahaul mussarrat ki fiza dekh chuke
Kaise phirti hai zamane ki hawa dekh chuke
Shama yaadon ki bujha do ke na kuch yaad rahe
Aaj is darja...

Ishq bechain khayalon ke siwa kuch bhi nahin
Husn berooh ujalon ke siwa kuch bhi nahin
Zindagi chand sawalon ke siwa kuch bhi nahin
Har sawaal aise mita do ke na kuch yaad rahe
Aaj is darja...

Mit na payega jahan se kabhi nafrat ka rivaaz
Ho na payega kabhi rooh ke zakhmon ka ilaaz
SUltanat zulm khuda vahm museebat hai samaaj
Zehan ko aise sula do ke na kuch yaad rahe...

Musarrat: joy
Zehan: mind


Erasing memories...

He begins by attacking the three mainstays of human relationships...Dosti, wafa and mohabbat...He has realised what those concepts mean...just as he knows the truth about the value of the heart and the value of emotions.

In the second stanza, he rejects not just the lifestyle of the rich , but also that of the "muflis", an identity he sought to don in so many of his other poems, he has experienced both happiness and despair...and rejects both in the context how how fickle the mood of the world is vis-a vis both. In this poem too he uses repetition as a tool to drive home a point, in the first stanza he uses the word "Kya hai" to underscore his questioning, in the second stanza he uses the ironic "dekhi/dekh chuke".

The mood of the poem builds towards rejection of some of the most cherished subjects of his own poetry...

Love is nothing but restless imagination
Beauty is nothing but soulless light
Life is nothing beyond a few questions...

It is impossible to erase the culture of hatred in this world and impossible to cure the wounds of the soul... and finally moves to articulate some of his most iconoclastic metaphors in poetry...

Sultanat zulm, khuda vehm, museebat hai samaaj

And then ...
Let the mind sleep in such a way that the memories don't haunt...

Sahir has palpably moved away from the personal disappointment in love that the song begins with, moving to a sweeping rejection of everything that he has held dear uptil now. If the first poem is despairing, the poet disappointed in love coming face to face with the fact that his affair, his ideals and his life have been in vain, the second song is much vaster in scope, his personal disappointment quickly moving on to a rejection of all relationships, lifestyles, ideals and ideologies...The second poem is no less despairing but the scope of the despair is much wider, not just encompassing the poet and his life but all human endeavour...And yet the beauty and power of the poem lies in how personal he makes that rejection...

As I have not seen either of the films it would be useful to get some more information on how the songs were used in the films.

[mmuk2004]

BC., I am pasting a useful article on this from the web:

Subject: What is Ghazal????
From: mzaidi@eden.rutgers.edu (LAHORI)

Madhavi, I am pasting Abhay Avchat's article, the one Zaidi refers to. In the modern era, Zaidi's views are a trifle outmoded. He would prefer to restrict the definition of a ghazal to the traditional 'ravani' ghazal. But the great ghazal writers of the twentieth century, Jigar, Faiz and many others have definitely and definitively expanded its perimeters to include 'tarakkipasand' and 'jadeed' ghazals. Anyway here's Avchat's basic article :[color=#3333FF]

Milind

Thank you for an excellent article on the definition of a ghazal. A quick question, I could understand what you meant by "ravani" by going back to Zaidi's article, and can figure out "tarakkipasand" from the name itself and the association with Faiz, but what does "jadeed" mean?

[mmuk2004]

Tapti hui rahon se tujhe anch na pahunche
deewane ke ashqon ki ghata saath liye jaa

Must be written by Sahir in melancholy moments and composed by
the MD in same mood, I think.

Identify which song these lines are taken from??
Describe the song if possible.

These lines are from the heart wrenching song: BARBAADE MUHABBAT KI DUA SAATH LIYE JAA.
From LAILA MAJNU (1976) the comeback period of Rafi Sahaab. MD: Madan Mohan.

NASIR.

Nasir,

Thank you for the quick identification, that was right up your alley anyway... However, please do elucidate on the song, would love to hear what you have to say. And please, no excuses about not being well versed in Urdu, I too am an Eng. Lit student armed with the online dictionary for Urdu to tackle the great Sahir...

[mmuk2004]

BC-ur new avtaar- neither do u look like a bawla nor a chintu

u look like a experienced suave seducer.

and Mmuk-ur one side lat looks superb.

now back to business

Aaj Ki Raat Nahin shikwe shikayat ki raat
aaj har lamha mohabbat ke liye
reshmi.......
...........
...........
subah ne aaj na aane ki kasam khayi hai
aaj ki raat......



a top class suhaag raat song.

another SL classic

CM, glad you liked my lat and sorry for the late response. Will get back with your song in just a few days. Thank you for your interest...

[mmuk2004]

Penned by the volatile, rebellious Sahir who always found himself in love in the wrong situations

I have my own view as to y that happened, and will write it some other time

She will not look at him…what a superb phrase used in the context of the erring lovers… “galat andaz nazron se”

The sheer beauty of this whole stanza is breathless, I rank this one much higher than the 3rd stanza, which is generally considered more popular.

Sahir as the eternally rejected lover-poet has given a "khoobsurat mod" to those incomplete stories and relationships in the form of his songs that have far outlived the films themselves.

WOW what a remarkable way to honour his work Did u think of it just now, or is it a long processed thought? I have to say reading ur description of the songs seems as poetic as the songs themselves

Thanks Ash for the detailed response. Would really like to hear what your views are on Sahir's obsessions... By the way, I am sure you have read Kanchan Mehta's article on Amrita Pritam... Here is a quote from that article that I found very interesting:

I drew Imroz’s attention to Amrita’s relationships with other men mentioned in her writing. Was Amrita’s love for Sahir only a fancy? He shrugged and said, "Sahir was a seducer. He tempted and ensnared many eminent women". Amrita had a pure, deep and unflinching passion for Sahir. But, Sahir was only a weaver of dreams and could never go beyond that. He did not care for Amrita’s feelings for him. He never read her Sunheie (Message), originally composed for him.

Maybe a lover's bitter perception/criticism of a rival but inadvertantly reveals the tremendous attraction of that persona...

"Na mere dil ki dhadkan ladkhadaye meri baaton mein" ... that phrase is so immediate, palpable and emotive, and that stanza, you are right, literally leaves you breathless.

Ash,

Waiting for your response...

[mmuk2004]

the music for this song was arranged by jaidev.
barbaad-e-muhabbat sounds more jaidev-ish than
mm-ish. But this song also showed up on one of HMV's madan mohan
compilations. jaidev tried his level best to match the mood of master
madan mohan. tere dar pe aaya hoon is a pure madan compilation

Zankib,

Always enjoy your informed responses. Have not seen you in a while???

[mmuk2004]

By the way, chintu is a very common address in Delhi. A word used to call
employees, subordinates, teammembers etc etc

BC,

You are forgetting apna Bambaiyya Chintu, wo Bobby fame wala???

[bawlachintu]

By the way, chintu is a very common address in Delhi. A word used to call
employees, subordinates, teammembers etc etc

BC,

You are forgetting apna Bambaiyya Chintu, wo Bobby fame wala???

Who can?? forget the sweater/pullover king Rishi.

[Nimii]

BC., I am pasting a useful article on this from the web:

Subject: What is Ghazal????
From: mzaidi@eden.rutgers.edu (LAHORI)

Madhavi, I am pasting Abhay Avchat's article, the one Zaidi refers to. In the modern era, Zaidi's views are a trifle outmoded. He would prefer to restrict the definition of a ghazal to the traditional 'ravani' ghazal. But the great ghazal writers of the twentieth century, Jigar, Faiz and many others have definitely and definitively expanded its perimeters to include 'tarakkipasand' and 'jadeed' ghazals. Anyway here's Avchat's basic article :

What is a Ghazal? : eBazm.comWhat is a Ghazal ?
Author : Abhay Avachat


Ghazal ! The word originates from arabic, meaning, "way or mannerism of talking
to or talking about women." Thus in fact it s an expression of love! But in this
ever changing world the ghazal has become a reflection of the life around us,
and now there is hardly any sphere of human interaction which the ghazal hasn't
touched.

To better understand the finer nuances of Urdu ghazal it is imperative to
understand the structure around which a ghazal is woven!

Classical Definition of Ghazal

Briefly stated Ghazal is a collection of Sher's which follow the rules of
'Matla', 'Maqta', 'Beher', 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'. So to know what Ghazal is,
it's necessary to know what these terms mean.

To understand these terms easily , we will take an example.

1. koi ummid bar nahin aati
koi surat nazar nahin aati.

2. aage aati thi haale dil par hasi
ab kisi baat par nahin aati

3. hum wahan hain, jahan se humko bhi
kucch hamaari khabar nahin aati

4. kaabaa kis muh se jaaoge 'Ghalib'
sharm tumko magar nahin aati


What is a Sher ?
It's a poem of two lines. This definition is deceptively simple. Please note
that, every Sher is a poem in itself ! A Sher does not need, anything around it,
to convey the message. All the 4 stanzas in our example are independent poems,
Sher's.

So Ghazal is necessarily a collection of two-line-poems called Sher. [ So the
Rafi solo "rang aur noor ki baaraat kise pesh karu" is NOT a Ghazal, as every
stanza is of 3 lines, and not 2. ]

What are other restrictions ? Many, and important ones.
[ Any collection of Sher's is not Ghazal. Some good examples are ; the famous
Mukesh song from Yehoodi, "yeh mera deewaanaapan hai" ; and the title song of
"dil apana aur preet parayi". Each stanza in these songs can be considered as an
independent Sher, but they are NOT Ghazal's. To understand, why, we have to wait
till 'Kaafiyaa, 'Radif'. ]

What is 'Beher' ?
'Beher' is the 'meter' of the Sher's. It can be considered as the length of the
Sher. Both the lines in the Sher *MUST* be of same 'Beher'. And all the Sher's
in one Ghazal *MUST* be of the same 'Beher'. There are 19 (!!) kinds of 'Beher'.
But in simple terms, 'Beher' is categorized in 3 classes. Short, medium, long.

Small :
ahale dairo-haram reh gaye
tere deewane kam reh gaye
[ Also Talat song, "dil-e-nadan tuze hua kya hai" ]

Medium :
umr jalwo me basar ho, ye zaruri to nahin
har shab-e-gam ki seher ho, ye zaruri to nahin
[ And by Gulzar, "ruke ruke se kadam, ruk ke baar baar chale" ]

Long :
ai mere humnashin, chal kahin aur chal, is chaman me ab apanaa guzaaraa nahin
baat hoti gulon ki, to seh lete hum, ab to kaaton pe bhi haq hamaaraa nahin
[ The filmfare winner, "Manzile apani jagah hai" !! Yes ! It IS a Ghazal. And
the Shayar is Prakash Mehra !! surprise , surprise !! ]

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of SAME 'Beher'.


What is 'Radif' ?
In a Ghazal, second line of all the Sher's MUST end with the SAME word/s. This
repeating common words is the Radif' of the Ghazal. In our example, the 'Radif'
is "nahin aati". [ Sometimes, the Ghazal becomes known by its 'Radif'. eg.
"jaraa aahista chal" sung by Pankaj Udhas. On RMIM we all know one Ghazal by the
'Radif' as "aahista aahista", don't we ? or is it 2 or 3 ? :-)

What is 'Kaafiyaa' ?
'Kaafiyaa' is the rhyming pattern which all the words before 'Radif' MUST have.
In our example the 'Kaafiyaa' is "bar", "nazar", "par", "magar" etc. This is a
necessary requirement. Something which is followed even in the exceptions to all
these rules.

So Ghazal is a collection of Sher's of same 'Beher', ending in same 'Radif' and
having same 'Kaafiyaa'. [ That's the reason, why "yeh mera diwanapan hai" etc.
are NOT Ghazals. There is no common thing which can be called 'Kaafiyaa' and
'Radif'. ]

What is 'Matla' ?
The first Sher in the Ghazal *MUST* have 'Radif' in its both lines. This Sher is
called 'Matla' of the Ghazal and the Ghazal is usually known after its 'Matla'.
There can be more than one 'Matla' in a Ghazal. In such a case the second one is
called 'Matla-e-saani' or 'Husn-e-matla'. In our example, the first Sher is the
'Matla'.

What is 'Maqta' ?
A Shayar usually has an alias ie. 'takhallus' eg. Mirza Asadullakhan used
'Ghalib' as his 'takhallus' and is known by that. Other examples are 'Daag'
Dehlvi, 'Mir' Taqi Mir, Said 'Rahi', Ahmed 'Faraz' etc. There is a Sher in a
Ghazal, the last one, which has the Shayar's 'takhallus' in it. [ A Shayar, can
use the 'Maqta' very intelligently. He can "talk to himself" like one in our
example. I have lots of favourite Sher's which are 'Maqta' of some Ghazal. Some
gems are

koi nam-o-nishan puchhe to ai kaasid bataa denaa,
takhallus 'Daag' hai, aur aahiqon ke dil me rehte hai

and

jab bhi milte hain, to kehte hain, "kaise ho 'Shakil'",
iske aage to koi baat nahin hoti hai

The first one uses the meaning of the 'takhallus' to create the magic, and the
second one is just simple, simply beautiful. ]

To summarize, Ghazal is a collection of Sher's (independent two-line poems), in
which there is atleast one 'Matla', one 'Maqta' and all the Sher's are of same
'Beher' and have the same 'Kaafiyaa' and 'Radif'.

Bhrung ji thank you for this lengthy post describing what a ghazal is. Never knew the nuance of these terms like Kafiyaa, Radif, Maqta, Matla. Would love to read more such informative posts from you.

Thanks again,
N