Kaifi Azmi کیفی اعظمی; January 14, 1919 - May 10, 2002) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is considered to be one of the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.
Kaifi Azmi was born in a village Mizwaa(n) phoolpur, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Kaifi Azmi is married to Shaukhat Azmi. They have a daughter, Shabana Azmi (An Indian Actress of film, television and theatre) and Baba Azmi (Indian Cinematographer).
At age eleven, Azmi wrote his first ghazal Itna To Zindagi Mein Kisi Ki Khalal Pade and somehow managed to get himself invited to a mushaira and over there, he recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal which was very much appreciated by the president of the mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought he recited his elder brother's ghazal. When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi accepted the challenge and completed a ghazal. This particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India and it was immortalized as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar.
Azmi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India agitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party of India in 1943.
During this period, the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible encouragement towards him. Consequently, Azmi started to win great acclaim as a poet and became a member of Progressive Writers' Movement of India.
At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas of Kanpur. As a full time worker, he left his life of comfort, though he was the son of a zamindar. He was asked to shift his base to Bombay, work amongst the workers and start party work with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and at the same time would attend mushairas in different parts of India. In Bombay, he joined Ali Sardar Jafri in writing for the party’s paper, Qaumi Jung.
In 1947, he visited Hyderabad to participate in a mushaira. There he met, fell in love with and married a woman named Shaukat Azmi. She later became a renowned actress in theatre and films. They had two children together, Shabana Azmi (b. 1950), a renowned actress of Indian cinema and Baba Azmi, a noted cameraman.[DOUBLEPOST=1341853457][/DOUBLEPOST]
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Kaifi Azmi was born in a village Mizwaa(n) phoolpur, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Kaifi Azmi is married to Shaukhat Azmi. They have a daughter, Shabana Azmi (An Indian Actress of film, television and theatre) and Baba Azmi (Indian Cinematographer).
At age eleven, Azmi wrote his first ghazal Itna To Zindagi Mein Kisi Ki Khalal Pade and somehow managed to get himself invited to a mushaira and over there, he recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal which was very much appreciated by the president of the mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought he recited his elder brother's ghazal. When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi accepted the challenge and completed a ghazal. This particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India and it was immortalized as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar.
Azmi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India agitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party of India in 1943.
During this period, the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible encouragement towards him. Consequently, Azmi started to win great acclaim as a poet and became a member of Progressive Writers' Movement of India.
At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas of Kanpur. As a full time worker, he left his life of comfort, though he was the son of a zamindar. He was asked to shift his base to Bombay, work amongst the workers and start party work with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and at the same time would attend mushairas in different parts of India. In Bombay, he joined Ali Sardar Jafri in writing for the party’s paper, Qaumi Jung.
In 1947, he visited Hyderabad to participate in a mushaira. There he met, fell in love with and married a woman named Shaukat Azmi. She later became a renowned actress in theatre and films. They had two children together, Shabana Azmi (b. 1950), a renowned actress of Indian cinema and Baba Azmi, a noted cameraman.[DOUBLEPOST=1341853457][/DOUBLEPOST]
aavaaraa sajde
ik yahii soz-e-nihaa.N kul meraa sarmaayaa hai
dosto mai.n kise ye soz-e-nihaa.N nazr karuu.N
ko_ii qaatil sar-e-maqtal nazar aataa hii nahii.n
kis ko dil nazr karuu.N aur kise jaa.N nazr karuu.N?
tum bhii mahaboob mere tum bhii ho dil_daar mere
aashnaa mujh se magar tum bhii nahii.n tum bhii nahii.n
Khatm hai tum pe masiihaa_nafasii chaaraagarii
meharam-e-dard-e-jigar tum bhii nahii.n tum bhii nahii.n
apanii laash aap uThaanaa ko_ii aasaan nahii.n
dast-o-baazuu mere naakaaraa hue jaate hai.n
jin se har daur me.n chamakii hai tumhaarii dahaliiz
aaj sajde vohii aavaaraa hue jaate hai.N
duur manzil thii magar aisii bhii kuchh duur na thii
leke phiratii rahii raste hii me.n vahashat mujh ko
ek zaKhm aisaa na khaayaa ke bahaar aa jaatii
daar tak leke gayaa shauq-e-shahaadat mujh ko
raah me.n TuuT gaye paa.Nv to maaluum huaa
juz mere aur meraa rah_numaa ko_ii nahii.n
ek ke baad Khudaa ek chalaa aataa thaa
kah diyaa aql ne tang aake 'Khudaa ko_ii nahii.n'
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andeshe
ruuh bechain hai ik dil kii aziiyat kyaa hai
dil hii sholaa hai to ye soz-e-mohabbat kyaa hai
vo mujhe bhuul ga_ii iskii shikaayat kyaa hai
ranj to ye hai ke ro-roke bhulaayaa hogaa
vo kahaa.N aur kahaa.N kaahif-e-Gam sozish-e-jaa.N
us kii rangiin nazar aur nuquush-e-hirmaa.N
us kaa ehsaas-e-latiif aur shikast-e-armaa.N
taanaazan ek zamaanaa nazar aayaa hogaa
jhuk ga_ii hogii javaa.N-saal umango.n kii jabii.n
miT ga_ii hogii lalak Duub gayaa hogaa yaqii.n
chhaa gayaa hogaa dhuaa.N ghuum ga_ii hogii zamii.n
apane pahale hii gharonde ko jo Dhaayaa hogaa
dil ne aise bhii kuchh afsaane sunaaye ho.Nge
ashk aa.Nkho.n ne piye aur na bahaaye ho.Nge
band kamare me.n jo Khat mere jalaaye ho.Nge
ek-ik harf jabii.n par ubhar aayaa hogaa
us ne ghabaraake nazar laakh bachaa_ii hogii
miTake ik naqsh ne sau shaql dikhaa_ii hogii
mez se jab merii tasviir haTaa_ii hogii
har taraf mujh ko ta.Daptaa huaa paayaa hogaa
bemahal chhe.D pe jazbaat ubal aaye ho.Nge
Gam pashemaan tabassum me.n Dhal aaye ho.Nge
naam par mere jab aa.Nsuu nikal aaye ho.Nge
sar na kaa.Ndhe se sahalii ke uThaayaa hogaa
zulf zid kar ke kisii ne jo banaa_ii hogii
ruuThw jalvo.N pe Khizaa.N aur bhii chhaa_ii hogii
barq ashvo.N ne ka_ii din na giraa_ii hogii
rang chehare pe ka_ii roz na aayaa hogaa
hoke majabuur mujhe us ne bhulaayaa hogaa
zahar chup kar ke davaa jaan ke Khaayaa hogaa
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ab tum aaGosh-e-tasavvur me.n bhii aayaa na karo
ab tum aaGosh-e-tasavvur me.n bhii aayaa na karo
mujh se bikhare huye gesuu nahii.n dekhe jaate
surKh aa.Nkho.n kii qasam kaa.Npatii palako.n kii qasam
thar-tharaate huye aa.Nsuu nahii.n dekhe jaate
ab tum aaGosh-e-tasavvur me.n bhii aayaa na karo
chhuuT jaane do jo daaman-e-vafaa chhuuT gayaa
kyuu.N ye laGaziidaa Kharaamii ye pashemaa.N nazarii
tum ne to.Daa nahii.n rishtaa-e-dil TuuT gayaa
ab tum aaGosh-e-tasavvur me.n bhii aayaa na karo
merii aaho.n se ye ruKhsaar na kumalaa jaaye.n
Dhuu.NDatii hogii tumhe.n ras me.n nahaa_ii hu_ii raat
jaao kaliyaa.N na kahii.n sej kii murjhaa jaaye.n
ab tum aaGosh-e-tasavvur me.n bhii aayaa na karo
mai.n is uja.De huye pahaluu me.n biThaa luu.N na kahii.n
lab-e-shiirii.n kaa namak aariz-e-namakii.n kii miThaas
apane tarase huye ho.nTho.n me.n churaa luu.N na kahii.n
azaa me.n bahate the aa.Nsuu yahaa.N, lahuu to nahii.n
ye ko_ii aur jagah hai ye lakhanauu to nahii.n
yahaa.N to chalatii hai.n chhuriyaa zubaa.N se pahale
ye miir aniis kii, aatish kii guftaguu to nahii.n
chamak rahaa hai jo daaman pe dono.n firaqo.n ke
baGaur dekho ye isalaam kaa lahuu to nahii.n
bas ik jhijhak hai yahii haal-e-dil sunaane me.n
bas ik jhijhak hai yahii haal-e-dil sunaane me.n
ki teraa zikr bhii aayegaa is fasaane me.n
baras pa.Dii thii jo ruKh se naqaab uThaane me.n
vo chaa.Ndanii hai abhii tak mere Gariib-Khaane me.n
isii me.n ishq kii qismat badal bhii sakatii thii
jo vaqt biit gayaa mujh ko aazamaane me.n
ye kah ke TuuT pa.Daa shaaKh-e-gul se aaKhirii phuul
ab aur der hai kitanii bahaar aane me.n
daayaraa
roz ba.Dhataa huu.N jahaa.N se aage
phir vahii.n lauT ke aa jaataa huu.N
baarahaa to.D chukaa huu.N jin ko
i.nhii.n diivaaro.n se Takaraataa huu.N
roz basate hai.n ka_ii shahar naye
roz dharatii me.n samaa jaate hai.n
zal-zalo.n me.n thii zaraa sii girah
vo bhii ab roz hii aa jaate hai.n
jism se ruuh talak ret hii ret
na kahii.n dhuup na saayaa na saraab
kitane aramaa.N hai kis seharaa me.n
kaun rakhataa hai mazaaro.n kaa hisaab
nafz bujhatii bhii bha.Dakatii bhii hai
dil kaa maamuul hai ghabaraanaa bhii
raat a.Ndhere ne a.Ndhere se kahaa
ik aadat hai jiye jaanaa bhii
qaus ek rang kii hotii hai tuluu'a
ek hii chaal bhii paimaanaa bhii
goshe goshe me.n kha.Dii hai masjid
mushkil kyaa ho ga_ii mayaKhaane kii
ko_ii kahataa thaa sama.ndar huu.N mai.n
aur merii jeb me.n qataraa bhii nahii.n
Khairiyat apanii likhaa karataa huu.N
ab to taqadiir me.n Khataraa bhii nahii.n
apane haatho.n ko pa.Dhaa karataa huu.N
kabhii quraan kabhii giitaa kii tarah
cha.nd rekhaao.n me.n samaauu.N mai.n
zindagii qaid hai siitaa kii tarah
raam kab lauTe.nge maaluum nahii.n
kaash raavan hii ko_ii aa jaataa
ek duaa
ab aur kyaa teraa biimaar baap degaa tujhe
bas ek duaa ki Khudaa tujhako kaamayaab kare
vo Taa.Nk de tere aa.Nchal me.n chaa.Nd aur taare
tuu apane vaaste jis ko bhii intaKhaab kare
On the birth of his daughter Shabana
