ham_safar
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vo ham_safar thaa magar us se ham-navaaii na thii
ki dhuup chhaaoN kaa aalam rahaa judaaii na thii
He was my fellow traveler, yet no closeness between us—
for the period of light and shadow, was still never quite a parting.
na apnaa raNj na auroN kaa dukh na teraa malaal
shab-e-firaaq kabhii ham ne yuuN gaNvaaii na thii
Neither one's own grief, the sorrow of others, nor your regrets—
never did we squander a night of farewell in such a way.
mohabbatoN kaa safar is taraH bhii guzraa thaa
shikastaa_dil the musaafir shikastaa_paaii na thii
Love’s journey unfolded this way too:
we were travelers with broken hearts, but never broken steps.
adaavteN thiiN , taGaaful thaa , ranjisheN thiiN bahut
bichhRne vaale meN sab kuchh thaa , bevfaaii na thii
There were resentments, indifference, so many grudges—
in the one who left, everything existed, except betrayal.
bichhRte vaqt un aaNkhoN meN thii hamaarii Gazal
Gazal bhii vo jo kisii ko abhii sunaaii na thii
At the hour of parting, our poem lived in their eyes—
a poem still unrecited to anyone.
kise pukaar rahaa thaa vo Duubtaa huaa din
sadaa to aaii thii lekin koii duhaaii na thii
For whom did that drowning day cry out?
The echo always came, but no plea was ever made.
kabhii ye Haal ki donoN meN yak-dilii thii bahut
kabhii ye marhlaa jaise ki aashnaaii na thii
At times, such were the states between us both, that harmony was abundant
at others, such distance that familiarity didn't even exist.
ajiib hotii hai raah-e-suxan bhii dekh nasiir
vahaaN bhii aa gae aaxir , jahaaN rasaaii na thii
Se how strange it is, Nasir, the path of poetry
If finally arrives even where there was no reach.
About this song
- Singers
- Abida Parveen, Quratulain Balouch
- Lyrics
- Naseer Turabi
- Music
- Waqar Ali
ham_safar (Hindi: हमसफ़र, Urdu: ہم سفر) "Fellow Traveler" is a celebrated ghazal written by poet Naseer Turabi following the traumatic separation of East Pakistan in 1971, an event that culminated in the fall of Dhakka and the birth of Bangladesh. Although the poem does not explicitly mention this historical event, it uses the intimate language of heartbreak to express a profound and collective loss, and has thus been read as a poetic lament for the breakdown of national unity.
Decades later, the ghazal was adapted as the theme song for the soap opera Humsafar (2011), sung by Quratulain Balouch, whose melancholic voice became inseparable from the series' success. This version was set to music by composer Waqar Ali. For this occasion, additional verses from another poem attributed to the poet Khalid Ahmad were incorporated, including the famous royaa na tu na maiN, creating an expanded and emotional version that won over audiences.
The ghazal has also been sung in its original version by Abida Parveen, in a more classical and contemplative style. Over time, other singers such as Zeeshan Ali and Alize Naqvi have also released their versions, demonstrating the poem's lasting resonance.
