Interesting Urdu snippets - part 1 of ?

Exceptions do not make rules. The exception here is the picture which has little relation with this blog which is about some interesting Urdu phrases. Translating Urdu words into English is a daunting task and the translations do not do full justice to what the deeper meaning is.

Hamari parwaaz ke aasmaan badal gaye hain
We soar in different skies or
We have chosen different ways to progress in life


Jis gaon jaana nahin us gaon ka raasta kya poonchna
Why should I ask you the way of that place which I don't want to go to


Rishtey chheeni ke bartano ki tarah naazuk hote hain ek dafa toot jayen to laakh inhe duniyadaari aur maslehat ki elfi shelfi se jod lein ye jud nahin paate aur aankhon ko chhubne lagte hain
Relations are extremely delicate like China crockery
Once broken, then even if you try to join them using the glue of worldly expediencies
You cannot join them and they are painful to see


Neki apna inaam khud hoti hai
An act of virtue is its own prize


Meherbaan hoke bula lo mujhe cchaaho jis waqt
Main gaya waqt nahin hoon ke aa bhi na sakoon
Do an act of kindness and call me whenever you want
I am not "time" that has passed & will not be able to come back


Raah mein wo mile kahaan
aur bazm mein wo bulaye kyon?
No chance that I could ever meet (him/her) on the way
And (he/she) never called me to (his/her) gathering


Yahaan kutte to aazaad phir rahen hain
aur pattharon ko baandh rakha hai
Here dogs are free to roam around
And stones have been tied up


Waqt khush khush kaatne ka mashwara dete hue
ro pada wo aap mujhko hausla dete hue
Whilst suggesting me to be happy
He himself burst into tears while consoling me


Sone ke kalam se likhne se tehreer to sone ki nahin ho jaati
If I use a golden pen to write, the writing will not become golden


Sahee baat ke saath agar aur magar lag jaaye to baat sahi nahin rahti
If ifs and buts are stated with a correct statement then that statement is not correct anymore


Siyasat ka maidaan bhi stock exchange ki tarah hota hai zara bhi calculation ya information mein galti ho jaaye to baat kahaan se kahaan pahunch jaati hai
Politics is like a stock exchange, a slight error in calculation or information can have disastrous results


Zindagi bhi ek casino ki tarah hai, yahaan aadmi jitna bada daaon khelta hai kaamiyaabi bhi utni hi badi milti hai
Life islike a casino. Here, the higher your stakes, higher is the level of your success


Hakim ki aagadi aur ghode ki pecchaadi se bacchna cchahiye
Be careful about trespassing your master & being at the receiving end of your horse


Taqdeer ne to hum sub ko ek jaisa hi paida kiya hain
ye oonch neech to humne paida kiye hain
Fate has given birth to all of us as equals
These highs and lows are our creation


Maut dikha kar bukhaar pe raazi kar liya
I threatened him with death, so he agreed to something lesser than that

What next after success?

OK, so you are successful. What next after being successful?

Look at Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc. Steve helped to invent the personal computer, helped to launch the mouse driven graphical interface, helped to launch the MP3 business, helped launch computer animations at Pixar and is currently the Walt Disney Company's largest individual shareholder and a member of its Board of Directors. And he’s not done – right?

The point is, just like skiing, the goal is not how fast to get to the bottom of the hill, but the goal is to have a bunch of good runs before the sun sets.

Revisiting Ghalib

It was in the year 1992 when I was in Bahrain that I happened to listen for the first time to a few ghazals by Jagjit & Chitra Singh from their album entitled “Mirza Ghalib”. At that time I hardly paid any attention to the poetry as I was simply mesmerized by Jagjit’s soulful & mystical voice complimented by Chitra’s unique crystal clear and sweet vocals.

It was after a gap of almost 16 years that I listened again to the same ghazals but this time Ghalib’s poetic genius was what swept me off my feet. And I started wondering and imagining what kind of a person in real life he must have been. Luckily the entire serial on his life, produced and directed by Gulzar was available on video.google.com.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching it – it was the first time that I was doing that & some of the scenes enacted by Naseerudin Shah, who plays Ghalib & Tanvi Azmi, who plays his wife were so beautiful and realistic that I have nothing but appreciation for them and Gulzar. The entire story about Ghalib’s life has tragic underlying connotations, but nevertheless there are some moments that evoke a smile & even a giggle perhaps. There is a scene where his wife challenges Ghalib to go and marry a second time to which he responds

Paaon ki ek hi beidhee ne mushkil mein daal diya hai

Doosri bhi pehen lee to chalne se hi nachaar ho jaoonga

Meaning

Even the one shackle on one of my feet is causing me problems

If I wear another shackle then I won’t be able to walk at all

Once Ghalib tells his wife that he is very sad, to which she retorts that he never seems to look sad & to this Ghalib replies

Unke dekhe se aa jaatee hein muhn par raunak

Wo samajhte hein ke beemaar ka haal achcha hai

Meaning

As soon as my beloved sees me, my face starts glowing

And she thinks that I am all right & not ill any more

In another scene, Ghalib’s wife nudges him and asks him if he is not even afraid of God? To which he replies with a smile

Darta wohi hai jiske paas koi poonji ho

Tumhare paas eemaan hai is liye darti ho

Aur hamaare paas siwaaye is eemaan wali ke kuch nahin hai

Meaning

The only person who is afraid is the one who has some possessions

You possess faith & therefore you are afraid

And I have nothing except you - the possessor of faith

Which jail is better?

Mirza Ghalib, one of the greatest poets from India, was once in jail for a period of six months. One morning, he heard a man crying from the adjoining room. On enquiring from the jail attendant, he came to know that a young man had been found guilty of some crime and would have to spend 3 months in custody.

Ghalib went to the man asked him.

"What is the matter my friend, why are you crying?"

"I have to spend three months in this jail...", the man replied between sobs,

"So what?"

"You don't understand, I was about to get married today, and I ended up here..."

"You should thank God for that, that you were just saved from a life sentence. Believe me, 3 months you will spend easily here, but imagine how much you might have suffered being a captive for all your life. You should also be thankful to the policeman who caught you & by catching you even he has inadvertently done something good in his life."

The pen is mightier than the sword

Woh baadshah hai talvaar ke
Hum kalam ke shahenshah hai

Unka mulk cchin sakta hai
Hamari milkiat koi nahin ccheen sakta

Ghalib

meaning

He is a king by means of his sword
But I too am a prince of the pen

His kingdom can be snatched away
But my property (the art of writing poetry) cannot be taken away by anyone


This applies to bloggers as well I guess!

Definition of homework, profession & vacation

When you sit at home and worry - you call it homework
When you sit in the office and worry - you call it profession.
When you sit on the beach and worry - you call it vacation.

If you carry your worries with you all the time, your life will remain unchanged.

Right decision for the wrong reason

There were 3 persons undergoing treatment at a lunatic asylum. The doctor in charge was pretty confident that they were progressing well and would soon be cured. So after a month's treatment he called all the 3 of them in front of a large and deep empty swimming pool. He asked the 1st person to jump in the pool, who gladly did so & broke his hand. The next person also jumped, and he broke his leg. Now the doctor asked the 3rd person to jump.
"No doctor, not me".

The doctor was elated, that at least this fellow was cured.
"Good, go and fetch your things, you can go home now",the doctor told him.
"But by the way, can you tell me why you did not jump".
"I am not mad, doctor, I do not know swimming"

Don't we also sometimes do the same thing? - take a right decision for the wrong reasons, think about it!