by B. R. Gowani (translation of SAHIR LUDHIANVI song)
you’ll not become a Hindu nor a Muslim you’ll become
a human progeny you are, a human being you’ll become
it is wonderful that so far no name you have
nor an association with any religion you have
the knowledge that has divided the human beings
you’re blameless, for none of that knowledge you have
the harbinger of changed times you’ll become
a human progeny you are, a human being you’ll become
each one of the human beings, Lord created
out of that Hindu or Muslim, we created
nature had blessed us with just one land
but here India and there Iran, we created
the storm that breaks every barrier is what you’ll become
a human progeny you are, a human being you’ll become
one that teaches hatred, that religion is not yours
the step that tramples human beings is not yours
that temple which has no Quran, yours it is not
where there is no Gita, that mosque is not yours
an inspiration of peace and compromise you’ll become
a human progeny you are, a human being you’ll become
these merchants of religion one’s own country they sell
also the shrouds of the human corpses they sell
those slayers and looters sitting in the palaces
for the price of thorns, the garden’s soul they would sell
for them, the declaration of death you’ll become
a human progeny you are, a human being you’ll become
Notes
South Asian poet Sahir Ludhianvi (1921-1980), whose real name was Abdul Hai, was born in Ludhiana, Punjab. He wrote poetry on a wide variety of a subjects, including social and humanitarian issues, and received many awards, in addition to the Padma Shri from the Indian government and the Soviet Land Nehru Award from the government of the then Soviet Union. He also wrote songs for commercial films without compromising either the quality or his own conscience. He once said: Whatever is to be said, inclusion of conscience is necessary, that is, one should also feel it from inside. Sahir considered great South Asian poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz as his mentor.
The above song is from the early 1960’s film Dhool ka Phool (or Flower of Dust). The song is filmed on a man raising a child whom he had found abandoned.
A temple is a Hindu place of worship, Qur’an is the Muslim scripture, Gita is the Hindu scripture, and a mosque is a Muslim place of worship.