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1 / 25 : Featured

afraad ke haathon mein haiaqwaam ki taqdeer

har fard hai millat ke

muqaddar ka sitaara

the destiny of the nation

lies in the hands of its people

every person is a pointer

to the fate of the nation

Mohammad Iqbal (30)
afraad (m) (1)

people, individual

aqwaam (f) (1)

country

taqdeer (m) (5)

fate, destiny

fard (m) (1)

person, individual

millat (f) (1)

nation

muqaddar (m) (8)

fate, fortune

sitaara (m) (1)

pointer, asterisk

Theme: Home, Country, & Belonging (32)

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2 / 25 : Featured

hota hai shab-o-roz

tamaasha mere aage

a play of children

this world before me

a spectacle unfolds

every day and night before me

bazeecha (m) (1)

game, play

atfal (m) (1)

children, plural of tifl

duniya (m) (28)

world

shab (f) (17)

evening, night

roz (m) (14)

day, every day

tamaasha (m) (3)

spectacle, drama, show

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3 / 25 : Featured

honTon pe latife hain

awaaz mein chaale hain

in this city,

the style of living is so strange

wit and smile on the lips

but sharp edges in the voice

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

shahar (m) (2)

city

andaaz (m) (10)

mannerism, style

niraale (m) (2)

unique, strange, quaint

honTon (m) (3)

lips

awaaz (m) (2)

voice

chaale (m) (2)

blisters, sores

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4 / 25 : Featured

kab zindagi guzaari hai

apne hisaab mein

no control over dreams

no power over memories

when has life ever

transpired on my terms

Fatima Hasan (2)
khwaabon (m) (2)

dreams

ikhtiyaar (m) (2)

control, authority

yaadon (m) (10)

memories, thoughts

zor (m) (4)

power, control

guzaari (3)

spent, transpired

hisaab (m) (5)

count, account

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5 / 25 : Featured

phir is ke baad

thoda muqaddar talaash kar

work hard too, keep faith too

find a path too

after all this...

look for a little luck

2013: Padma Shri

1998: Sahitya Akademi

talaash (f) (10)

quest, search

koshish (f) (3)

attempt, effort

ummeed (m) (11)

hope, expectation

muqaddar (m) (8)

fate, fortune

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6 / 25 : Featured

kaun si shai hai jo teri

khush-bayaani mein nahin

fragrance of flowers,

rustle of breeze, tinkling of glass

what is not there

in the beauty of your talk

phool (m) (14)

flowers, flower

khushbu (f) (11)

fragrance

hava (m) (8)

breeze, wind

sheeshe (m) (3)

glass

khanak (m) (1)

tinkling

shai (f) (3)

thing, things, refuge

khush (10)

happy

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7 / 25 : Featured

tumhare husn-e-takallum se

kya naheen hota

lamps light up,

fragrance in morning breeze

what can’t happen

with your beautiful eloquence

charaagh (m) (17)

lamp, light, flame

jalte (m) (4)

light up, burn

baad (13)

breeze / after

saba (m) (5)

breeze, zephyr

husn (m) (21)

beauty

takallum (m) (6)

speech, eloquence

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8 / 25 : Featured

haT kar chale hain

raahguzar-e-kaarwaan se hum

taking permission to leave

from the heavens above

we parted ways from

the path of the caravan

izn (m) (2)

permission, authorization

khiraam (m) (1)

graceful walk

aasmaan (m) (18)

sky

raahguzar (m) (5)

path

kaarwaan (m) (5)

caravan

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9 / 25 : Featured

saaya koyi lahraaye to

lagtaa hai ki tum ho

if i hear a soft tread

it feels like it’s you

even if a shadow flutters

it feels like it’s you

aahaT (f) (2)

sound (of footsteps)

lagtaa (m) (1)

feels like

saaya (m) (6)

shadow

waving

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10 / 25 : Featured

qurbaton mein bhi

faasla nikla

in love too

politics arose

in even closeness

distances emerged

ishq (m) (35)

love

siyaasaten (f) (1)

politics

qurbaton (m) (2)

closeness, proximity

faasla (m) (7)

distance

nikla (13)

turned out, came out

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11 / 25 : Featured

milta faqat hai

zauq-e-tajassus ke baab mein

don’t you forget, 'shahed',

that the pleasures of life

are found only at the doorstep

of the joy of curiosity

bhool (f) (16)

forget, mistake

zindagi (f) (46)

life

lutf (m) (8)

comfort, joy, pleasure

faqat (7)

only, just, simply

zauq (m) (6)

pleasure, delight, joy

tajassus (m) (1)

quest, curiosity

baab (m) (2)

door

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12 / 25 : Featured

tum jhuuT kah rahe thay

mujhe eitbaar tha

is it magic or spell

that's in what you say

you kept telling lies

and i kept believing

jaadu (m) (2)

magic, magical, bizarre

tilism (m) (4)

spell, magic

zabaan (m) (14)

language, tongue

jhuuT (m) (1)

lie

rahe (22)

remain

eitbaar (m) (5)

faith, belief

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13 / 25 : Featured

kal apno ki talaash mein tha

aaj apni talaash mein huun

i was on a journey yesterday

and still am today

yesterday, in search of my dear ones

today, in search of myself

Anonymous

safar (m) (30)

journey, travel

apno (m) (2)

lovedones

talaash (f) (10)

quest, search

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14 / 25 : Featured

bahut aahista nahin hai

jo bahut tez nahin

the revolution will come soon

don’t be despondent

it doesn’t come too slowly

not does it come too fast

1997: Jnanpith Award

1967: Padma Shri

inquilaab (m) (7)

revolution

raftaar (f) (3)

fast, speed

slow, deliberate

tez (5)

fast, speed, quick

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15 / 25 : Featured

har ek pal guzar gaya

banaake dil pe ik nishaan

each moment passed by

while in search of a past moment

each moment passed by

leaving a mark on the heart

pal (m) (7)

moment, nurture

DhoonDta (m) (2)

search, look for

guzar (m) (13)

pass through, spent

nishaan (m) (5)

sign, river, mark

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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16 / 25 : Featured

aksar bigaD ke khud

meri haalat sambhal gayi

i am grateful for

the ups and downs of the world

often, my situation goes awry

before it corrects itself

Anonymous

grateful

jahaan (m) (17)

world, universe

nasheb (m) (2)

descent, decline

faraaz (m) (1)

height, ascent

aksar (7)

often

bigaD (m) (2)

destroyed, spoilt

haalat (f) (5)

condition, situation

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6

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17 / 25 : Featured

tum sab se maazrat

ke tabeeyaat udaas hai

worry about livelihood, my heart's lament

and thoughts of my beloved

i beg your forgiveness

but am a bit melacholic today

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

fikr (m) (5)

concern, fear

maash (f) (1)

livelihood

maatam (m) (1)

mourning

yaar (19)

friend, beloved

maazrat (f) (1)

apologies

tabeeyat (f) (2)

disposition, condition

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3

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18 / 25 : Featured

juun hi darvaaza khola hai

us ki khushbu aayi hai

after many days

i came to my room

just as i opened the door

fragrance of my beloved came out

khushbu (f) (11)

fragrance

darvaaza (m) (1)

door

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19 / 25 : Featured

zeest ke ranj

bhool jaate hain

when your eyes

do smile

the sorrows of life

i forget for a while

nain (m) (1)

eyes

smile

zeest (f) (4)

living, life

ranj (m) (3)

grief, hurt, sorrow

bhool (f) (16)

forget, mistake

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4

4.3K


20 / 25 : Featured

kis barhaman ne kaha tha

ki ye saal achchha hai

days and nights have not changed

nor is the condition any good

which brahmin foretold

this is a good year

shab (f) (17)

evening, night

roz (m) (14)

day, every day

haal (m) (18)

plight, condition

barhaman (m) (2)

brahmin, wise man

saal (m) (2)

year

1

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21 / 25 : Featured

bulandiyon pe Teherna

kamaal hota hai

there is nothing great

in reaching the heights

but staying there…

yes, that’s remarkable

bulandiyon (f) (1)

peaks, heights

kamaal (m) (4)

feat, wonder

staying

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22 / 25 : Featured

kaash thoDi si

hum peeye hote

even when we met

a hesitation remained

if only i had been

drinking a little

jhijhak (m) (1)

hesitation

kaash (4)

if only

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5

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23 / 25 : Featured

log aise hi adaaon pe

fida hote hain

don’t flash those smiles

at all these men, miss

they fall so easily

for such mannerisms

1993: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

2013: India Commemorative Stamp

jaanib (m) (3)

towards

fida (m) (1)

drawn towards

adaaon (m) (2)

manners, manner, style

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2

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24 / 25 : Featured

sach puucho to 'zeb'

tabeeyat Theek naheen hoti

to pacify the heart

i try and speak smilingly, but

to tell the truth, ‘zeb’,

`don’t feel any better within

2005: Sitara-i-Imtiaz

dil (m) (119)

heart

sambhaale (m) (1)

recover, comfort

hansta (2)

smiling, laughing

sach (m) (8)

truth

tabeeyat (f) (2)

disposition, condition

Theek (2)

right, fine

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25 / 25 : Featured

vo kya karen jo tum se

khafa ho nahin sakte

please, at least tell us this

before you get angry

what do those people do

who can't get angry with you?

pahle (m) (8)

before

bata (9)

speak, tell

khafa (m) (6)

angry, upset

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Time, Life & Learning (144)

Ashaar (couplets) by others

Alfaaz Ki Mehfil is a curated space for timeless poetry celebrating words, emotions, and the enduring beauty of expression. From classic Urdu couplets to modern reflections, it brings together generations of poetic voices that speak of love, longing, hope, and the human soul.

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