Jaun Elia, a popular Urdu poet, was born as Syed Sibt-e-Ashgar Naqvi (1931-2003) in Amroha, during British rule (presently the city is in Uttar Pradesh, India). As a price for freedom from the British subjugation, India had to face partition. Jaun Elia was quite young when Pakistan became an independent Muslim state.
He as a communist was averse to this idea, though he accepted it as a compromise. He migrated to Pakistan in 1957, & decided to live in Karachi, but his heart never left his birthplace - Amroha. Jaun Elia’s eternal love for India never died and never feared the borders that separated India and Pakistan.
He had command over many languages including Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit & Hebrew. Also, he had a rich encyclopedic knowledge of the history of philosophy, religion, and Islamic mysticism.
Jaun Elia’s Books and Published Works
Jaun Elia procrastinated publishing his first book for nearly 30 years and finally came his incomparable collection of poems, Shayad. ‘Shayad by Jaun Elia’ was published in the year 1989 when Jaun Elia was 58. His book became immensely popular among the intellectuals as well as the masses. But he despised the idea of publishing his work.
Posthumously, Yaani, his second book came in the year 2013, ten years after his death. ‘Yaani by Jaun Elia’ was actually published by Mr. Khalid Ahmed Ansari. Gumnaam, Lekin, and Goya were few of this legend’s main corpus of work, which when published, received tremendous love from masses.
Jaun Elia's prose work, Farhood, a collection of his essays, has also hit the stores. His life can't be briefed in a few paragraphs. He was too mystifying, too larger-than-life to be described in words.
Jaun Elia’s School of Thought
Jaun Elia always frowned upon creation and despised authority - both worldly & divine. This is why Jaun Elia’s poetry is not a love song or a lament; it is a chant of a rebel.
By going through the works of Jaun Elia, you will embark upon the Odyssey to skeptical Knowledge, Agnosticism & Nihilism. It will make you perpetually disturbed, for this was something he wanted his readers to be - longing for knowledge.
Jaun Elia’s Brilliant Phrases and Content
Besides being a brilliant Urdu poet, Jaun Elia framed hundreds of unusual phrases. Jaun Elia formed similes and metaphors, which no other person of his age has done so far.
Jaun Elia has an unusual command over the form and content which reflects in his well-rhymed Nazms & free-verse poems. He was a gem as an Urdu Mushaira poet. They say many other poets refrained to participate in Urdu Mushairas, fearing being eclipsed by none other than Jaun Elia.
Although he went to the other nation, his strong urge of coming back to India can be heard in his poetries, couplets, and verses. Here are some of Jaun Elia’s works for you to cherish and fall in love with literature at once. You might feel deprived of knowledge too!
Jaun Elia Shayaris and Poetries
1. Apni manzil ka rasta bhejo, Jaun humko wahan bula bhejo.
2. Nayi kaliyaan jo ab khili hain wahan, Unki khushbu toh ik zara bhejo.
3. Kuch toh rishta hai tumse kambakhton, Kuch nahin toh ik baddua bhejo.
These Jaun Elia shayari show his deep attachment to India, the land where he was born. He longed to see the changes and growth that independent India was making while he was in Pakistan. These two lines also show how badly he wished he could come back to his motherland.
4. Meri keemat ghatayi ja rahi hai, Mujhe furqat sikhayi ja rahi hai.
Wo shay jo sirf hindustan ki thi, Pakistan laayi jaa rahi hai.
These two lines written by Jaun Elia (shayari/poetry) truly show how badly he was affected by the partition and separation of Pakistan from India. He was not at all happy by the division, they cause loss of wealth and prosperity for both the counties.
5. Iss samandar mein tashneqaam hun main, Baan tum ab bhi beh rahi ho kya.
Jaun Elia was so much attached to his birthplace Amroha, that he even described his affection with the river Baan of Amroha in his poetry. Likewise he has mentioned minute details about India in many of his works.
6. Jo guzaari na ja saki humse, Humne wo zindagi guzaari hai.
Jaun Elia’s poetry is known for its ceaseless pain. His shayari on zindagi is something that delves into layers of meanings. Every single person reading Jaun Elia shayari will deciper a different meaning of it.
7. Ye mujhe chaen kyun nahi parta, Ek hi shaks tha jahan mein kya.
8. Main bhi bohot ajeeb hun, Itna ajeeb ki bas, Khud ko tabaah kar lia or malaal bhi nahin.
9. Sab daleelein toh mujhko yaad rahin, Behes kya thi usiko bhul gaya.
This Jaun Elia shayari reminds us of the meaningless debates that take place in today's world. We remember the statements that are said in the argument, keep fighting over it, and in the proces, forget what was the topic of the debate. We lose the path in the middle and never reach a decent conclusion.
10. Bohot nazdeek aati ja rahi ho, Bichhadne ka irada kar lia hai kya.
Deep sigh! This mohabbat shayari by Jaun Elia is a direct attack on the heart. When someone comes too close, creates a lot of value in our lives, and wins our love - we start fearing to lose that person. Jaun Elia has beautifully penned the feeling down in this couplet.
11. Mujhe ab tumse darr lagne laga hai, Tumhe mujhse mohabbat ho gayi kya
12. Kisliye dekhti ho aaina, Tum toh khud se bhi khoobsurat ho.
13. Zindagi kis tarah basar hogi, Dil nahi lag raha mohabbat mein.
To Jaun Elia, mohabbat or love was a way of life. If one had not been in love, one was not to live the best life.
14. Kaise kahein ki tujh ko bhi humse hai vasta koi, Tu ne toh aaj tak humse koi gila hi nahin kia.
15. Kaun iss ghar ki dekhbhaal kare, Roz ik cheez toot jati hai.
This Jaun Elia shayari conveys a deep message and stirs the mind. It questions us if we are taking care of our culture and heritage or not, if we are aware of the richness that our country has. It mocks at the present day scenario where we go on demolishing the old for building the new, in place of restoring and preserving the old.
16. Ilaaj ye hai ki majboor kar dia jaun, Vagarna yun toh kisi ki nahi suni maine.
17. Kya sitam hai ki ab teri surat gaur karne par yaad aati hai.
Another of those Jaun Elia poetries that strike a chord with old age people and with those who haven't met their love for a long, really long time. When we start losing memory and are unable to recognise our loved ones, or when we haven't seen their faces recently, we need to make a lot of efforts to remember them.
18.Uss gali ne ye sun ke sabr kia, Jaane wale yahan ke the hi nahin.
19. Kya kaha ishq javedaani hai, Akhiri baar mil rahi ho kya.
20. Tum jo aogi toh khoya hua paogi mujhe, Meri tanhaayi mein khwaabon ke siwa kuch bhi nahin.
Mere kamre ko sajane ki tamanna hai tumhe, Mere kamre mein kitaabon ke siwa kuch bhi nahin.
21. Meri baahon mein behekne ki saza bhi sun le, Ab bohot der mein azaad karunga tujhko.
22. Mustaqil bolta hi rehta hun, Kitna khamosh hun main andar se.
A modern day reality hides in this Jaun Elia shayari. We are all moving at the same pace in this contemporary world but in reality, we are all lost. We have thousands of friends over social media, but in reality, we don't have any one to talk to. We are lonely and we keep wandering in pursuit of happiness.
23. Or toh kya tha bechne ke liye, Apni aankhon ke khwaab beche hain.
24. Main raha umra bhar juda khud se, Yaad main khud ko umra bhar aya.
Jaun Elia has a sadness and lament hiding in this shayari. He disliked people who were selfish - everything they were concerned about was related to them. And since nobody mattered to them, they didn't matter to anybody.
25. Sochta hun uski yaad akhir, Ab kise raat bhar jagaati hai.
26. Saare duniya ke gam humare hain, Or sitam ye ki hum tumhare hain.
27. Zindagi ek fan hai, Lamhon ko apne andaaz se gawaane ka
Beshaq! Jaun Elia zindagi shayari is one of the deepest shayari he has ever written. Life dances to the tune you play. It is you who decides what kind of a life you want to lead.
28.Tumhara hizr mana lun agar izazat ho, Main dil kisi se laga lun agar izazat ho.
29. Bin tumhare kabhi nahin aayi, Kya meri bhi tumhari hai?
30. Apne sab yaar kaam kar rahe hain, Or hum hain ki naam kar rahe hain.
Although Jaun Elia and his poetries have been an influence on many of today's young poets, he is still to receive the nationwide recognition he deserves. By way of this article, we want to showcase his works to the world and do our bit of recognizing his craft, which is unique and fine forever.
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