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Dhund Mein Amaan Nahin khel bachchon ka
yaaron sey keh do THE above couplet may daunt wannabe Urdu poets but should be taken as a challenge. Nuanced imagery is one of the beauties of Urdu literature in general and poetry in particular. Poetry is, essentially, a reflective art. Many a debutant poet’s first attempts are suffused with charming naiveté — what is known among the seasoned shayars as masoomiyat. One gets evidence of this in several of Khullar’s well-crafted poems. In fact, masoomiyat is the strong point of this collection that has a rich variety of qitas, ghazals and nazms. He uses these poetry forms to reflect variegated moods.
There is a lot of gravitas in Khullar’s musings, viz., "Rang kee tauheen kaisee soch kee tareef kya/Khushbooein apni jagah hain falsafey apni jagah (It is meaningless to insult colour or praise thought, fragrances and philosophies have their distinct places)"; "Khuda ho gaye tow kahaan kuchch dikhega/Jo insaan rahiyo tow milna miyaan ji (If you behave like God you won’t be able to see anything, meet me if you remain a mortal); and "Chhodta bhi naheen kabhi tanhaa/Gham mera pasbaan kitna hai (Grief is my true friend/It never deserts me). Then there is "Jhooth bhi tow ek khanjar hai/Sachch ko kyon talwaar likhoon (Why describe truth as the sword when falsehood too is a dagger)". As an experienced practitioner of the art has said, "Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason." This is what good poetry does. Some of Khullar’s verses trigger catharsis and thus heal the hurt psyche. The ghazals in this anthology are soul stirring. However even the best of shayars have not been able to churn out uniformly excellent poetry. Couplets in their ghazals are often not of consistently good quality. Some are almost pedestrian while others are stunning. When a shayar realises the importance of what needs to be left unarticulated he becomes good enough to express that is worthy of not just appreciation but also deep thought. Therefore, two basic factors need to be kept in mind about poetry – what has been said and how has it been articulated. Neither should overshadow the other. Khullar has the talent.
More importantly, he has got the right attitude as demonstrated by his
couplet, "Dayarey phan mein jahan manzilein bhi farzee hain/Tamaam
umr bhatakaney ka hausla rakhna (In the world of arts, where
destinations are imaginary, one should have the courage for lifelong
struggle". The poet’s debut is like that of an innocent wannabe.
With the passage of time, experience will replace this naivety. He is
good and should carry on with honing his craft. All one can say is,
"Duniya mein naami koyee bagair mushakkat nahin hua/Sau baar
aqueeq jab kataa tab nageen hua (Without hard work one cannot make
the mark in the world, a precious stone is cut a hundred times before it
turns into a jewel). Khullar is like a pearl in the oyster, biding his
time to wow the world.
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One
of Khullar’s couplets articulates his pain at duplicity in attitudes,
"Jo meri aankh sey tapka tow ashk ashk na tha/Jo terey honth sey
niklee voh baat baat huiee (the tear that dropped from my eye was
ignored while whatever you said became important)". One also
detects his pain, anger and angst in the following couplets: Apni
ainak ko badal dalein kya/Jo bhi milta hai khuda lagta hai (Whoever
I come across appears to be God, should I change my spectacles?; Sachch
kay darwazey per dastak deta rehta hoon/Aag kee laptein odhey rehna
achcha lagta hai (I keep knocking on truth’s door, it feels good
to be enveloped in fire); and Zinda jal tow gayey sab armaan/Raakh
mein ab kya dhoond rahey ho (All my desires have been burnt, what
are you looking for in the ashes?). He gets introspective and looks at
the blunders committed by him, viz., Hum khud apney dushman thehrey/Tum
tow nahak vaar karey ho (You attack me in vain, I am my own enemy).
Some of the couplets provide glimpses of the poet’s evolving attitude,
viz., "Jis gali mein khuda nahin bastaa/Uss gali sey to hum
guzar aaye (I have crossed the lane where God does not dwell)."