Kaifi Azmi, one of Urdu poetry’s most revolutionary voices, masterfully intertwines personal emotion with societal critique. His Shayari transcends time, capturing the agony of unrequited love, the fury of social inequality, and the quiet despair of existential solitude. From the haunting “do gaz zamīñ bhī chāhiye do gaz kafan ke baad” (Even two yards of earth are needed after the shroud) to the rallying cry “hindū musalmāñ jo bas ga.e, insāñ kī shakl dekhne ko ham taras ga.e” (Hindus and Muslims coexist—yet humanity’s true face makes us weep), Azmi’s verses resonate with raw honesty. This collection dives into his poetic universe, where every couplet is a mirror to the human condition.
Shayari on Love & Longing
Dil ki dhadkan mein chhupi si raat,
Teri yaad ki lahar le kar aayi hai.
Tere bina khwab adhoore hain,
Jaise kalam ka rukha safar.
Chandni mein tera naam likha hai,
Har kiran mein kho jana hai.
Dil ke armano ki gehraiyon mein,
Teri aahat ke narm naghmon ka saaz hai.
Mohabbat ki gehri khaiyon mein,
Humne kho diya apna savera.
Shayari on Social Issues
Ghurbat ki chadar odh ke dekho,
Yahan insaano ka insaaf toota hai.
Roti, kapda, makaan ka sawal,
Kisko pata hai yahan zindagi ka maqsad?
Hindu-Muslim ka fark-e-khalaf,
Insaan ka dil toh ek khata hai.
Samaaj ki deewaron pe jo likha hai,
Wo khoon se likha hai, mitaana mushkil hai.
Bhookh ke maare log badnaam hain,
Par khaye jaa rahe hain unki daawat ke naam.
Zindagi ki raahon mein khud ko kho jaana,
Kya yahi maut ka pehla kadam hai?
Dil ki dhadkan ke saaye mein,
Kahan tak jiyenge be-sahara?
Khojte raho apne aap ko,
Par kahan dhundhe zindagi ke andaaz?
Kafan ki do gaz zameen ke baad,
Kya insaan ki khwaahish khatm hoti hai?
Rahne ko duniya mein aata nahi koi,
Par chhoota hua dil yahan ka hai.
Shayari on Love & Longing
Bas ik jhijak hai yahī hāl-e-dil sunāne meñ,
Ki terā zikr bhī aa.egā is fasāne meñ.
Jhukī jhukī sī nazar be-qarār hai ki nahīñ,
Dabā dabā sā sahī dil meñ pyaar hai ki nahīñ.
Tum itnā jo muskurā rahe ho,
Kyā ġham hai jis ko chhupā rahe ho.
Muddat ke ba.ad us ne jo kī lutf kī nigāh,
Jī ḳhush to ho gayā magar aañsū nikal paḌe.
Belche laao kholo zamīñ kī taheñ,
Maiñ kahāñ dafn huuñ kuchh patā to chale.
Shayari on Social Struggle
Bastī meñ apnī hindū musalmāñ jo bas ga.e,
Insāñ kī shakl dekhne ko ham taras ga.e.
Koī to suud chukā.e koī to zimma le,
Us inqalāb kā jo aaj tak udhār sā hai.
Roti, kapda, makaan ka sawal,
Kisko pata hai yahan zindagi ka maqsad?
Samaaj ki deewaron pe jo likha hai,
Wo khoon se likha hai, mitaana mushkil hai.
Hindu-Muslim ka fark-e-khalaf,
Insaan ka dil toh ek khata hai.
Shayari on Existential Angst
Koī kahtā thā samundar huuñ maiñ,
Aur mirī jeb meñ qatra bhī nahīñ.
Roz baḌhtā huuñ jahāñ se aage,
Phir vahīñ lauT ke aa jaatā huuñ.
Jis tarah hañs rahā huuñ maiñ pī pī ke garm ashk,
Yuuñ dūsrā hañse to kaleja nikal paḌe.
Ġhurbat kī ThanDī chhāñv meñ yaad aa.ī us kī dhuup,
Qadr-e-vatan huī hameñ tark-e-vatan ke baad.
Ab jis taraf se chāhe guzar jaa.e kārvāñ,
Vīrāniyāñ to sab mire dil meñ utar ga.iiñ.
Shayari on Hope & Resilience
Bahār aa.e to merā salām kah denā,
Mujhe to aaj talab kar liyā hai sahrā ne.
Gar Dūbnā hī apnā muqaddar hai to suno,
Dūbeñge ham zarūr magar nāḳhudā ke saath.
Merā bachpan bhī saath le aayā,
Gaañv se jab bhī aa gayā koī.
PeḌ ke kāTne vāloñ ko ye mālūm to thā,
Jism jal jā.eñge jab sar pe na saaya hogā.
It’s easy to lose yourself in the crowd,
But the soul’s whisper never fades.
Shayari on Existential Despair
Rahne ko sadā dahr meñ aatā nahīñ koī,
Tum jaise ga.e aise bhī jaatā nahīñ koī.
Insāñ kī ḳhvāhishoñ kī koī intihā nahīñ,
Do gaz zamīñ bhī chāhiye do gaz kafan ke baad.
Belche laao kholo zamīñ kī taheñ,
Maiñ kahāñ dafn huuñ kuchh patā to chale.
Shayari on Irony & Fate
Kī hai koī hasīn ḳhatā har ḳhatā ke saath,
ThoḌā sā pyaar bhī mujhe de do sazā ke saath.
Shayari on Nature & Longing
Bahār aa.e to merā salām kah denā,
Mujhe to aaj talab kar liyā hai sahrā ne.
Ġhurbat kī ThanDī chhāñv meñ yaad aa.ī us kī dhuup,
Qadr-e-vatan huī hameñ tark-e-vatan ke baad.
Shayari on Social Critique
Bastī meñ apnī hindū musalmāñ jo bas ga.e,
Insāñ kī shakl dekhne ko ham taras ga.e.
Koī to suud chukā.e koī to zimma le,
Us inqalāb kā jo aaj tak udhār sā hai.
Shayari on Childhood & Nostalgia
Merā bachpan bhī saath le aayā,
Gaañv se jab bhī aa gayā koī.
Jo ik ḳhudā nahīñ miltā to itnā mātam kyuuñ,
Yahāñ to koī mirā ham-zabāñ nahīñ miltā.
Roz baste haiñ ka.ī shahr na.e,
Roz dhartī meñ samā jaate haiñ.
Tum itnā jo muskurā rahe ho,
Kyā ġham hai jis ko chhupā rahe ho.
Muddat ke ba.ad us ne jo kī lutf kī nigāh,
Jī ḳhush to ho gayā magar aañsū nikal paḌe.
Shayari on Struggle & Resilience
PeḌ ke kāTne vāloñ ko ye mālūm to thā,
Jism jal jā.eñge jab sar pe na saaya hogā.
Conclusion
Kaifi Azmi’s Shayari is not merely poetry—it’s a rebellion against silence. His words challenge societal norms, mourn lost innocence, and ignite hope in darkness. Whether he writes of “bahār aa.e to merā salām kah denā” (When spring arrives, tell the desert) or “roz dhartī meñ samā jaate haiñ” (Daily, cities vanish into the earth), Azmi’s legacy lies in his ability to weave pain and beauty into timeless art. As you reflect on these verses, let them remind you: poetry is not just ink on paper—it’s the heartbeat of resistance and resilience.
