Then Rangin Saadat Yaar Khan (1756–1835), the poet of Lucknow is known for writing in the voice of a woman,
Badal aaye hain ghir gulal ke laal
Kuchh kisi ka nahin kisi ka ḳhayal
Gulal’s red clouds have collected
No one is disturbed by the situation of others
Ghulam Hamdani Mushfi (1751–1821), one of the most respected names of the 18th century poets, eloquence about Holi and the arrival of spring:
Daal kar ġhunchon ki mundri shaḳh-e-gul ke kaan mein
Ab ke Holi I have a good banana.
Erce
O soft wind, turn the flower into a devotee on this Holi
and this too:
Mausam-e-Hai Din Aaye Hain Rang Aur Raag Ke
Hum se tum kuchh manangne aao bahane phag ke
The days of color and song come in the Holi season
Come to ask me something in this month price
It is coming in recent times, here Nazir is asking Banarasi (1909–1996):
Yeh Kis Ne Rang Bhara Har Kali Ki Pyali Mein
Gulal rakh diya kis ne gulon ki thali mein
Who has filled the cup of bud with color
Which has placed Gulal in a flower bag.
Kanwal Dibavi (1919-1984) wants to urge your friends to play Holi and immerse yourself in the grandeur around you and wash the communal sick stains:
Hum ko lazim hai ki nafrat ki jalaein holi
Doston Aao Chalu Aisi Manaein Holi
It is necessary for us to burn hatred Holi
Friends, let us celebrate such Holi today
And, in the end, for all whose faith is impregnated by ‘others’, who speak for exclusion rather than inclusion, here are the words of Sagar Khyami (1936–2008): Words of caution:
Nafrat ke Taraf-Dar Nahin Sahib-E-Rail
Dete hain sabaq pyaar ke gita ho ki Quran
Tyauhar to tyauhar hai hindu na musalman
Hum Rang Uchhalein to Pakaiyen Vo Sivayyan
Ranjida padosi jo utha dar-e-jahan se
Khushiyon ka guzar hoga na phir tere makan se
Supporters of hatred are not discretionary people
Both Gita and Quran give lessons of love
Festivals are just festivals, nor Hindus nor Muslims
If we play with colors, they will also cook except
If your neighbor leaves this world in grief
Khushi will never pass through your house again
And as Ashok Mathur wished me in a recent text message: Main to syre rahi sapnon mein, mo pe rang daro nandlal.… (I was sleeping fast, lost in my dreams when Nandlal threw color at me ….)
(This story was first published on 7 March 2023. It has been re -published. The QuintArchives for Mark Holi 2025.)
(Rakhanand Jalil is a writer, translator and literary historian. She writes on literature, culture and society. She runs the Hindustani Avaz, who is an organization dedicated to the popularity of Urdu literature. She tweeted @Rakhshandajalil. It is a piece of opinion and the idea expressed above is his own. The Quint Neither endors nor responsible for the same.)
