(This video has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s birth anniversary on 13 February. It was originally published in February 2020.)
Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s famous nazm (song) 'Hum Dekhenge' has been at the centre of controversy during the pan-India anti-CAA protests.
The Bhojpuri version of the nazm is also going viral on social media. The song has been able to hold on to the essence it was originally published in.
Bhojpuri is mainly spoken in the eastern parts of the country – Bihar, UP.
The Idea Behind Faiz’s Nazm
Faiz wrote this nazam in 1979 with reference to Pakistan military dictator Zia-ul-Haq. He was opposed to military rule in Pakistan.
Faiz is known for his revolutionary ideas and for this reason he remained in jail for many years.
In the last few lines of this song, Faiz wrote:
“Bas naam rahega Allah ka.
Jo gayab bhi hai hazir bhi
Jo manzar bhi hai nazir bhi
Utthega an-al-haq ka nara
Jo mai bhi hoon tum bhi ho
Aur raaj karegi Khalq-e-Khuda
Jo mai bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho”
It is this last line that created controversy at IIT Kanpur.
These translations were done by Digamber. He shared the post on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2tMnz86
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)