Seeking Sardar

Sultana Jafri, Jafri8217;s wife and confidante in many of his missions, gleefully admits: 8220;Hardly a day passes without someone telling me that he/she wants to do something with his works. They are revisiting my Sardar.8221;

A poet of the masses, Jafri wrote with rare passion and insight. Our poet-Prime Minister, A B Vajpayee, while giving away the Jnanpith Award had commented: 8220;One can differ with Jafri8217;s views, but not with his vision.8221;

A fact beautifully brought out in Abdus Sattar Dalvi8217;s recent book, Ali Sardar Jafri: Shakhs, Shair aur Adeeb Ali Sardar Jafri: Man, Poet and Author. 8220;Basically, he was a humanist. His canvas is large, encompassing varied subjects. But the common thread running through all his works is respect for human endeavour,8221; says Dalvi.

The poet8217;s humanist approach has attracted ghazal singer Seema Anil Sehgal she rendered Jafri8217;s famous album, Sarhad, which Vajpayee gifted to his then Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif again. She is cutting Saayon Mein Darakhton Ke, an album of Jafri8217;s eight best poems. A line goes: 8220;Saaye mein darkhton ke/baithe hue insaano/Aye waqt ke mehmaano/Kis des se aaye ho/Kis des ko jaana hai O man, sitting under the shades of the trees/O guests of the time/Where have you come from/Where will you go. 8220;He touched the hearts of the millions. He speaks for the poor, the dispossessed. I am fascinated by his style,8221; says Sehgal.

A card-carrying communist and anti-imperialist, Jafri strove to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan. 8220;Hamare dard mein tum, aur tumhare dard mein hum/Shareek hote to phir jashne aashiyaan karte We would share our pains and

sorrows/We would celebrate our respected homes together,8221; he suggested.

For the academia Jafri is a favourite subject. So if Aligarh Muslim University AMU has just brought out a collection of essays on him, Jamia Millia

Islamia is working on a collection of Jafri8217;s works. The Delhi-based National Council for Promotion of Urdu Languages is also bringing out a collection comprising Jafri8217;s entire works8212;poetry, essays, drama, documentaries and speeches.

Jafri might have penned the evergreen Footpath number sung in Talat Mehmood8217;s silken voice, Shaam-e-gham ki kasam/aaj ghamgeen hain ham I swear by the sad evening/I am sad today, but the world is happy with his legacy.