The Quint’s Bhasha: “Bol, Ke Lab Azaad Hai Tere”

Bol ki tere lafzon mein ab tak jaan hai!

What does your bol tell you?

(Photo: Saumya Pankaj/The Quint)

(This piece was first published on 10 August 2017 and is being republished in light of recent calls for ‘One Nation, One Language’.)

Bol, ki lab Azaad hai tere
Bol, ki jaan ab tak teri hai

Yeh sarzameen, yeh aabshaar, yeh kohsaar
Bol, ki taqdeer ab tak teri hai

Woh jo shab andheri main aur din ke ujaalon main
Woh jo khwaab sajoye aankhon ke pyaalon main
Bol, ki in sab ki taabeer ab tak teri hai

Bol ki yeh bol ab tak tere hai
Mir o Munshi, Faiz o Ghalib
bol, ki yeh sab tere hain.

Bol ki tere lafzon main ab tak jaan hai
Jamhooriyat wa insaaniyat teri hi shaan hai
Rawadaari wa mohabbat tera imaan hai

Bol ki teri sadaa falak daraaz ho
Awaaz main Nusrat, lafzon main Faraz ho
Bol ki tere lafzon main Iqbal ki jhalak ho
Urdu ki sheereeni, Hindi ki mehak ho

bol yun ki awaaz main saaz ho
Khusrau, Kabir ka sufiyana andaaz ho

bol aise ki yeh ulfat jhuke nahi
bol aise ki yeh kaarwaan ruke nahi

Bol
Shor main
Zor main
Chaaron aur main

BOL, KI LAB AZAAD HAIN TERE!

Cameraperson: Athar Rather & Sanjoy Deb
Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Producer: Athar Rather & Tridip K Mandal