---

 

An Exchange with a Friend

After ages, I happened upon a dear friend. What began as a casual meeting soon turned into a long, meandering conversation on all that once bound us—music, cinema, and poetry. He, an accomplished pianist, has been striking the keys for more than thirty years, conjuring melodies that seem to breathe life into silence itself.

As the evening deepened, our talk drifted towards shayari. Hours fled unnoticed, and when we parted, it was with a solemn oath: that this time, we would remain in touch. True to his word, the very next morning he surprised me with a shayari over WhatsApp:

ऐ दोस्त, तू मुझे गुनहगार साबित करने की ज़हमत ना उठा,
बस ये बता क्या-क्या कुबूल करना है, जिससे दोस्ती बनी रहे…..

In other words:

Oh friend, take not the burden of proving me wrong;
Friendship has no room for concealed shadows.
Speak instead what weighs upon your heart,
That our bond may not wither, but blossom still.

I, in turn, replied with these lines:

दोस्तों को हम दिल में बसाते है
अपने सर पर बैठाते है
बंदे से गस्ताखी हुई हो तो यह पागल बेवक़ूफ़ माफ़ी चाहता है
दोस्तों के वास्ते क़ुर्बान हो जायेगा बंदा
सिर्फ़ आपका याराना बना रहे रब से चाहता है।

In other words:

My friends dwell in the innermost sanctum of my heart;
Above all else they sit, cherished and supreme.
Should this foolish soul have faltered, let forgiveness flow—
For I would lay down my life to guard the grace of friendship.

Another friend, listening quietly, offered her doubts. To her I replied:

दोस्ती ही तो है हमारी ज़िंदगी का तराना
दोस्तों पर मर मिटेंगें हम, आदित्य के पास है ना कोई बहाना
कुछ दिल में बसायेंगे, कई ख़ंजर घोप जायेंगें
हम तो ठहरे दोस्तों के ग़ुलाम, वल्लाह हम तो दोस्ती निभायेंगें।

In other words:

Friendship is the song that gives rhythm to my existence.
For friends I would sacrifice all, without excuse or hesitation.
Some may treasure my presence, others may wound me deep—
Yet I remain bound to friendship, loyal unto the end.

She then responded with her own reflection:

वक़्त के सागर में सब कुछ ठहर जाता है
वक़्त कि लेहरें ही बतायेंगी
आदित्य क्या ले जाते हे या छोड़ जाते हैं।

In other words:

In the ocean of time, all things are stilled.
It is the waves alone that will one day reveal
What Aditya carries forward into memory,
And what he leaves behind as his legacy.

I answered softly, with humility:

माफ़ी चाहता हूँ, वक़्त का सागर बहता पानी
क़िस्में है ताक़त की रोक ले बहता पानी ?
हम तो बहे जा रहे हैं जहाँ ले जाएगा पानी का बहाव
तनहा ठहरे हम ना हैं कोई रोने वाला या किसी का चाव

In other words:

Forgive me, for the ocean of time is forever in motion.
Who has the strength to still her flowing tide?
I surrender myself to her current, drifting where it wills—
A solitary traveller, with none to mourn my passing.

---