Dr S P Shrivats
‘Phalak Asar’- an anthology of Urdu poems, is a unique work by renowned poet Prit Pal Singh Betab (Retd IAS Officer), who has already produced about more than fifteen poetic collections, containing Gazals as well as poems whereas some of them comprise of both the genres separately.
The 263-page ‘Phalak Asar’ consists of two segments; Gazal and Poetry.
While the Gazal component comprises of 80 Gazals, the Poetry section is having 122 poems. Through his creative genius, Mr Betab has splendidly woven both his Gazals and poems thus giving a thrilling pleasure to the hearts of the readers and thereby carving a niche there to remain forever.
Mr Betab has full command over both the genres, though both of them are having altogether different poetic techniques.
When we see the poet in the domain of the gazals, the magic of that genre takes us to an unexpected realm of grandeur. We really enjoy the beauty of some of his gazals, which undoubtedly leave ever lasting impact on our hearts and thus also touch the very marrow of that.
Likewise, when we enjoy the magnificent beauty of his poetry, we also feel ourselves in divine like bliss.
In some of his gazals and poems, it seems that when ever the poet is surcharged with emotional overtone, then his gazals and poems further go deep to touch the very core of our hearts. In other words, whenever the poet’s heart might have been overwhelmed with emotions, his poetry must have flowed out spontaneously and automatically.
Though apparently his gazals and poems seem to be very simple, but when we go for their meanings, they emerge before us with their symbolic nuance. For example, in a few lines of one of his gazals in the book, he explains the divinity god as how He shows his omnipresence, by which a veil of ignorance before my eyes is immediately removed and then leads me to a right direction:-
“Meri ankh par tha parda hua vo jo parade us ne utha diya.
Na jamin rahi na jamana raha ke jab usne jalva dikha diya.
Vo na hoke bhi mere saath hai – ghane jangloon mein raste dhime bhatakte gaya
Mujhe us ne rasta dikha diya vo hai badshaho ka badshah.
Ye kamal uski nazar ka hai ke utha diya to utha diya, jo gira diya gira diya
Tha udas udas kata-kata, main khud apani jata se alag – alag, mera
haath- haath main thaam kar, mujhe usne mujhe se mila diya. (101)
In a gazal- the poet says that he does not know where his soul will go after his mortal life. But he has full faith that he will cross the river flowing in his way by the help of a bridge of spiritualism.
Further he says that “I shall die, but not at all, as death is just a drowning for me from where I shall definitely emerge again. (108)
As far as his poetic genius is concerned, Mr Betab expresses the grandeur of his emotions with the same quantum as in gazals. For example, here are a few lines from his popular poem – ‘Ankh macholi.’
Vo mujhe andar dhundate hai,
Rasoi mein Kabhi drawing room main,
kabhi bed room main kabhi bathroom main,
aur main bahar hota hun.
Bajar main Kabhi green park main
Sadak par kabhi jangal main
Nar ke saath kabih dariya ke saath
Yani jitna vo mujhe
Andar sametna chahta hai
Utna main bahar felta jata hun.
Further we see as how he expresses his spiritual thought in his poem
“Na ho bansa na baje bansari”
“Lambe safar ki gadi par swar hona nahi chahte”
Der-der tak sath rehne se jazbati logoo sa ho jate hai.
Phir Utarte bakt badi talkif hoti hai
Achha to yayi hai-
Ke chhote-chhote safar ki gadian pakdi jaein
Yaad hi na rahe kabi kisi par chadhe
kabi kisi se utre.
Kabi kisi main dakhal Huye
Kabi kisi se bahar aae
Na koi jazbati lagoo na Bichhadane ka gam
na ho bansa na baje bansari.
In nutshell, it can be said that `Phalak Asar’ is another marvelous work of Prit Pal Singh Betab, in which his poetry is woven with excellent poetic skill and technique re-establishing wider range of his spectrum.
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