Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna
CountryIndia
LanguageUrdu
Subject(s)Dedicated to the freedom fighters of India
Genre(s)Ghazal
PublisherSabah (Urdu journal from Delhi)
Publication date1922
Lines22 (11 couplets)

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna is an Urdu patriotic poem written by Bismil Azimabadi as a dedication to young freedom fighters of the Indian independence movement.[1] This poem was popularized by Ram Prasad Bismil. When Ram Prasad Bismil was put on the gallows, the opening lines of this ghazal were on his lips.[2]

Composition & publication

In 1921 Bismil wrote this poem,[3][4][5] following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and other atrocities by the British colonialists.[6] It was first published in journal "Sabah", published from Delhi.[7][8] The ghazal has 11 couplets.[9] Khuda Bakhsh Library has preserved the original copy and page of his diary containing this poem written by him and the corrections done by his mentor Shad Azimabadi.[10]

War-cry of independence movement

The poem was immortalised by Ram Prasad Bismil, an Indian freedom fighter, as a war cry during the British Raj period in India.[11][12][13] It has also been associated with the younger generation of inter-war freedom fighters such as Ashfaqullah Khan, Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.[3]

The Song

[14]

Recent use

The first line of the poem was recited by Dr. Manmohan Singh in his Budget Speech of 1992, on the floor of Lok Sabha.[15] The poem has been recently being in use by various mass movements,[6][16] like the anti-CAA protests in India,[17] Pakistani Students Solidarity March,[18] etc.

Popular culture

The poem was used in Manoj Kumar's Shaheed (1965) on the life of Bhagat Singh.[19] It was again used (with altered lines) as the lyrics for songs two films: in the title song of the 1999 film Sarfarosh (Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye), and in the 2002 Hindi film, The Legend of Bhagat Singh. The poem has also been used in the 2000 film, Dhadkan and 2006 film, Rang De Basanti. The poem is also referenced in abridged form in the 2009 movie, Gulaal by Anurag Kashyap.[6] The poem has also been recently used in Ajay Devgn's 2021 film Bhuj: The Pride of India.

See also

References

  1. ^ Das, Sisir Kumar, "A Chronology of Literary Events / 1911–1956", in Das, Sisir Kumar and various, History of Indian Literature: 1911–1956: Political Movements and Indian Writers, Page 82 Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, 1995, published by Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9, retrieved via Google Books on 19 May 2013
  2. ^ "Interesting Fact - Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna". Rekhta.
  3. ^ a b Noorani, Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed (1996). The trial of Bhagat Singh: politics of justice. Konark. p. 16. ISBN 9788122004298.
  4. ^ Singh, Dipti (29 January 2016). "79th Anniversary: Khalsa college begins yearlong symposium for unsung heroes". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  5. ^ The Muslim World. Motamar al-Alam al-Islami; World Muslim Congress. 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Sharjeel, Shahzad (2 January 2020). "Come to a head". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Interview of Syed Masood Hasan, Grandson of Bismil Azimabadi". Hindustan Times (Patna) (in Hindi). 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  8. ^ "तो 'सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना..' एक बिहारी बिस्मिल ने लिखी है !!". PatnaBeats. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Read full ghazal 'Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna' by Bismil Azimabadi". Rekhta. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Sarfaroshi ki tamanna - Bismil Azimabadi". TAWARIKHKHWANI. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  11. ^ Sehgal, Anil, ed. (2001). "Ali Sardar Jafri". Lokodaya Granthamala. Bharatiya Jnanpith. 685. ISBN 978-8-12630-671-8. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. ^ Muhammad, Shan (2002). Muslims and India's freedom movement. Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, India. ISBN 9788185220581. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  13. ^ Hasan, Mushirul (2016). Roads to Freedom: Prisoners in Colonial India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199089673. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  14. ^ Urduwallahs. "Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna | urduwallahs". urduwallahs.wordpress.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  15. ^ 1992 - Annual Union Budget, archived from the original on 19 December 2021, retrieved 19 October 2021
  16. ^ Shukla, Ira (24 December 2019). "Poems, Slogans & Paintings: With Its Recent Protests, India Has Shown How To Use Art For Resistance". www.scoopwhoop.com. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  17. ^ "'Azadi', 'Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna': What the Nationwide Student Protests in Solidarity with Jamia Milia Looked Like". News18. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  18. ^ Scroll Staff (19 December 2019). "Watch: Pakistani students sing 'Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna' at Faiz Festival ahead of solidarity march". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  19. ^ History Book Sl.No. 12 Chapter Bismil Azimabadi Page No. 82 Archived 1 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

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