Ifti!

(Few days ago Pakistani poet Iftikhar Naseem passed away. I heard this news while away from town. It took a while to absorb his death).

Ifti se meri pehli mulaqat Chicago ki 'clark street' ke aik restaurant main ittafaqan hui. Main Pakistan se naya naya  wareed huwa tha aur Chicago main residency ker raha tha. Aik din main yunhi 'Lincoln park' aur 'Clark Street' pe gasht ker raha tha. America ka 'euphoria' tha magar jeb main paise nahi the! Main aik resturant ke bahir khare ho ker yunhi menu parh raha tha ke mujhe andar se kisi desi shaks ne ishara ker ke andar aane ko kaha. Ye Ifti tha!

Ifti ne yunhi rasman do char baataiN ki aur phir aik dum se poocha: 'Peeche kis kis ko chor aaye ho?' Main ne jawab diya: 'Amma Abba ko'. Ifti ne wahiN napkin pe aik sher likh diya

Taaq per juzdan main lipti DuaiN reh Gain
chal diye bete safar per, ghar main MaaiN reh gain

Ye to mujeh barsoN baad pata laga ke ye khud Ifti ka sher tha. Ab bhi Ifti ki likhai mere saamne dhari hai. Main jub tuk Chicago main raha, Ifti ke naye naye chehre saamne aate gaye. Ifti ailania 'Gay' tha. Kai log Ifti se meri dosti ka sunte to mujeh kehte kiun badnaami kerwate ho magar Ifti ne mujeh kubhi kisi tarah se kahin bhi 'seduce' kerne ki koi koshish nahi ki.

Ifti ke hawale se meri zindagi main kai haseen yaadaiN hain. Ifti ke hawale se hi meri Kaifi Aazmi, Shabana Aazmi, Jawed Akthar aur kai aur logon  se mulaqat hui. Woh raat main kese bhool sakta hun jun hum ne Michigan lake pe waqye Ifti ke Condo pe Ahmad Faraz se unhi ki zabani kai nazmain ghazalaiN suni. Faraz sahab bhi us din saroor main the. Raat gaaye ye silsila chalta raha. Us pe Ifti ke latife! Ajeeb hans mukh aadmi tha bulke saala poora comedian tha. Apne hi latifoN per apni tond hila hila ke sab se ziyada hasta! Zindagi ka kitna hi gambhir masala ho, ifti ko us main mizah ka pehlu dikh jata. Bala ka hazir jawab tha. (Read Dr. Azra Raza's article on him "Mr. Wrong"!).

Magar Ifti dil ka bara naram tha. Jub uske ghar jao koi naya aadmi sir chupaye betha hai aur Ifti us ke liye kaam dhundh raha hai. Ifti ne aik billi paal rakhi thi. Mujeh billioN se dar lagta tha. Main uske haan jata to Ifti billi ko apne paas hi rakhta. Ifti shuru se hi 'bagi' tha. Pakistan chorne se pehle us ne ayub khan ke khilaf chalne wali tehreek main goli khai, jail gaya. Allah! jaane kitne logon ko is baat ka ilm hai. Isi 'bagawat' ke confusion main woh 'Gay' bun gaya! Hum use koi bhi naam dain magar woh khud ko 'juggler' kehta! ke raat din ko balance kerne main hi mera waqt kut jaata hai.

Ifti se meri do dafa laraii hui. Pehli baar Shaifqur-Rehman ke hawale se kahin koi baat ho rahi thi. Ifti ne kaha woh Urdu ke sab se bare 'satirist' hain. Main ne kaha main nahi maanta. Mere khayal main Shafiqur Rehman ne mizah zaroor likha magar bunyaadi tor pe woh aik rumanwi likhari the. Ifti ko bara bura laga. Dusri baar, kahin koi punjabi mushaira ho raha tha. Main ne ifti se kaha, Pakistan ke jo halat hain wahan aik Urdu ghazal bhi parh do. Ifti biphar gaya. Kehne laga kisi ko punjabi se takleef hai to apne paas rakhe.

Ifti se mujeh do shikayataiN hain. Aik to ye ke us ne bohat ziyada likha! Jo uske zahan main aata kagaz pe likh deta aur chaap bhi deta. Is se kai jagah bharti ka saman jamah ho gaya. Dusri ye ke us ne  shayeri pe to khub dhiyan diya magar uska kamal afsana-nigari tha. JinhoN ne us ki 'short stories' parhi hain woh jaante hain ke Ifti kis qadar kamal ka afsana-nigar tha. magar saari duniya use shayeri ke hawale se jaanti hai. Aik baar main ne Ifti ko apne do afsane "Hasbe-Aarzoo" aur "Jinu Abraham" diye. Usne zaban theek ker ke kaha lao chaap dun! Main ne kaha nahi bhai mujeh nahi chapwane - ye sirf apni 'psychotherapy' ke liye likhe hain. Kehne laga mujeh de do. Barson uske paas pare rahe magar meri baat ka lihaz kerte huwe na chaape.

Hassas aadmi tha is liye 'brain hemorrhage' se mar gaya! Baqol Ghalib

Haq Magfirat kare, ajab azad mard tha!


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