CW 28 2020 | Comfort in words — quotes, dialogues, poems, shayari
Originally published on Wordpress
Disclaimer
This is a fan post of Zakir Khan (the philosopher / stand-up comedian / artist) that I have started to admire in so many ways more than one — he is truly one of the idols I started adoring in my adult life, I hope he doesn’t fade any time soon — there are so many ways that we can state the myriad experiences we go through life. I hope I someday reach a stage where I can create a compact, concise narrative — build up and defuse a situation and entertain the readers while at the same time passing on the underlying message with crystal-clear clarity.
I do realize I should focus more on creating my own content or discovering my own sensibilities — but as one of my favourite writers once said:
“Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we’re quoting.”
- John Green
Occasional Observations
So in no particular order (although I used to hate listicles, but I have come to realize it’s a great format — as long as the content is curated), all of these are sourced from various Zakir’s online content — hence not citing each one of them (might be that he has borrowed / read it from somewhere and might not be original author of all of them)
O.O. #1 — The audience is a reflection of the artist.
-> The same people behave differently in a Arijit concert, in a Jagjit Singh concert, in podcasts, in stand-up comedy events and in different settings.
The belief that you need to target / segment your audience and create content according to what is trending, is not very honest and not what will help achieve long-lasting impact.
Be yourself, the artist creates art, the audience finds the artist eventually. (Or that is the hope. Have no attachment to your art, or its impact)
O.O. #2 — Some words can’t be translated, either the context gets lost or the subtext — but anyway — so many languages, hence will try anyway.
#2.1
गुज़ारा कम में कर लिया छिना नहीं किसी का
मिट्टी में बगावत रही परवरिश में सलीका
और रकीब ढूंढते रहे शोहरतों का सबब मेरी
मालूम कहाँ उन्हें बड़ो से मोहब्बत और छोटो से बात करने का तरीका
We made do / subsisted with little, didn’t snatch from anyone
There was rebellion in the soil (childhood), (but) the upbringing had discipline (morals / ethics)
And enemies kept searching for the cause of my fame
They never knew the art of how to love elders (superiors / achievers) and talk to children (inferiors / young ones)
#2.2
हर एक नोटबुक के पीछे कुछ ख़ास लिखा है
ऐसा मैंने तेरे मेरे इश्क़ का इतिहास लिखा है
के तुम दुनिया में जहां कही रहो
अपनी डायरी में तुम्हे अपने पास रखा है
There is something special written on the back of each notebook
This is how I have written the history of our love
That wherever (however far) you live in the world
I have kept you near myself in my diary
#2.3
बोहोत मासूम लड़की है इश्क़ की बात नहीं समझती
जाने किस दिन में खोई रहती है मेरी रात नहीं समझती
और “हाँ हम्म सही बात है” तो कहती है
अलफ़ाज़ समझ लेती है जज्बात नहीं समझती
She’s a very innocent girl, does not understand the language of love
Don’t know what day she is lost in, does not understand my night
And she does say “yes hmm that’s right” (all the right responses)
She understands the words I say, but does not understand my (underlying) emotions
O.O. #3 — Some more images on love (so that SEO is kind to this post :P) — not created by me. Can translate them, but not sure I have such a diverse audience yet that they need captioning (or the existing ones are reading till this point :D)
O.O. #4 — On life / success / art
