Poetry reflecting love, life’s colours

‘Pallu mein teray khawab hain
pehlu mein teri yaad
Ahwaal bas itna hai meray
rakhtay safar ka’

Tabasum Siddique’s beautiful poetry collection ‘Aurhni Kay Rang’ reads like the everyday, collective experiences of today’s woman. She experiences love, loss, pain and healing in different stages of her life. At times she feels as though she has shattered in a million pieces but finally, she finds strength after picking up the pieces and ultimately survives.

She has the terrible habit of feeling too much so she expresses these feelings in her poetry. She puts words to feelings others have trouble putting into words and makes the mundane beautiful:

Aurat houn so ghar baar mein bhi uljhi huyee houn

Laikin mujay khawboun se bhi kutch kaam hai aay dil

Woh daastanein sonata ankhain woh lehja sarma kay khawab jaisa

Nigah kay samnay hai hard um kisi ka chehra ketab jaisa

Woh aur houn gai safar wafa ka jineihn laga inteha ki surat Teri rafaqat mein khawb bhi hai mera leeyay tu gulab jaisa

Her genius lies in capturing not a situation but a consciousness of the situation.

That shared consciousness is her bridge to her readers, creating an intimate voice that feels open and unguarded:

Qurbatoun ki panah mein houn main

Yayani teri nigha mein houn main

Yeh kaisay dard se dil ne kia hai yaraana

Keh apnay aap se hum ho gayay hain baygaana

Muj ko kaisi yeh taluq ki saza di os ne

Meri tasweer hee kamray se hata di os ne

Kal bhi apni inehein kissoun pe basar hoti thi

Zindgi aaj bhi apnay liyay afsana hai

The agonizing effort she has made to reconstruct herself is evident in her verses. She views reconstruction as a belief for female redefinition. She takes it as the act of looking back, of seeing with fresh eyes.

It is for her more than an episode in cultural history. It is an act of survival for her.

Her poetry reflects her personal feelings; that’s why it impresses:

Mujramay ishq tuu bhi hai aay dost

Ja tujay hum moaaf kartay hain Karakht baat diloun ko malool karti hai

Zara sa loch bhi apni zaban mein rakhna

Aaj mehsoos ho raha hai mujay Aap ki kis qadar zaroorat hai

She is fearless, outspoken but within the limits of decency. She has made her poetry a cure for her loneliness.

These qualities show her verses diverging from conventional patterns and norms:

Tum ko khush dekhnay ki khatir Baat apnay khilaaf kartay hain Muj ko har maan mein nazar aati hai badal ki shabeeh

Muj ko har baap hee sehra ka shajar lagta hai

Muj ko dushman se koi khouf naheen

Dost ki dosti se darti houn

Her persona in her poetry intends to express her indignation for the pressure society puts on her. She feels emotionally overwhelmed and oppressed since society deprives her of every opportunity to express freely.

All these feelings become evident in her poetry:

Abb Tabasum kisi se mil kar bhi Yeh tabeeyat udaas rehti hai

Zingi ka moamla hai yahee Gum ziada hain aur khushi kam hai

To read her at length is to run into stacks of memories. She has had her good times and bad times. When feeling down or happy, her poetry describes her at the highest. Her meditative verses testify to her precociously stylish fluency. Such is the nature of her talent, when deeply moved, she pours out.