Faiz Ahmad Faiz Recites his Poem “Hum Dekhenge”
And we oppressed
Beneath our feet will have
this earth shiver, shake and beat
And heads of rulers will be struck
With crackling lightening
and thunder roars.
It is an oft-repeated story. Whenever we talk about revolutionary songs in Southeast Asia, we remember at once Iqbal Bano singing Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s famous protest poem “Hum Dekhenge”.
You can picture her in your head wearing a black sari — sari, an attire banned in the Zia Ul Haq regime, black, the colour of protest — singing in front of a stadium full of people. The story goes like this: as Bano’s voice reaches a crescendo, the about 50,000 present at the Karachi stadium erupt in “Inquilaab Zindabad”. Thereafter, we remember this day as the victory of resilience. A victory of democratic power in the face of tyranny. The recording was smuggled out of the stadium, and passed on from people to people, hand to hand as it spread like a wildfire — as this article in Himal Southasian narrates:
…the recording was smuggled out, hurriedly edited with makeshift editing facilities, and a few copies quickly handed out to avoid confiscation. With these few audiocassettes, further copies were made. The number swelled in geometric progression and soon the copies crossed the border, and within weeks the cassette reached many individuals in Delhi.
Since that performance, it is said, it’s Faiz who would be asked to recite that song sung by Bano.
We are very happy to have discovered this video of Faiz reciting the poem
And here it is from Iqbal Bano’s performance
Here’s the complete poem “Hum Dekhenge”:
Hum dekhenge
Lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhenge
Wo din ke jis ka wada hai
Jo lauh-e-azl mein likha haiJab zulm-o-sitam ke koh-e-garan
Rooi ki tarah ur jaenge
Hum mehkoomon ke paaon tale
Ye dharti dhar dhar dharkegi
Aur ahl-e-hakam ke sar oopar
Jab bijli kar kar karkegiJab arz-e-Khuda ke kaabe se
Sab but uthwae jaenge
Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-harm
Masnad pe bethae jaenge
Sab taaj uchale jaenge
Sab takht girae jaengeBas naam rahega Allah ka
Jo ghayab bhi hai hazir bhi
Jo manzar bhi hai nazir bhi
Utthega an-al-haq ka nara
Jo mai bhi hoon tum bhi ho
Aur raaj karegi Khalq-e-Khuda
Jo mai bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho
An English translation of the poem by the writer Maniza Naqvi, found in Times of India:
We shall see
Certainly we, too, shall see
that day that has been promised to usWhen these high mountains
Of tyranny and oppression
turn to fluff and evaporateAnd we oppressed
Beneath our feet will have
this earth shiver, shake and beat
And heads of rulers will be struck
With crackling lightening
and thunder roars.When from this God’s earth’s (Kaa’ba)
All falseness (icons) will be removed
Then we of clean hearts-condemned by Zealots those keepers of
Faith,
We, will be invited to that altar to sit and Govern-
When crowns will be thrown off- and over turned will be thronesWe shall see
Certainly we, too, shall see
that day that has been promised to usThe God’s name will remain (Allah will remain)
Who is invisible and visible too
Who is the seer and is seen
There will rise one cheer- I am God!
Who I am too
and so are youThen the masses, people of God will rule
Who I am too
and so are youThere will rise one cheer- I am God!
Who I am too
and so are you
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