Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of the greatest and most celebrated poets of the Urdu language, would have celebrated his 107th birthday today. Born on 13 February, 1911 in Narowal district of erstwhile undivided Punjab (now Pakistan) in British India, Faiz studied at Government College University and got his MA in English, Lahore, before going to study at Punjab University's Oriental college where he passed with an MA in Arabic.

'Faiz' as he is known in the subcontinent, was a polyglot who knew at least six languages namely Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Persian, Hindi, English, Russian. While studying at Punjab University, he came in contact with M.N.Roy, a founder of the Communist Party of India and Muzaffar Ahmad who was a noted Indian politician from Bengal, a journalist and communist ideologue and activist also known as "Kakababu".

Faiz remained a life-long communist and also wrote protest songs that inspire activists to date. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize and was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1962. Faiz was the first poet from Asia to receive this honour. He was also awarded with the Lotus Prize in Literature, a literary award presented annually to African and Asian authors by the Afro-Asian Writers' Association.

Though Faiz has become immortal because of his love poems, it is his protest songs and revolutionary couplets that have marked him apart from other poets of the subcontinent. His work has been performed and celebrated by large number of artists from both India and Pakistan. A number of his ghazals have also been used in Hindi films. Some of his best known works are

1) Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Naa Mang

With this poem, Faiz’s focus changed from traditional Urdu poetry to “poetry with purpose”, poetry with social conscience pursuing social causes. Though the title suggests that this is a love song, it is actually not. There is a line in the poem which says that "There are other sorrows in world than that of love, there are other comforts in the world than the comfort of union of lovers". The poem is a powerful reminder of the grim days of independence and exhorts one to look beyond pleasure. Here is a video of the legendary Zohra Sehgal reciting these beautiful lines of Faiz:

2) Hum Dekhenge 

Hum Dekhenge is very popular with the masses even today and it was written in 1979. It is considered to be Faiz’s response to General Zia ul Haq’s repressive dictatorship and a critical commentary of Zia’s brand of authoritarian Islam. The Nazm goes on to say that only the "almighty's name will be remembered, who is both present and invisible". It is believed that Faiz was taunting Zia and other extremists for their fundamentalist ideas. The rendition of Hum Dekhenge by Iqbal Bano is loved by fans the world over, here's the video:

3) Gulon Me Rang Bhare 

Gulon me rang bhare first line can be translated as "let the blooms fill with colour, let the first zephyr of spring flow do come over, so the garden can get on with its daily business". It's believed that Fiaz wrote this beautiful ghazal in the memory of his wife when he was away from her. This song has also been used in the Bollywood film Haider. The Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan is known for the rendition of this beautifully written text:

These are just a few gems from the master who continues to rule hearts and minds in the sub-continent. The poetry of Faiz not only inspires activists but also soothes the troubled souls. The great thing about his poetry was that he could take a revolutionary turn while on the road of love and bring topics to the consideration of readers that can make their eyes wet. Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a perfect merger of love and revolution and his written word will keep giving voice and courage to those who fight for the liberation  of mankind. As he so correctly wrote, "So what if my pen has been snatched away from me? I have dipped my finger in the blood of my heart. So what if my mouth has been sealed; I have turned? Every link of my chain into a speaking tongue."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2018 04:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).