This original poem was published in one of its edition in 1921. He was forced to leave Lucknow & he moved to Delhi where he started another journal, Sabah, under the patronage of Hakim Ajmal Khan, the leader of the Khilafat Movement. Qazi Abdul Ghaffar was a nationalist writer and editor of “ Ukhuwat” Lucknow but due to his anti establishment editorials, the paper fell victim to the repressive press laws of British India. He composed this poem in 1920 which got published in 1921 in an Urdu Daily from Delhi named “Sabah” edited by Qazi Abdul Ghaffar. Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna ab hamare dil me haiĪctually these lines are the first sher of a long poem (ghazal) penned by Bismil Azimabadi, a young nationalist poet from Azimabad (Patna). Later on the poem was used in different forms of media with Ram Prasad Bismil’s name that the name of original composer was entirely forgotten and got shrouded in mystery. It is reliably reported that this couplet “ Sarfaroshi ki tamanna” was on his lips on 19 December, 1927 when he walked to the gallows in Gorakhpur Jail, and from here couplet got so much fame that it became immortal with his name forever.
The impact of his selection of poetry was enormous and the chord of hearts vibrated with hostility against the Raj. He was known to employ Urdu poetry profusely as his weapon to mobilize the youths for non-co-operation with the Government. He was an avid reader and fan of Urdu poetry and added a pseudonym “Bismil” with his name. While lodged in jail, he penned his autobiography ‘ Kakori Ke Shaheed’
The trial in the Kakori conspiracy case sentenced him and three other revolutionaries namely Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Nath Lahiri to be hanged till death. His name was figured in Mainpuri conspiracy case of 1918 and the Kakori conspiracy of 1925. The person who made this poem/sher popular among the masses was Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, a notable revolutionary who struggled against the British regime in India. It was immortalized in the chronicles of Indian freedom struggle. However the original writer of these lines was for a long time remained unknown. It became a war cry during the freedom struggle when the firebrand protagonist of freedom Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil (1887-1927) of Shahjahanpur popularized the poem in such a powerful way that the couplet became an icon of the Jang-i-Azadi. This couplet is actually the first sher of a long ghazal (poem) composed in ornamental Urdu, these lines highlight the willingness of courageous but disciplined freedom fighters to sacrifice their life for their motherland while awaiting the worst action from the opponent. (In our hearts is now the desire for sacrifice – Let’s see how much strength is in the arms of killer) Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein haiĭekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil mein hai This is one of those songs that has achieved an immortal fame in the history of Indian freedom movement and could arguably be the most famous patriotic poems of all time in India.
I have picked up a song “ Sarafroshi ki tamanna” for our short review title. Urdu as a language is deeply entrenched with the composite heritage of India that has given us slogans and songs such as Inquilab Zindabad, Sarforoshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil mein Hal, Sare Jahan se Achcha Hindostan hamara to name a few.
Portrait of Sayyad Shah Muhammad Hasan Bismil Azimabadi Pic source: Author