Around 80 years back, in Kanjroor village, Shakargarh Tehsil of Distt Sialkot (Now Pakistan), Two friends with a wooden board and an Urdu alphabet book in their bag used to set out for Madrasa. This was the time when in the absence of school both Hindu and Muslim children used to go to Madrasa. Hindu parents who could not speak Madrasa called it Ramdasa. In the Madrasa Maulvi Gulham Gauns was a teacher who always carried a stick in his hand. The children behaved upright with the fear of stick. Unlike the present time when a teacher is sued if at all he is even harsh with school children. First time when parents admitted their wards under Maulvi’s care they used to give him full authority to handle their wards as he wanted. The words being. “हड्डिया हमारी और खाल आपकी है मौलवी साहब” (bones are our and skin is yours).
Both the friend were naughty to the core, but good at studies one of the friends was Hardayal and the other was Rajendra when their mischief grew more Maulvi Sahab had to resort to stick. Both started bunking the Madrasa and would pass their time in a park on the way to school.
Many days passed like this Maulvi was ignorant of this fact. One day he asked the other students about the boys and learnt that both the boys came from home to school regularly but would slip away elsewhere instead of coming to school, Alarmed !
Maulvi instantly left to look for them.
While doing so he reached a park and spotted the boys there, Maulvi hid behind a tree and started observing the two from behind a tree, Hardayal was reciting a Sher (Urdu Poetry) rhyming it with the Urdu abuses and Rajendra was delivering some weird dialogues and acting with it. Watching these two for quite a while Maulvi called out both the boys. Out of fear both the boys’ thought of fleeing but they stopped haltingly. Maulvi’s stick was silent, He made both the boys sit near him and said, “I did not know that both of you are so capable.
Hardayal you were using excellent Urdu and Persian in your verses. If you remove those abuses from the lines I am sure you will turn out to be an outstanding Urdu poet one day.
To Rajendra, He said, “You too have an exceptional actor in you. Do not waste your talent like this. One day the whole of India will applaud your acting skill. But to be successful in your fields you both have to study with passion.
Maulvi’s words made a deep impact on their young mind. Both went to Lahore to peruse their education. Time took a turn, at the time of partition both the families had to move to Delhi. Both undergo a lot of struggle.
Hardayal got a job and along with that he perused his poetry and Rajendra moved to Bombay (now Mumbai). After a long struggle, he too became successful.
Today people know Rajendra as Actor Rajendra Kumar aka Jublie Kumar a recipient of Padamshree Award and Hardayal is known as Ustad Shayar Hardayala Singh Datta “Kanwal Ziai).
This was the result of the blessings and rod of Maulvi Ghulam Gauns.
Both the friends remained together until the end of their lives.
May God bless peace and Heaven to all three of them.
Ghazal written by Hardayal Singh Datta “Kanwal Ziai”
हर एक लफ्ज़ फ़ज़ाओं के नाम लिखता है
वो ताइरों के परों पर कलाम लिखता है
नई उड़ान को कहता हैं फैज़ साक़ी का
नए ख़याल को वो अक्स – ए – जाम लिखता है
यकीन कीजिये उसमे गज़ब का जादू है
वो जिस कलम से हदीसे – अवाम लिखता है
अजब कुमाश का इंसान है वो दीवाना
जो अपने जुर्म फ़रिश्तों के नाम लिखता है
तवील उम्र के अफ़साने कैसे लिक्खेगा
जो एक पल को भी उम्रे – दवाम लिखता है
वो एक ज़ख्म है कागज़ के नर्म सीने पर
वो खुद परस्त सहर को भी शाम लिखता है
वो शेर – शेर भी है तंज़ भी मुलामत भी
जिसे वो अहल- ए- सियासत के नाम लिखता है
