Saare Jahan Se Achchha (Hindi: सारे जहां से अच्छा, Urdu:سارے جہاں سے اچھا) is one of the enduring patriotic poems of the Urdu language. Written originally for children in the ghazalstyle of Urdu poetry by poet Muhammad Iqbal, the poem was published in the weekly journalIttehad on 16 August 1904.[1] Recited by Iqbal the following year at Government College, Lahore, now in Pakistan, it quickly became an anthem of opposition to the British rule in India. The song, an ode to Hindustan—the land comprising present-day Bangladesh, India, andPakistan—both celebrated and cherished the land even as it lamented its age-old anguish. Also known as Tarana-e-Hindi (Urdu: ترانۂ ہندی "Anthem of the People of Hindustan"), it was later published in 1924 in the Urdu book Bang-i-Dara.
Iqbal was a lecturer at the Government College, Lahore at that time, and was invited by student Lala Har Dayal to preside over a function. Instead of delivering a speech, Iqbal sangSaare Jahan Se Achcha. The song, in addition to embodying yearning and attachment to the land of Hindustan, expressed "cultural memory" and had an elegiac quality. In 1905, the 27-year old Iqbal was still in his idealistic phase and viewed the future society of the subcontinent as both a pluralistic and composite Hindu-Muslim culture. Later that year he left for Europe for a three-year sojourn that was to transform him into an Islamic philosopher and a visionary of a future Islamic society.
[edit]Iqbal's transformation and Tarana-e-Milli
In 1910, Iqbal wrote another song for children, Tarana-e-Milli (Anthem of the Religious Community), which was composed in the same metre and rhyme scheme as Saare Jahan Se Achcha, but which renounced much of the sentiment of the earlier song.[2] For example, the sixth stanza of Saare Jahan Se Achcha (1904) is often quoted as proof of Iqbal's secular outlook:
mażhab nahīñ sikhātā āpas meñ bair rakhnā
hindī haiñ ham, vat̤an hai hindostāñ hamārā
or,
Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves
We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.
In contrast, the first stanza of Tarana-e-Milli (1910) reads:[2]
chīn-o-Arab hamārā, hindostān hamārā
Muslim hain ham, vatan hai sārā jahān hamārā
or,
Central Asia[3] and Arabia are ours, Hindustan is ours
We are Muslims, the whole world is our homeland.[2]
Iqbal's world view had now changed; it had become both global and Islamic. Instead of singing of India, "our homeland," the new song proclaimed that "our homeland is the whole world."[4] Two decades later, in his presidential address to the Muslim League annual conference in Allahabad in 1930, he was to propose a separate nation-state in the Muslim majority areas of the sub-continent, an idea that inspired the creation of Pakistan.[5] Due to this he later became known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan ("The Thinker of Pakistan"). He is officially recognized as the national poet of Pakistan.[6]
In both the song's Tarana e hind and Tarana e Milli, he refers to the word Carvaan (caravan). In Tarana e hind he sings of the Carvaanalighting on the banks of the Ganges, which is an allusion to outsiders (Muslims) landing in India. To be sure, he doesn't make it clear whose carvaan he is talking about in Tarana e hind.
But later when he composed Tarane e milli he clarified that the leader of their carvaan is the "Prince of Hijaz" (i.e., Muhammed), and there he gave a clarion call for the caravan to rise once again.
Which makes it clear that the Intended audience of the Tarana e hind is the Muslims of the Indian peninsula, which is mostly overlooked by scholars and academicians. Whatever he said in both the songs are meant for Muslims and not for the followers of other religions. And wherever he says OUR, US, OURSELVES he is talking to the Muslim community.
And it is this that he means when addressing the Muslims "not to get divided on the basis of sects" [Religion (Islam) does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves].
So, he is addressing the Muslims of the Indian peninsula in the song Tarana e hind and telling them that Hindustan is the best in the world, along with numerous good things about India. Later on, of course, he began to believe in a separate homeland for Muslims (Pakistan).
From Tarana-e-hind :
ay āb-rūd-e gangā! vuh din haiñ yād tujh ko? utarā tire[11] kināre jab kāravāñ hamārā
means:
O the flowing waters of the Ganges, do you remember that day When our caravan first disembarked on your waterfront?
From Tarana-e-milli :
saalaar e kaarwaaN hai Mir e Hijaz apnaa is naam se hai baaqi aaraam e jaaN hamaara Iqbal kaa taraana baang e daraa hai goyaa hotaa hai jaadah paymaa phir kaarwaaN hamaara
means: The leader of our caravan, is the Prince of Hijaz (Muhammad) It is his name that keeps our heart in comfort and peace. Iqbal's song is a clarion call For the caravan to rise and continue the journey once more
[edit]Popularity in India
In spite of its creator's disavowal of it, Saare Jahan Se Achcha has remained popular in India for over a century. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have sung it over a hundred times when he was imprisoned at Yerawada Jail in Pune in the 1930s.[7] The poem was set to music in the 1950s by sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and recorded by singer Lata Mangeshkar. Stanzas (1), (3), (4), and (6) of the song are widely sung in India and is regarded as an unofficial national song,[1] and were also turned into the official quick march of the Indian Armed Forces.[8]Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian cosmonaut, employed the first line of the song in 1984 to describe to then prime minister Indira Gandhi how India appeared from outer space.[9] Current prime minister, Manmohan Singh, quoted the poem at his first press conference.[1]
The song was also played by the Indian Army band in the ending ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
[edit]Hindi transliteration
सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिन्दोस्तान हमारा ।
हम बुलबुले है इसकी ये गुलसिता हमारा ॥धृ॥
घुर्बत मे हो अगर हम रहता है दिल वतन मे ।
समझो वही हमे भी दिल है जहाँ हमारा ॥१॥
परबत वो सब से ऊंचा हमसाय आसमाँ का ।
वो संतरी हमारा वो पासबा हमारा ॥२॥
गोदी मे खेलती है इसकी हजारो नदिया ।
गुलशन है जिनके दम से रश्क-ए-जना हमारा ॥३॥
ए अब रौद गंगा वो दिन है याद तुझको ।
उतर तेरे किनारे जब कारवाँ हमारा ॥४॥
मझहब नही सिखाता आपस मे बैर रखना ।
हिन्दवी है हम वतन है हिन्दोस्तान हमारा ॥५॥
युनान-ओ-मिस्र-ओ-रोमा सब मिट गए जहाँ से ।
अब तक मगर है बांकी नामो-निशान हमारा ॥६॥
कुछ बात है की हस्ती मिटती नही हमारी ।
सदियो रहा है दुश्मन दौर-ए-जमान हमारा ॥७॥
इक़्बाल कोइ मेहरम अपना नही जहाँ मे ।
मालूम क्या किसी को दर्द-ए-निहा हमारा ॥८॥
[edit]Roman Transliteration
sāre jahāñ se acchā hindostāñ hamārā
ham bulbuleñ haiñ us kī vuh gulsitāñ[10] hamārā
ġurbat meñ hoñ agar ham, rahtā hai dil vat̤an meñ
samjho vuhīñ hameñ bhī dil ho jahāñ hamārā
parbat vuh sab se ūñchā, hamsāyah āsmāñ kā
vuh santarī hamārā, vuh pāsbāñ hamārā
godī meñ kheltī haiñ us kī hazāroñ nadiyāñ
gulshan hai jin ke dam se rashk-e janāñ hamārā
ay āb-rūd-e gangā! vuh din haiñ yād tujh ko?
utarā tire[11] kināre jab kāravāñ hamārā
mażhab nahīñ sikhātā āpas meñ bair rakhnā
hindī haiñ ham, vat̤an hai hindostāñ hamārā
yūnān-o-miṣr-o-rumā[12] sab miṭ gaʾe jahāñ se
ab tak magar hai bākī nām-o-nishāñ hamārā
kuchh bāt hai ki hastī miṭtī nahīñ hamārī
sadiyoñ rahā hai dushman daur-e zamāñ hamārā
iqbāl! koʾī maḥram apnā nahīñ jahāñ meñ
maʿlūm kyā kisī ko dard-e nihāñ hamārā!
[edit]Urdu text
سارے جہاں سے اچھا ہندوستاں ہمارا
ہم بلبليں ہيں اس کی، يہ گلستاں ہمارا
غربت ميں ہوں اگر ہم، رہتا ہے دل وطن ميں
سمجھو وہيں ہميں بھی، دل ہو جہاں ہمارا
پربت وہ سب سے اونچا، ہمسايہ آسماں کا
وہ سنتری ہمارا، وہ پاسباں ہمارا
گودی ميں کھيلتی ہيں اس کي ہزاروں ندياں
گلشن ہے جن کے دم سے رشک جاناں ہمارا
اے آب رود گنگا، وہ دن ہيں ياد تجھ کو؟
اترا ترے کنارے جب کارواں ہمارا
مذہب نہيں سکھاتا آپس ميں بير رکھنا
ہندی ہيں ہم وطن ہے ہندوستاں ہمارا
يونان و مصر و روما سب مٹ گئے جہاں سے
اب تک مگر ہے باقی نام و نشاں ہمارا
کچھ بات ہے کہ ہستی مٹتی نہيں ہماری
صديوں رہا ہے دشمن دور زماں ہمارا
اقبال! کوئي محرم اپنا نہيں جہاں ميں
معلوم کيا کسی کو درد نہاں ہمارا
[edit]Translation
Better than the entire world, is our Hindustan,
We are its nightingales, and it (is) our garden abode
If we are in an alien place, the heart remains in the homeland,
Know us to be only there where our heart is.
That tallest mountain, that shade-sharer of the sky,
It (is) our sentry, it (is) our watchman
In its lap frolic those thousands of rivers,
Whose vitality makes our garden the envy of Paradise.
O the flowing waters of the Ganges, do you remember that day
When our caravan first disembarked on your waterfront?
Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves
We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.
In a world in which ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome have all vanished without trace
Our own attributes (name and sign) live on today.
Such is our existence that it cannot be erased
Even though, for centuries, the cycle of time has been our enemy.
Iqbal! We have no confidant in this world
What does any one know of our hidden pain?
[edit]Notes and references
1. ^ a b c Pritchett, Frances. 2000. "Tarana-e-Hindi and Taranah-e-Milli: A Study in Contrasts." Columbia University Department of South Asian Studies.
2. ^ a b c Iqbal: Tarana-e-Milli, 1910. Columbia University, Department of South Asian Studies.
3. ^ Although "Chin" refers to China in modern Urdu, in Iqbal's day it referred to Central Asia, coextensive with historical Turkestan. See also,Iqbal: Tarana-e-Milli, 1910. Columbia University, Department of South Asian Studies.
4. ^ Pritchett, Frances. 2000. Tarana-e-Hindi and Tarana-e-Milli: A Close Comparison. Columbia University Department of South Asian Studies.
5. ^ A look at Iqbal; The Sunday Tribune - May 28, 2006
7. ^ Times of India: Saare Jahan Se..., it's 100 now
9. ^ India Empowered to Me Is: Saare Jahan Se Achcha, the home of world citizens
10. ^ "Here it is to be pronounced not 'gu-lis-taa;N' as usual, but 'gul-si-taa;N', to suit the meter." From: Pritchett, F. 2004. "Taraanah-i-Hindii"Columbia University, Department of South Asian Studies.
11. ^ Pronounced "tiray" to suit the meter, in contrast to the usual "tayray." From: From: Pritchett, F. 2004. "Taraanah-i-Hindii" Columbia University, Department of South Asian Studies.
12. ^ Pronounced "rumā" instead of "romā" to suit the metre.
[edit]See also
[edit]External links
§ Geet Ganga: Audio Version of Sare Jahan Se Acha - Available for Download
§ Music India Online: Saare Jahan Se Achcha
§ Raaga: Patriotic Songs Vol. 6 (2003) - Sare Jahan Se Achcha (Instrumental)
Categories: Poetry by Muhammad Iqbal | Indian patriotic songs | Indian culture | National symbols of India | Literature of Indian independence movement
