Aligarh Tarana

Aligarh Tarana is to Aligarh Muslim University(AMU) what any college song is to a college. When I was at Aligarh, I used to hear a story behind the Aligarh Tarana that went like this….

When Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru visited Aligarh Muslim University, he enquired the students and authorities about their college song or something like it. Having got no concrete answer, he expressed his surprise by saying, “It is very strange that a prestigious university as AMU doesn’t have its own college song. ” These remarks put a student to unrest and he spent a restless night on this idea. The very next morning, he was ready with a masterpiece which went on to be reckoned as AMU Tarana after being sung at the Strachey Hall for the first time. What a tribute from a disciple to his Alma Mater !!! What a face saving act !!! That great student was Majaz Lakhnawi – the poet.

Edit (Nov 2017): Please read the following article by Inam Abidi saheb posted on Aligarians.com if you are looking for information that is backed by references too.

http://aligarians.com/category/poets/majaz-lucknawi/


The lyrics of Tarana are here for you to relish. The urdu is impeccable but when sung in chorus with all the vigour, it can move mountains and create waves in the most placid lakes.

I thank Mohib Ahmad – the owner of Aligarians.com for the Tarana Lyrics in Roman Script.

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Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, main apne chaman ka bulbul hun
Sar-shaar-e-nigah-e-nargis hun, paa-basta-e-gesu-e-sumbul hun

(chaman: garden; bulbul: nightingale; sarshaar: overflowing, soaked; nigaah: sight; nargis: flower, Narcissus; paa-bastaa: embedded; gesuu: tresses; sumbul:  a plant with a plesant scent)

Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, ye mera chaman hai mera chaman
Main apne chaman ka bulbul hun

Jo taaq-e-haram mein roshan hai, wo shama yahan bhi jalti hai
Is dasht ke goshe goshe se, ek joo-e-hayat ubalti hai
Ye dasht-e-junoon deewanon ka, ye bazm-e-wafa parwanon ki
Ye shahr-e-tarab roomanon ka, ye khuld-e-bareen armanon ki
Fitrat ne sikhai hai ham ko, uftaad yahan parwaaz yahan
Gaaye hain wafa ke geet yahan, chheda hai junoon ka saaz yahan

(taaq-e-haram: a niche in the sacred Kaaba in Mecca; roshan: glowing; shamaa: candle;
dasht: wilderness, desert; goshaa: corner; juu-e-hayaat: stream of life; junuuN: frenzy;
bazm: gathering; vafaa: faithfulness; shahr-e-tarab: city of mirth; Khuld-e-bariiN: sublime paradise; armaan: hopes; fitrat: nature; uftaad: beginning of life; parvaaz: flight; saaz: song on an instrument)

Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, main apne chaman ka bulbul hun

Is bazm meiN taigheiN khencheen hain, is bazm meiN saghar tode hain
Is bazm meiN aankh bichhai hai, is bazm meiN dil tak jode hain
Har shaam hai shaam-e-Misr yahan, har shab hai shab-e-Sheeraz yahan
Hai saare jahan ka soz yahan aur saare jahan ka saaz yahan
Zarraat ka bosa lene ko, sau baar jhuka aakaash yahan
Khud aankh se ham ne dekhi hai, batil ki shikast-e-faash yahan

(teGh: sword; saGhar: goblet; shaam-e-Misr: evenings of Egpyt; shab-e-Sheeraz: nights of Sheeraz, a famous city of Iran; soz: pain; zarraat: dust particles; bosaa: kiss; baatil: evil; shikast-e-faash: clear defeat)

Ye mera chaman hai mera chaman, ye mera chaman hai mera chaman
Main apne chaman ka bulbul hun

Jo abr yahan se uthega, wo saare jahan par barsega
Har joo-e-rawan par barsega, har koh-e-garan par barsega
Har sard-o-saman par barsega, har dasht-o-daman par barsega
Khud apne chaman par barsega, ghairon ke chaman par barsega
Har shahr-e-tarab par garjega, har qasr-e-tarab par kadkega
(abr: cloud; juu-e-ravaan: flowing streams; koh-e-garaaN: big mountains; sard-o-saman: open and shelter; dasht-o-daman: wild and subdued; qasr-e-tarab: citadel of joy)

Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega
Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega
Ye abr hamesha barsa hai, ye abr hamesha barsega
Barsegaa, Barsegaa, Barsegaaa…
~ Majaz Lakhnawi

~ Listen to Aligarh Tarana

~ Nazr-e-Aligarh – The complete nazm of which the Aligarh Tarana is an abridged version.