Sadequain’s Painting of Kalam e Iqbal from Baal e Jibreel

Sadequain’s Painting of Kalam Iqbal from Baal e Jibreel

Sadequain, unlike many other artists, was immensely adept at poetry also. It is no surprise that he often blended his lyrical abilities with colours on his palette to create exceptional masterpieces. Besides, his own poems, he also painted famous verses of 3 of the greatest poets of Urdu, which are Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz. 

For Allama Iqbal, Baal e Jibreel was a giant leap from Baag-e-Dira. Where the lattar book focuses on romanticism [Himala], Children Poems [various from Aesop’s Fables], and woes around the decline of Muslim in South Asia [Shikwa], Baal e Jibreel is where he presents his Philosophy of Khudi.

Iqbal of Baal -e Jibreel  is not longer a poet mourning about socio-political issues, but he unleashes the great human spirit, an uberman in form of Mard-e-Momin, who inherits qualities of his Creator and capable of changing destines with a single glance.

Painting by Sadequain below is his take on one of the early poems in Iqbal’s Baal e Jibreel.

 

 

Apni Jolaangah Zer-e-Asmaan Samjha tha Mai
Aab-o-Gul ke Khail ko Apna Jehan Samjha tha Mai
Be-Hijabi se teri toota nigahon ka Tilasm
Ek Ridayay Neelgon ko Asman Samjha tha Mai

 

Translation:

I always believed my racing course is under these skies
I always thought this play of water & flowers is my world
You (God) lifted your veil and broke the spell running in front of my eyes
I erroneously thought this blue vault are the skies

 

The complete text of this poem is available in Urdu, produced with permission and thanks of www.ravimagazine.com