ASAD [10]

Some couplets are such that their meaning does not jump out at you immediately; they require a few seconds of attentive thinking after you have heard the sh'er ... to understand what the poet is trying to say.

And then, when you get it, you smile!

To achieve this effect, a clever device is used ... any explicit references are omitted, and the poet merely hints at what s/he wants to say. Observe the following sh'er by the brilliant female poet Parveen Shakir (परवीन शाकिर):

इसी कूचे में कई उसके शनासा भी तो हैं
वो किसी और से मिलने के बहाने आए
isii kooche meN ka`ii uske shanaasaa bhi to haiN
woh kisi aur se milne ke bahaane aaye

कूचा koocha = street
शनासा shanaasaa = friends

Once you understand the hidden complaint which the shaa'iraa is making, you'll definitely like this sh'er.

- Abhay.
ASAD _also_ stands for "A Sher A Day" !

[(c) Abhay Avachat. Editor: U.V. Ravindra]