Saare Jahan Se Achcha

"Civilizations have arisen in other parts of the world. In ancient and modern times, wonderful ideas have been carried forward from one race to another...But mark you, my friends, it has been always with the blast of war trumpets and the march of embattled cohorts. Each idea had to be soaked in a deluge of blood..... Each word of power had to be followed by the groans of millions, by the wails of orphans, by the tears of widows. This, many other nations have taught; but India for thousands of years peacefully existed. Here activity prevailed when even Greece did not exist... Even earlier, when history has no record, and tradition dares not peer into the gloom of that intense past, even from until now, ideas after ideas have marched out from her, but every word has been spoken with a blessing behind it and peace before it. We, of all nations of the world, have never been a conquering race, and that blessing is on our head, and therefore we live....!"(Swami Vivekananda)

Today I am reminded of a poem which for me will always be the voice of India in my heart and in my soul.Its a masterpiece by Iqbal.The poem epitomises the love for the nation and inculcates a sense of belonging to our dear motherland.Today is our Independence day and our march as a nation continues toward the dreams our freedom fighter saw. So the poem and its apt that I found this in the devanagri script.

सारे जहाँ से अच्छा, हिन्दोस्तां हमारा
हम बुलबुले हैं इसकी, यह गुलसितां हमारा

गुरबत में हों अगर हम, रहता है दिल वतन में
समझो वहीं हमें भी, दिल हो जहाँ हमारा, सारे...

पर्वत हो सबसे ऊँचा, हमसाया आसमाँ का
वो संतरी हमारा, वो पासवां हमारा, सारे...

गोदी में खेलती हैं, जिसकी हज़ारों नदियां
गुलशन है जिसके दम से, रश्क\-ए\-जिनां हमारा
सारे....

ऐ आब\-ए\-रौंद\-ए\-गंगा! वो दिन है याद तुझको
उतरा तेरे किनारे, जब कारवां हमारा, सारे...

मजहब नहीं सिखाता, आपस में बैर रखना
हिन्दी हैं हम वतन हैं, हिन्दोस्तां हमारा, सारे...

यूनान, मिस्र, रोमां, सब मिट गए जहाँ से
अब तक मगर है बाकी, नाम\-ओ\-निशां हमारा,
सारे...

कुछ बात है की हस्ती, मिटती नहीं हमारी
सदियों रहा है दुश्मन, दौर\-ए\-जहाँ हमारा, सारे

'इक़बाल' कोई मरहूम, अपना नहीं जहाँ में
मालूम क्या किसी को, दर्द\-ए\-निहां हमारा, सारे