Bees Gharanay; a Beautiful Urdu Poem by Jabib Jalib

Habib Jalib

Habib Jalib (Urdu: حبیب جالب) (Real name: Habib Ahmad) (Urdu: حبیب احمد) was a Pakistani revolutionary Urdu poet, left-wing activist and politician who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression. 

Jalib was a Marxist-Leninist and aspired to the ideals of Communism. He was a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan; later when the Communist Party was banned and started working under the banner of National Awami Party (NAP), he joined the NAP. His views led to imprisonment. 

His poetry shows that, being a communist, he was pro Russia and China. He wrote many poems and Ghazal against USA and in many of his poems he even mentioned Ronald Reagan, the than President of USA, and showed his dislike to him.

Muhammad Ayub Khan

In the following enjoy reading “20 (Bees) Gharanay” (Urdu: بیس گھرانے) (English: Twenty Families) a beautiful Urdu poem (نظم) by Habib Jalib. During Ayub'e regime, it was a famous thought in Pakistan that the whole wealth of Pakistan is belonged to the wealthy twenty, or twnty two, families. As an administrative ruler, President Ayub is considered the best ever ruler of Pakistan. In his regime, consisting of 10 years, he brought Pakistan in to the emerging progressive countries and brought the green revolution in Pakistan. Unfortunately, Ayub was succeeded by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and he reversed the wheel of development and took back the country very far. But there were some evils in that golden era of Pakistan and this 20 family saga is also one of them. Jalib, being an opponent to Ayub did not miss this chance and wrote this poem. Enjoy reading this interesting poem. You may, as I do, disagree with many of his views but you will like his poetry.