Qamar Jalalabadi is known for his work in Bollywood. However, his non-film poetry is much deeper and relevant, notwithstanding fast changing times. A friend circulated a beautiful poem by the great poet, “ uske baad kya? ( what after that)? It’s very difficult to capture the essence of any literary work in translation and therefore, the following may be read as the gist or the underlying message rather than a literal translation.
I will accumulate lots of wealth
What after that
Shall acquire a dream home
What after that
Desire for liquor will take me to a bar
What after that
Weakness for beauty will lead to a satisfying experience
What after that
I will say great poetry much appreciated by connoisseurs
What after that
Urge to discover the world will take me places
What after that
One day death will come knocking at the door
What after that
A body made of elements will get subsumed into the elements
And who knows what happens after that ?
Arvind Arya blog 
Beautiful words.
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Thanks Verma sir. I also read beautiful words penned by you daily, though may not always give feedback or comments
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Aaaree yaar sab mein sawalwe puchloge to saala karunga kya…… Insaaan ban ja mere bhai. Yesterday saw a leopard couple make love thrice in an hour. What say 😛
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As we near the end of the road of the current life, time for making wish for the next life is not far. Thanks for sharing the above experience- leopard is not a bad option to wish for😆
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loved the translation though I feel the words “use baad kya” could have been retained as the refrain of the poem!
Am particularly interested in the answer to the final line!!!
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Indeed, but vast majority of my readers are non Hindi/Urdu speakers.
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