Day 11

Today's lafz (word) is "dayaar" (दयार). It means ''place'' or "region". It begins with the lafz ''daal": दाल, for those of you, gentle readers, who speak in Hindi and ''daal'' with a soft D, aah and an abbreviated "l". Kind of like in ''doll''.

Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last of the Mughal emperors. More a poet than a king, his rule was characterized by lots of unrest, the dominition of the British, and last but not the least, the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Although not an active participant, Bahadur shah nevertheless gave the Mutiny legitimacy by blessing it officially. For his pains, the British exiled him to Rangoon where he lived the last few years of his life yearning to return to his homeland. He died in Rangoon in 1862 and is buried there.

This couplet he wrote there gives voice to that wistful, longing thought - of seeing his homeland as his end neared.
Lagtaa nahi.n hai jii mera ujaDe dayaar mein

kis kii bani hai alam-e-naa-paayedaay mein

(My heart does not belong to this desolate region, 

but then who has ever had their way in this mortal world?)