The prolific Satish Verma writes about poetry by a South Delhi lass, ‘मुझे प्यार नहीं, इश्क़ चाहिये,’ and I’m compelled to think about the difference between the two words. Because make no mistake, a difference there definitely is; a difference that’s endemic to the very phonetics of language.
To understand, let’s consider ‘ishq’ and ‘pyaar’ in other languages. Take for example the English word ‘love’. It’s a mild word; somewhat reserved in aspect, quite like the proverbial stiff-upper-lip of the Englishman. In stark contrast is the French ‘amour’, a word that orchestrates an elaborate pouting of the lips. Need I say more about the French idea of love? Or consider the Chinese ‘ai’. It’s not a commitment. It’s a cry. An involuntary reaction to an uninvited impetus. Then there’s the German ‘liebe’. A sound not dissimilar to the constrained bleating of a sheep. Herr Hermann’s emotions for her, if any, are hermetically sealed. ‘Ishq’, on the other hand, is something altogether different. It’s a word of full-blooded throbbing veins. And standing behind it in complete support is its cousin ‘mohabbat’, a word whose sound warns you with its bellow of finality; quite like the sound of ‘qayamat’ does. ‘Pyaar’ is not so insistent. It is the domesticated emotion of tenderness and warmth that lurks in the poetry of William Blake, and in the prose of Tolstoy. How does ‘pyaar’ compare to ‘ishq’? Well, if pyaar is a grassland that provides nourishment all year round, ‘ishq’ is the seasonal sprout of wild-flowers. ‘Ishq’ remains about beauty, even though it may be a one season affair. No wonder the South Delhi lass prefers ‘ishq’ to ‘pyaar’.
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