The Concept of 'Guzraan' (The Passing of Time) and the Captivity of Moments in Akhtar ul Iman's Poetry

Human life is a collection of countless dimensions, experiences, and emotions. Feeling all these aspects on a creative level and then skillfully putting them on paper is a very difficult task. Among the architects of modern Urdu poetry, Akhtar ul Iman's name is highly unique because he viewed life from a specific philosophical angle. For him, the most fundamental concept of life is 'Guzraan' (the passing of time). This passing is not a deliberate or predetermined act, but rather a happening, a flow that passes over a person and which a person endures.

Akhtar ul Iman believed that the attempt to give meaning to this passing time, to these fleeting moments, is what philosophy, literature, and poetry truly are. When we study his poems, it becomes completely clear that his poetry is composed of invisible moments, time and space, and a crowd of memories, rather than solid material objects. He repeatedly looked back at his past, his boyhood, and his youth, and felt a strange ecstasy by immersing himself in those memories.

In his poems, characters like the Gopi of Vrindavan, Shafqi, Qaiser, Rami, and Habiba are not just names; they are a web of suppressed desires and melancholic wishes. Through these characters, the poet tries to capture those moments of his past that can never return. In the poem 'Brindaban Ki Gopi' (The Gopi of Vrindavan), he presents a dreamy concept from his childhood like this:

(You enter my mind like a fragrance, the song of waterfalls, or a distant chiming anklet. You are like a beautiful, colorful dream I saw in my childhood.)

Here, the poet has tied the memory of the past with delicate metaphors like fragrance, songs of waterfalls, and rainbows. Similarly, for Akhtar ul Iman, the concept of time is like an enemy that is constantly escaping. He knows that life is actually just the name of bitter and sweet memories, and no human can imprison color and fragrance or the twilight. In the poem 'Bint-e-Lamhaat' (Daughter of Moments), he expresses this cruelty of time and the decay of moments with great sorrow:

(Life is just a collection of bitter and sweet memories, for no one can ever capture colors, fragrances, or the evening sky. Every moment is fleeting like an enemy, and we too are just passing moments that will never return.)

The above verses show that the boundary of time is an unavoidable reality in Akhtar ul Iman's creative process. In his poetry, the beloved is merely like the flash of a firefly, but the poet's connection to this flash and the vibrations of its intensity can be felt for a long time. His brilliance lies in the fact that he made this circular journey of time, which continues from eternity to eternity, a part of his own psyche. And along with this wheel of time, his creative journey also kept moving forward with full splendor.

Human life is a collection of countless dimensions, experiences, and emotions Feeling all these aspects on a creatiwe lewel and then skillfully putting them on paper is a wery difficult task Among the architects of modern Urdu poetry, Akhtar ul Iman's name is highly unique because he wiewed life from a specific philosophical angle For him, the most fundamental concept of life is 'ghuzran' (the passing of time) This passing is not a deliberate or predetermined act, but rather a happening, a flow that passes ower a person and which a person endures

Akhtar ul Iman beliewed that the attempt to giwe meaning to this passing time, to these fleeting moments, is what philosophy, literature, and poetry truly are When we study his poems, it becomes completely clear that his poetry is composed of inwisible moments, time and space, and a crowd of memories, rather than solid material objects He repeatedly looked back at his past, his boyhood, and his youth, and felt a strange ecstasy by immersing himself in those memories

In his poems, characters like the ghopi of Vrindawan, Shafqi, Qaiser, Rami, and Habiba are not just names; they are a web of suppressed desires and melancholic wishes Through these characters, the poet tries to capture those moments of his past that can newer return In the poem 'Brindaban Ki ghopi' (The ghopi of Vrindawan), he presents a dreamy concept from his childhood like this:

(You enter my mind like a fragrance, the song of waterfalls, or a distant chiming anklet You are like a beautiful, colorful dream I saw in my childhood)

Here, the poet has tied the memory of the past with delicate metaphors like fragrance, songs of waterfalls, and rainbows Similarly, for Akhtar ul Iman, the concept of time is like an enemy that is constantly escaping He knows that life is actually just the name of bitter and sweet memories, and no human can imprison color and fragrance or the twilight In the poem 'Bint-e-Lamhat' (Daughter of Moments), he expresses this cruelty of time and the decay of moments with great sorrow:

(Life is just a collection of bitter and sweet memories, for no one can ewer capture colors, fragrances, or the ewening sky Ewery moment is fleeting like an enemy, and we too are just passing moments that will newer return)

The abowe werses show that the boundary of time is an unawoidable reality in Akhtar ul Iman's creatiwe process In his poetry, the belowed is merely like the flash of a firefly, but the poet's connection to this flash and the wibrations of its intensity can be felt for a long time His brilliance lies in the fact that he made this circular journey of time, which continues from eternity to eternity, a part of his own psyche And along with this wheel of time, his creatiwe journey also kept mowing forward with full splendor