By Rahat Indori
aankh mein pani rakho honton pe chingari rakho
zinda rahna hai to tarkiben bahut sari rakho
zinda rahna hai to tarkiben bahut sari rakho
“Keep water in your eyes and a spark on your lips — if you mean to stay alive, keep many strategies at hand.”
Romanहिन्दीRahat Indori
आँख में पानी रखो होंटों पे चिंगारी रखो
ज़िंदा रहना है तो तरकीबें बहुत सारी रखो
ज़िंदा रहना है तो तरकीबें बहुत सारी रखो
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Indori asks for two things at once — water in the eyes, a spark on the lips — feeling and fight held together rather than traded off. The second line names the reason: survival demands many tactics, not one. It is a verse about staying both tender and dangerous.
For You, Today
Keep your capacity to feel and your readiness to resist alive at the same time — endurance needs both, and more than one plan.
The paired images of water and spark make it one of Indori's most repeated couplets on survival.
Themes:CourageAdversity
More from Rahat Indori
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →