dost hota nahin har haath milane wala
“You mistake mere courtesy for sincerity, Faraz — not everyone who shakes your hand is a friend.”
दोस्त होता नहीं हर हाथ मिलाने वाला
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
Here Faraz turns from love to the colder arithmetic of friendship, warning against mistaking politeness for warmth. The handshake — a gesture meant to signal trust — is exposed as something nearly anyone will offer, and therefore proof of nothing. The poet names himself in the line, as if the lesson cost him personally.
Watch how people treat you when there is nothing to gain or perform — courtesy is cheap, and only constancy tells you who is actually with you.
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