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This Urdu version is an adaptation of the original English song “When The Guides Become Blind.” 👇
Rather than being a literal translation, this adaptation seeks to carry the spirit of the original work into a different cultural and literary landscape. Both versions ask the same timeless question: What happens when those entrusted to guide society lose sight of truth, and when ordinary people surrender their own moral compass?
Whether heard in English or Urdu, this song is ultimately a reflection on human responsibility, the consequences of silence, and the enduring power of those who continue to carry light through the darkness.
Lyrics with line by line translation
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Jab rahnuma andhe hon, raste bhi jal jaate hain,
When the guides become blind, even the roads lose their way.
Log chalte to hain lekin ghar badal jaate hain.
People keep moving forward, yet their homes drift away.
Jo haqeeqat ko bhi naaron mein chhupa dete hain,
Those who hide reality beneath slogans and chants,
Unke chehron se kai chehre nikal jaate hain.
Soon find one mask after another stripped away.
Takht waalon ko faqat apni sada sunti hai,
Those upon thrones hear only the echo of their own voice,
Log chillate rahen, shehar nigal jaate hain.
People may cry out in anguish, yet whole cities are swallowed away.
Jisko sach bolna tha, woh bhi khareeda nikla,
The one entrusted to speak the truth was purchased in the end,
Khwab bazaar mein aakhir kyun kuchal jaate hain?
Why do dreams, in every marketplace, get trampled away?
Jab siyasat ka badan khauf se bhar jaata hai,
When the body of politics fills itself with fear,
Phir qalam toot-te hain, aaine dhal jaate hain.
Pens are broken in silence, and mirrors lose their shape.
Log bhookhon ko tasalli ke diye baant-te hain,
They hand consolation to the hungry like tiny lamps of comfort,
Aur mehlon mein kai daavatein chal jaate hain.
While feast after feast in the palaces carries on anyway.
Jo bhi deewar uthi naam-e-amaan ke neeche,
Every wall raised in the name of peace,
Uske saaye mein kai rishte pighal jaate hain.
Melts many human bonds beneath its shadow.
Zehar itna tha fizaaon mein ki kuch log yahan,
So much poison drifted through the air of that age,
Saans lete bhi rahe, phir bhi badal jaate hain.
People kept breathing still, yet were transformed away.
Humne dekha hai charaghon ko havaaon ke tale,
We have watched many lamps beneath relentless winds,
Kuch bujha karte hain, kuch aur sambhal jaate hain.
Some are extinguished forever, while others find another way.
Jab rahnuma andhe hon, kashtiyan doobti hain,
When the guides become blind, entire ships are lost at sea,
Kuch magar log andheron mein bhi jal jaate hain.
Yet some souls continue burning through the darkness anyway.