A Ghazal is a form of Urdu poetry, which follows certain strict rules. I used to practise this while being an engineering student and in the initial years of my career. Later I got too busy with my job and never had a look at it.
I usually use a lot of shers (couplets from ghazals) in my presentations, to add some flavor to the topic under discussion. I did the same in my presentation – “Confessions of a Fallible Software Tester” at BWST-1. Following the same, a short discussion came up in a recent testers meet with Vipul Kocher and Pradeep Soundararajan. It inspired me to write a ghazal on software testing.
The beauty of a ghazal lies in multiple interpretations. Same couplet can mean different things to different people and they can use it in different contexts. This is true with my ghazal too. I will interpret it in terms of software testing, though it’s very generic and can be quoted elsewhere.
For those who do not understand Urdu (or Hindi), I have put the literal meaning of the couplets in English. I have put the software testing context as well briefly. The ghazal itself is in its transliterated form in English.
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mai.n aaeenaa dikhaana chaahataa hoo.n
mai.n asliyat bataana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: I want to tell reality. I do not get carried away by looks.
Context: The basic purpose of a software testing is to tell truth about the subject of testing.
bharosa to bohat tum par hai lekin
mai.n khul kar aazamaana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation:Yes, I trust you. But I still want to thoroughly test my trust.
Context: Unqualified trust is not good for a tester.
mere sab mashware thukraa do chaahe
tumhei.n sab kuch bataanaa chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: You are free to reject all my suggestions. Still, I want to tell all my suggestions to you.
Context: When I raise a bug or provide any information, you are free to reject it. This would not stop me from disclosing and discussing all my findings or raising a bug next time.
dawaa har marz kee hotee nahee.n ik
yahee sab ko sikhaana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: There can not be a single medicine for all diseases. I want to make everyone learn this fact.
Context: There can not be anything called best practices. It would be similar to quacks who claim to cure 100 diseases with a single medicine.
qhabar bilkul n raste kee ho chaahe
magar manzil ko paana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: Even though, I have no knowledge of the road to my destination, I still want to reach it.
Context: If I am not provided any information about subject of testing, I would still give my best attempt at testing it.
sawaalo.n kaa sama.ndar hai mera fan
ubharnaa, doob jaana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: My art lies in my possession of an ocean of questions. I want to go deep inside this ocean, coming to the surface only to take fresh breath.
Context: Software testing is about questioning. The more one questions, the more is the scope of getting and providing information about the subject of testing.
chunoo.n mai.n jab koyee rastaa nayaa bhee
hameshaa yaad aana chaahataa hoo.n
Translation: Whenever I choose a new road in my career, I want myself to be remembered.
Context: I want to be remembered by every team I work with in my career for being a good software tester.
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Click Here to Read More Testing Poetry @ Testing Perspective
Amazing, Hats off !!. I am a big fan of Ghazal myself, but never saw ghazal’s in light of software testing.. Good stuff and you certainly sparked a bit of creativity in me. Kuch sher meri taraf se bhi 🙂
Na soch kyu.n kami dekhta hau.n mai.n teri,
Kadar duniya.n mai.n teri badhana chata hau.n
Translation : Do not think why I am so critical of you. I want to increase your value in the world.
Context : To my fellow programmers – When I raise defect don’t feel offended. I do this, because when this product goes out people can admire it and say, wow great minds might have worked together to produce this masterpiece.
Nahi.n samji hai teri geharai is jamaane nai.n,
Doob kar tujmai.n, duniyaa.n roshan banaana chata hau.n
Translation : People around you have not understood you completely, and you are a big uknown to them. I want to understand you and enlighten people about you.
Context : To my fellow BAs / managers – You are not aware of the risks associated with the product, have little information about how capable is this system and what it can achieve. With my exploration of the product, I want to increase your understanding of the product so that you can take better decision.
Bejaa.n ban gayi hai duniya.n talaash mai.n Jiski,
Khoj kar usko, tere ru-ba-ru laana chata hau.n
Translation : People have become life less in search of truth. I want to find that ultimate truth and bring it in front of you.
Context : To my fellow supporters of 100 % automation – You have made testing lifeless by replacing manual scripts to automation. There is no denial of the value automation will bring, but still I want to choose it wisely and use manual testing to find defects that you can not capture in automation.
Tere daavo.n pe yeh jahaa.n kar sake yakee.n,
Taman.na hai yahi, yahi pana chata hau.n
Translation : You become trust worthy and people can bank on you. this is my wish, this is what I want to achieve.
Context : My Motto as a tester – People can use the product with confidence and whatever claims product is making, those claims are tested to the best of our abilities, is what I want to achieve from my testing.
Anand,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and that too in the form of poetry.
There are quite a few good messages in your comment that would be useful for every tester.
Regards,
Rahul
Wonderful composition! Truly reflects the thoughts in a tester’s mind.
Thanks.