Word Meaning
कजी
kajī
Meaning
Crookedness, deviousness, obliqueness, or perversity.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denoting physical curvature or crookedness, in poetic idiom 'kaji' symbolizes deviousness, stubbornness, or deceitful behavior. In this couplet, it refers to intentional crookedness or deceitful temperament, which the speaker denies adopting despite acknowledging their own roguish, unconventional ways. It is often contrasted with straightforwardness ('rasti') in Urdu poetry.
Etymology
Persian (کجی kajī), derived from 'kaj' (crooked/bent) + abstract noun suffix '-ī'.
Usage
Frequently deployed in classical ghazals to contrast the lover's honesty with the crookedness of fate or the coquettish deviousness of the beloved.
Examples
Kaji-e-abroo-e-yaar (the curve of the beloved's eyebrow)
Shewa-e-kaji se baaz aana (to refrain from devious ways)