ایک زمانہ تھا جب غزل وارداتِ قلبی، جذبات اور کیفیات سے سجی ہوتی تھی اور شعرا کے کلام کو رعایتِ لفظی، تشبیہات، استعاروں کے ساتھ نکتہ آفرینی منفرد اور مقبول بناتی تھی۔ اسی دور میں آرزو لکھنوی نے ہم عصروں میں اپنا نام اور مقام بنایا۔ خیال کی سادگی ان کے کلام کی خصوصیت ہے۔ ہندی کے نرم، دھیمے اور رسیلے الفاظ کثرت سے استعمال کیے ہیں۔ زیر نظر شعری مجموعہ سریلی بانسری اس کا ایک نمونہ ہے۔ جسے وہ خالص اردو کہا کرتے تھے۔ اس میں عربی فارسی کا کوئی لفظ نہیں ہے مگر سنسکرت کے الفاظ ہیں۔ مجموعہ میں قومی گیت، غزلیں، قطعات اور رباعیات وغیرہ شامل ہیں۔

Aarzoo Lakhnavi was one of the most respected poets of his era. His father Mir Zakir Hussain Yas, who was a disciple of Jalal Lahknavi and his elder brother Mir Yusuf Hussain Qayas, both were poets. Arzoo, who was brought up in a cultured and a fairly well-off household, did his early education at home. Later, he learnt Arabic and Persian from some famous scholars of Lucknow. His career as a poet began with the composition of a marsia at the age of twelve. Guided by Jalaal Lucknavi, he soon became skilled in the art of poetry. After Jalal passed away, Aarzoo was accepted as his heir to guide his disciples. He ad moved to Bombay in 1942, where he wrote lyrics and dialogues for films. Later, he migrated to Karachi and joined Radio Pakistan. Though he had also written plays and other forms of poetry, he rose to fame mainly because of his ghazals. Three collections of Aarzoo's ghazals, viz., Fughan-e-Aarzoo, Jahan-e-Aarzoo and Nishan-e-Aarzoo have been popular with the Urdu readers.