This blog is a tribute to Ghalib. It is a labour of love by two of his ardent fans. The contributors don't claim to be any authority on Ghalib, nor do their postings claim any scholastic merit. Their postings are simply an attempt to share with the visitors their understanding of the work of this great philosopher and poet of love, hope and humanism.
ug raha hai dar-o-deewar se sabzah Ghalib ham bayabaan mein hein aur ghar mein bahar aai hai. [sabzah: greenery] [bayabaan: wilderness] उग रहा है दर ओ दीवार से सब्ज़ा ग़ालिब हम बयाबान में हैं और घर में बाहार आयी है. Greenery is growing out of the doors and walls 'Ghalib' I am in wilderness and spring has arrived at my house.
What wonderful play of words. Difficult to describe, but I guess you can feel the irony and sarcasm in the verse. Ghalib says while he wanders in wilderness having left his home, weeds in form of grass grow all over his house. This he sarcastically compares to the beauty of spring. There is a resonance of another Ghalib's sher here "Ghar mein tha kya tera gam jise garat karta..". Looking at this sher another way, "wilderness" is metaphorical in that it is Ghalib's state of mind, not the description of his physical location. There is a delicious irony here for Ghalib is in wilderness while his house is green as in spring!
har ek baat pe kahate ho tum ki tuu kyaa hai tumhii.n kaho ke ye a.ndaaz-e-guftaguu kyaa hai [guftaguu: talk] हर एक बात पे कहते हो तुम की तू क्या है तुम्हीं कहो के ये अंदाज़ ऐ गुफ्तगू क्या है? At everything that I say, you say, “Who art thou”? Tell me what kind of talk is this? Ghalib protests saying that anything that he says, he is insulted by the constant refrain, “Who art thou?” The ‘kya’ here is not meant to ask a question but to express a taunt. The emphasis should be read on ‘har ek’ and ‘tum’ i.e. he is being taunted on everything that he says. In this verse Ghalib is not insulting to his beloved, but kind of tells her that if she disagrees with him, she could argue, but not shut him up.
na shole me.n ye karishmaa na barq me.n ye adaa koii bataao ki vo shoKh-e-tu.ndaKhuu kyaa hai [karishma: miracle, barq: lightning, ada: coquetry] [shokh-e-tund khu: coquettishly ill tempered] न शोले में ये करिश्मा न बर्क में ये अदा कोई बताओ की वो शोख ऐ तुन्दा खू क्या है? Neither the flame has this miracle, nor the lightning this grace, Will anyone tell me, what is that ill tempered mischievous/coquettish one. Ghalib is flummoxed trying to describe his beloved. He wants to compare her to a flame but it does not have her fury. He wants to compare her to lightning, but it too does not have her mischievousness or coquetry. Would anyone tell him, what she is.
ye rashk hai ki vo hotaa hai hamasuKhan hamase vagarnaa Khauf-e-badaamozii-e-adu kyaa hai [rashk: jealousy; hamasuKhan: some who converses with you] [Khauf: fear; baaamozii: mislead] ये रश्क है की वो होता है हमसुखन हमसे वगरना खौफ ऐ बदामोजी ऐ अदू क्या है? My envy is that he converses with you Otherwise what is the fear that he would mislead you (against me). Ghalib says that he does not care if his enemy misleads you against him. He is envious that you are (habitually/constantly) conversing with him. The lover’s insecurity comes out openly in the verse.
chipak rahaa hai badan par lahuu se pairaahan hamaarii jeb ko an haajat-e-rafuu kyaa hai? [pairaahan: dress/cloth/robe] [jeb: collar, haajat: need, rafuu: darning] चिपक रहा है बदन पर लहू से पैराहन हमारी जेब को अब हाजत-ऐ-रफू कया है? Sticking to the body is the dress with blood What is the need now to darn the collar? This verse is peerless. One of Ghalib’s best. The dried blood causes the clothing to stick to his body and keeps the torn collar in place. Ghalib does not explain the reason for his bleeding in this verse though. However when the whole body is bleeding and hurting, is there a need to be worried about the torn collar? Some scholars have also interpreted this verse to mean that soon all blood would flow out of his body and he would need a shroud, so why worry about the torn collar. This verse is also a pointer to the harsh realities of life, where bigger misfortunes make smaller misfortune appear trivial.
jalaa hia jism jahaa.N dil bhii jal gayaa hogaa kuredate ho jo ab raakh justajuu kyaa hai? जला है जिस्म जहाँ दिल भी जल गया होगा कुरेदते हो जो अब राख जुस्तजू क्या है? Where the body has burned, the heart too must have been burned, Raking/poking the ashes, what do you desire for (search for) now? The fire (of love) has consumed the body and the heart. What are you looking for now by shifting the ashes? Another wonderful verse from Ghalib subject to different interpretations. The word “kuredna” is like at the center of this verse. While some scholars interpret it as trying to search something lying in the ashes, ‘kuredna’ can also mean like poking up a fire, stirring up or rekindling old passions, like we say in Hindi, ‘purane zakm kyon kuredte ho?’ So this verse can be interpreted either to mean that the beloved is looking for the heart in the ashes either to check that it is fully burnt with the body, or to see if it can be retrieved. It can however also be taken to mean that when Ghalib seems to be getting over her, she is trying to rekindle the old passions.
rago.n me.n dau.Date phirane ke ham nahii.n qaayal jab aa.Nkh hii se na Tapakaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai? रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं कायल जब आँख से ही न टपका तोः फिर लहू क्या है? We do not believe in only running through the viens When it does not drip through the eye, then is it blood at all? That blood that merely flows in the veins is not worthy of anything. It becomes ‘blood’ only when in the grief of passion/trials and tribulations of life, it flows out of the eyes i.e when the eyes cry the tears of blood, it is worthy of praise. Only then is the resolve of love complete.
vo chiiz jisake liye hamako ho bahisht aziiz sivaa_e baadaa-e-gulfaam-e-mushkabuu kyaa hai? [bahisht: heaven; baadaa: wine; gulfaam: delicate/like a flower] [mushkabuu: the smell of musk] वो चीज़ जिसके लिए हमको है बहिश्त अजीज सिवा ऐ बादा ऐ गुलफाम ऐ मुश्कबू क्या है? The thing for which paradise is dear to us Is nothing except the pink, musk scented wine.
piyuu.N sharaab agar Khum bhii dekh luu.N do chaar ye shiishaa-o-qadaah-o-kuuzaa-o-subuu kyaa hai? [Khum: wine barrel] [shisha: glass, qadaah: goblet, subuu: tumbler] पियू शराब अगर खुम भी देख लूँ दो चार यह शीशा ओ क़दः ओ कूजा ओ सुबू क्या है? I would drink wine if I see a few wine barrels What is this glass and goblet and tumbler.
rahii na taaqat-e-guftaar aur agar ho bhii to kis ummiid pe kahiye ke aarazuu kyaa hai? [guftaar: speech] रही न ताक़त ऐ गुफ्तार और अगर हो भी टू किस उम्मीद पे कहिये के आरजू क्या है? The strength to speak has gone; and even if it existed With what expectation would one say “What is my desire?” With a lifetime of waiting, my strength to speak is gone. Even if I could muster enough strength to speak, with what expectations can I say what I desire? Having been ignored all along, what point will it serve?
banaa hai shaah kaa musaahib, phire hai itaraataa vagarnaa shahar me.n "Ghalib" kii aabaruu kyaa hai? [musaahib: associate aabruu: dignity] बना है शाह का मुसाहिब फिरे है इतराता वगरना सहर में 'ग़ालिब' की आबरू क्या है? Having become the king’s associate he is putting on airs Otherwise what dignity does Ghalib have in the city.
dil-e-naadaa.N tujhe huaa kyaa hai ? aaKhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai ? [dil-e-naada.N- naïve heart]
दिल-ए-नादाँ तुझे हुआ क्या है? आख़िर इस दर्द की दवा क्या है?
Oh naïve heart, what has happened to you? What is the eventual relief of your pain?
Ghalib castigates his heart in the first verse. Oh naïve heart, what is the matter with you? Why are you in such a bad shape? What is the cure of this pain? He implies that there is no cure of the pain of love or the pining heart.
hum hai.n mushtaaq aur vo bezaar yaa ilaahii ye maajaraa kyaa hai? [mushtaaq: eager, bezaar: dissatisfied/disinterested]
हम हैं मुश्ताक और वो बेजार या इलाही यह माजरा क्या है?
I am eager, and she disinterested Oh God! What is happening here?
Ghalib complains that while he is all eager, the beloved does not seem to care. He asks God as to why this is so? Why can’t the beloved at least listen to him?
mai.n bhii muu.Nh me.n zabaan rakhataa huu.N kaash puuchho ki muddaa kyaa hai ? [muddaa: matter/issue]
मैं भी मूंह में ज़बान रखता हूँ काश पूछो कि मुद्दा क्या है?
Even I have a tongue in my mouth Wish some one would seek my opinion too on the matter.
Ghalib feels the slight of his beloved. While she keeps asking others, she never asks him (of his condition). He says, even I have matters to express, wish she would ask me too! He believes his tale of love for her will completely overshadow what she has heard from others.
*jab ki tujh bin nahii.n koii maujuud phir ye ha।ngaamaa, ai Khudaa kyaa hai ?
जब कि तुझ बिन नहीं कोई मौजूद फिर यह हंगामा ए खुदा क्या है?
When nothing is present here apart from you, Why this commotion all around, O God?
*ye parii cheharaa log kaise hai.n ? Gamazaa-o-ishvaa-o-adaa kyaa hai ? [parii cheharaa: beautiful face] [gamzaa-o-ishva-o-ada: side-glances, airs and coquetry]
ये परी चेहरा लोग कैसे हैं? गम जा -ओ-इश्व-ओ-अदा क्या है?
How are these with beautiful visages? What is all these side glances, airs and coquetry?
*shikan-e-zulf-e-ambarii kyo.n hai ? nigah-e-chashm-e-surmaa saa kyaa hai ? [shikan: wrinkle, zulf: hair/tresses, ambarii: fragrance] [chashm-e-surma: antimony/surma blackened eyes।
Why do the/her curls of the tresses smell of fragrance? What needs do the surma blackened eyes serve?
*sabazaa-o-gul kahaa.N se aaye hai.n abr kyaa chiiz hai havaa kyaa hai [sabz-o-gul: greenery and flowers] [abr: clouds]
सबज़ा-ओ-गुल कहाँ से आये हैं? अब्र क्या चीज़ है, हवा क्या है?
From where have the greenery and flowers come? What makes the clouds and the air?
Another set of philosophical verse from Ghalib. We found these four verses marked with * as an elaboration of the same theme. The last three verses, exemplify the first ‘sher’ marked with *. As in the Sufi tradition which believes that nothing exists apart from ‘God’, Ghalib ask inquiringly, “If nothing exists apart from the Lord himself, why this commotion and hustle bustle?” Why this futile rigmarole of existance? Why the conundrum of life? What are all these beautiful women with their long hairs and coquetry? Where did we get all these flowers, greenery and clouds from? He implies that all these attract us so much that we forget about their Creator. While they are all the manifestation of the same Supreme Being, but he laments that their multiplicity confuses us and prevents us from understanding the Supreme Being. The theme of his first sher of Diwan-e-Ghalib i.e. "naqsh fariyadi.." resonate in this sher too.
hamako unase vafaa kii hai ummiid jo nahii.n jaanate vafaa kyaa hai. [vafaa: faithfulness]
हमको उनसे वफ़ा कि है उम्मीद जो नहीं जानते वफ़ा क्या है।
I am hoping for faith from her, Who does not know what faithfulness is all about.
How foolish of me, Ghalib says to expect faithfulness from someone who does not understand faithfulness. In this verse Ghalib distinguishes between faithfulness in love and passion in love. When we are young, love for us is mostly passionate; it is only when love matures does care and faithfulness substitute passion.
haa.N bhalaa kar teraa bhalaa hogaa aur darvesh kii sadaa kyaa hai ? [darvesh: mendicant; sadaa: voice]
हाँ भला कर तेरा भला होगा और दरवेश कि सदा क्या है?
Yes, you do good deeds for others and good things will happen to you, What else is the call of the mendicant?
Ghalib says, “Do unto others as you want them to do to you.” That is what the faqir always says. Nazm says that in this sher Ghalib acts cheeky. He asks his beloved to bestow favours on him. If she does so, God in turn will bestow favours on her.
jaan tum par nisaar karataa huu.N mai.n nahii.n jaanataa duaa kyaa hai [nisar: sacrifice]
जान तुमपर निसार करता हूँ मैं नहीं जानता दुआ क्या है।
I offer my life to you I don’t know anything else as a prayer.
Ghalib says that while others may wish his beloved well in their prayers, he offers his life to her. So he is more sincere than others who merely pray for her.
mai.n ne maanaa ki kuchh nahii.n 'Ghalib' muft haath aaye to buraa kyaa hai ?
मैंने माना कि कुछ नहीं ग़ालिब मुफ्त हाथ आये तो बुरा क्या है?
I realize that ‘Ghalib’ is not much But if you get him free, where is the problem?
Ghalib tells his beloved that he realizes that he is nothing to her, is useless, but why not accept him; for he comes free of cost. He is seeking nothing in return. He is ready to be her slave for free.
DIL-E-NAADAN TUJHE HUA KYA HAI (GULZAR'S MIRZA GHALIB)
A 'jhalak' of Ghalib Ghazals and his letters. A unique fusion with Faaroque Sheikh (as Ghalib) and Salim Arif of National School of Drama. Snippets of Ghazals of Ghalib sung by Talat Aziz.
na thaa kuchh to Khudaa thaa, kuchh na hotaa to Khudaa hotaa Duboyaa mujh ko hone ne, na hotaa mai.n to kyaa hotaa [Duboya: sank/destroyed]
न था कुछ तो खुदा था, कुछ न होता तो खुदा होता डुबोया मुझको होने ने, न होता में तो क्या होता?
When there was nothing, there was God; even if nothing existed, God would still be I was destroyed because I existed; how would it have mattered if I did not exist.
We found this sher very elusive and full of yes’s and no’s. It also seems to be open to diverse interpretations. On the one hand, the verse talks of existential angst. Ghalib asks, “Why did God create us?” Irrespective of whether anything existed or not, HE would still have been there. “Then why create me and put me through this life full of pain?” asks Ghalib. On the other hand is the Sufi view, where everything is a part of the ‘Supreme Reality’ i.e. God. So when we humans weren’t around, we were a part of God, blissfully ignorant of all suffering. But in creating us, HE uprooted us and this separation is the cause of all our worldly troubles.
huaa jab Gam se yuu.N behis to Gam kyaa sar ke kaTane kaa na hotaa gar judaa tan se to zaa.Nno.n par dharaa hotaa [behis: shocked/stunned/numb] [zaa.Nno.n: thigh, dharaa: lying]
हुआ जब गम से यूं बेहिस तो गम क्या सर के कटने का न होता गर जुदा तन से तो जानो: पर धरा होता।
When gone numb by so much pain, why be concerned about the head being chopped? If it had not been separated from the body, would be resting on the knees.
When my head is so numb with pain, why should I worry about it being chopped off? If it had not been separated from the body, it would have been lying on my thighs anyway, contemplating in pain and frustration. Ghalib says that he is so much in sorrow/pain that he has lost all sensory perception, and thus feel no pain of his head being chopped off.
huii muddat ke 'Ghalib' mar gayaa par yaad aataa hai wo har ek baat pe kahanaa ke yuu.N hotaa to kyaa hotaa. [muddat: time]
हुई मुद्दत के ग़ालिब मर गया पर याद आता है, वो हर एक बात पे कहना के यूं होता तो क्या होता।
It has been some time since Ghalib died, but I remember His constant argument, “What would be if it were like this?”
It has been ages since Ghalib is dead and gone, but I remember him (probably a friend talking about him), his curiosity for things around him and his ever questioning attitude, “What if this had not been like this?”. Some scholars have interpreted the ‘kya’ in the verse as a means of expressing contempt/indifference. It implies that Ghalib considered all things trifling (Yun hota to kya hota?- How does it matter), nothing made too much of a difference to him.
Apart from being a great Urdu Poet, Ghalib was also a prolific letter writer. So not only Urdu poetry but also Urdu prose is indebted to him. Some scholars believe that his place in Urdu literature would have been assured only on the basis of his letters. Ghalib introduced a new style of letter writing, much different from the letter writings of others during the period. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He brought in this new style where by his letters ‘talked’ to the reader. They have a simple style, are conversational and shorn of all unnecessary ornamentation and elaboration. He writes, “Sau kos say ba-zabaan-e-qalam baatein kiya karo aur hijr meiN visaal kay maazey liya karo” (from hundreds of miles talk with the tongue of the pen and enjoy the joy of meeting even when you are separated) His letters were highly informal and laced with humour. He said, “Main kosish karta hoon ki kutch aisi baat likhoon, ki jo padhey khush ho jaae”. (I try to write in a way that who so ever reads it, feels happy.) He was a prolific letter writer, writing as many as five to six letters very day, and some times posting it himself too. Ghalib also knew his worth. When somebody asked him for his postal address, he cut him down to size: "Asadullah Ghalib, Delhi kafi hoga"(Asadullah Ghalib, Delhi, will be enough.) Most of his correspondents were addressed to his friends and patrons, shagirds and admirers belonging to all sections and classes of society. Incidentally, his Hindu disciple Munshi Hargopal Tufta was the recipient of the largest number of his letters, totaling 123. Aspiring poets sent him their compositions to correct which he did with great care. In his replies, he invariably put in a couplet or two of his own and gave a detailed account of how he the aspiring poet was fairing. Subject wise his letters not only give an account of the happenings in the life of the poet but are also a testimony to the tumultuous times that Ghalib lived in. He was a witness to the age of the decline and the end of the Mughal Empire; he lived to see the revolt of 1857 and also its bloody aftermath. So apart from their literary relevance, these letters also have a historical relevance as they provide a detailed first hand account of the life and times of Delhi during the period. Ghalib’s letters, especially those after the revolt and re-capture of Delhi by the British reveal the poignant pain and agony of a man who sees his city and also his way of life that he so loved and admired, brutally ravaged and destroyed by the British. Many of his close friends and admirers were either killed or had to relocate to other cities. Incidentally, Ghalib did not react with great enthusiasm when the idea of publishing his letters was first put before him by his publisher friend, Munshi Shiv Narayan. However, with the passage of time and some cajoling, he agreed and his letters, totaling 873 were first published in 1865, under the title “Ood-e-Hindi’. I found this veritable treasure trove, the audio of “Ghalib ke Khatoot”, on Youtube, posted by Mirza Jamal, who posts there as Mahakavi. He kindly consented to my request and made a playlist of his postings so that I could post it on my blog. Sukriya Mirza Saheb. So here it is for you to enjoy… P.S: This “Ghalib ke Khatoot” is a three cassette series of Ghalib’s letters recited by Zia Mohyeddin in his inimitable style brought out by EMI, Pakistan. I am surprised as to why no music company in India has launched it in India so far considering the number of Ghalib fans that abound. Some pain we had in getting our copy.
