Salam- Nayyara Noor

This is another post courtsey Mirza Jamal Saheb. Nayyara Noor singing Qaseedah by Ghalib.

Ghalib ke Khatoot- Letters of Ghalib

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.

Naqsh Fariyadi

naqsh fariyaadii hai kis kii shoKhii-e-tahariir kaa
kaaGazii hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasviir kaa
[naqsh:copy/print, fariyaad: complaint, tahariir: writing]
[kaaGazii: delicate, pairahan: dress, paikar: appearance]

नक्श फरियादी है किसकी शोखी-ए-तहरीर का
कागजी है पैराहन हर पैकर-ए-तस्वीर का।


Against whose playful writings do the words complain?
Every face here wears the attire made of paper.

This is the first sher of Diwan-e-Ghalib, and we believe most controversial, in the sense of its interpretation by various scholars. While some scholars believe that it is a sher worth its weight in gold, others call it meaningless. Our understanding is that this is not a meaningless sher, but a contrived one. Ghalib is subject to varied interpretations and he prided himself on saying difficult shers.
In this sher Ghalib complains about the existence of mankind to the Creator. ‘Naqsh’ represents mankind, which complains to the creator represented here by the ‘Tahrir’ of which it is a part. O God!, why did you create me in your playfulness? The second line elaborates this complaint by saying, “Kagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasveer ka”. In ancient Persia, there was this tradition of wearing paper attire whenever any complainant went to the Sultan for the redressal of his grievance. So Ghalib laments that all existence is nothing but a complaint.

kaave-kaave saKht_jaanii haaye tanhaaii na puuchh
subah karanaa shaam kaa laanaa hai juu-e-shiir kaa
[kaave-kaave: hard work, saKht-jaanii: tough life]
[juu-e-shiir: to create a canal of milk, here means to perform an impossible task]

काव: काव: शक्त जानी हाय तन्हाई न पूछ

सुबह करना शाम का लाना है जुए-ए शीर का।

Don' t ask me the tough life that I bear in this lonliness.
Turning night into day is like digging a stream of milk through the mountains.

In this sher Ghalib compares himself to ‘Farhad’ the legendary lover, who was asked to dig the mountains so that he could draw a channel of milk. Ghalib says that the loneliness felt by him in the absence of his beloved is no less than the pain felt by Farhad. Spending the day without his beloved is as painful as the effort put in by Farhad to get is ‘ju-e-shir'.

jazbaa-e-be-iKhtiyaar-e-shauq dekhaa chaahiye
siinaa-e-shamshiir se baahar hai dam shamshiir kaa
[iKhtiyaar: authority/power]
[shamshiir: sword ]

जज्बा-ए-बेईक्तियार-ए-शौक़ देखा चाहिऐ

सीना-ए-शमशीर से बाहर है दम शमशीर का।

You must see the uncontrollable desire taking over me.
The edge of the sword unfurls from its seath.

My desire to sacrifice myself at the altar of my ‘shauq’ is so great, that even executioner i.e the sword is moved. It has come out of its sheath to grant me my wish.

aagahii daam-e-shuniidan jis qadar chaahe bichhaaye
muddaa anqaa hai apane aalam-e-taqariir kaa
[aagahii: knowledge/intution, daam: net/trap, shuniid=to hear]
[anqaa: Unicorn, aalam: world/universe, taqriir: speech/discourse ]

आगाही दाम-ए-शुनिदन जिस कदर चाहे बिछाए

मुद्दा अनका है अपने आलम-ए-तक़रीर का।

No matter how much intellect spreads its nets of hearing
My expressions shall always be beyond comprehension.

Ghalib was accused during his times of saying shers difficult for people to understand. Those who have seen Gulzar’s serial on Mirza Ghalib would remember the first mushaira at the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar where he was invited for a recitation. He recites this very Ghazal, and gets no ‘daad’ because no one could comprehend his ‘shers’. Ghalib never refuted this charge, instead took pride in saying difficult shers. Remember his quote;

“Na satais.H ki tamanna, na sile ki parwaH,
Gar nahin hein mere ashar mein mane, na sahi”.

In this sher, he goes a step further and adds that his shers are beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals. He says, how so ever hard your intellect seeks to understand my writings; they will always be beyond your comprehension, for it is like a Unicorn (a bird which does not exist). We guess it was a snide comment by Ghalib on the intellectual capabilities of his contemporary ‘shouras’.

bas ke huu.N 'Ghalib' asiirii me.n bhii aatish zar-e-pa
muu-e-aatish_diidaa hai halqaa merii za.njiir kaa
[asiirii: imprisonment/captivity, zar-e-pa=under the feet]
[muu: hair, aatish-diidaa: roasted on fire, halqaa: ring/circle]

बस के हूँ ग़ालिब असीरी में भी आतिश जार-ए-पा

मू-ए-आतिश दीदा है हल्का मेरी ज़ंजीर का।

Even in captivity, there is fire underneath my feet, 'Ghalib'
The chains that bind me are merely rings of roasted hair.

Here Ghalib talks about his being free from all chains/bondages. He says nothing can enchain him. Even in captivity, he remains free, for his impatience and passion burnn like a smoldering fire converting his chains to half burned hairs. Ghalib becomes philosophical here and says even while he exists in this world, his passion for sacrifice makes him free from all bondages.

LISTEN TO NAQSH FARIYADI (TALAT MEHMOOD)

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