Mirza Ghalib

Mirza Asadullah Khan (مرزا اسد اللہ خان ), pen-name Ghalib (غالب, ġhālib) (27 December 1797 in Agra— 15 February 1869 in Delhi), was a renowned classical Urdu and Persian poet of India. He is considered to be the most dominating poet of the region since Kalidasa.

Life

He was born on December 27, 1797 in Agra to parents with Turkish aristocratic ancestry. The death of his father and uncle during his youth left Ghalib with no male-dominant figures. He then moved to Delhi. (Although his house in Balli Maaran in the city is a national monument, it is not as well-kept as a national monument should be).

Ghalib's early education has always been a matter of confusion. There are no known records of his formal education, although it was known that his circle of friends in Delhi were some of the most intelligent minds of the time.

Around 1810, he was married into a family of nobles, at the age of thirteen. He had three or four children, none of whom survived (this pain has found its echo in some of Ghalib's ghazals). There are conflicting reports regarding his relationship with his wife. She was considered to be pious, conservative and God-fearing while Ghalib was carefree, unconventional without any scruples, and arguably not very religious, in the strict sense of the word.

Ghalib was very fond of drinking (in this respect, he himself admitted he was not quite a strict "Muslim") and gambling as well. Gambling used to be an offence in Delhi at that time and he was even apprehended once for having indulged in it in his own backyard. It is also believed that Ghalib had an affair with a courtesan who quite admired his poetry.

Ghalib never worked as such for a livelihood but lived on either state patronage, credit or generosity of his friends. His fame came to him posthumously. He had himself remarked during his lifetime that although his age ignored his greatness, it would be recognized by later generations. History has vindicated his claim. He also is arguably the most "written about" among Urdu poets.

He died on February 15, 1869 in Delhi.

Contemporaries and disciples

Ghalib's closest rival was poet Zauq, tutor of Bahadur Shah Zafar II, the then emperor of India with his seat in Delhi. There are some amusing anecdotes of the competition between Ghalib and Zauq and exchange of jibes between them. However, there was mutual respect for each other's talent. Both also admired and acknowledged the supremacy of Meer Taqi Meer, a towering figure of Urdu Poetry of 18th century. Another poet Momin, whose ghazals had a distinctly lyrical flavor, was also a famous contemporary of Ghalib. Maulana Hali is arguably the most famous student of Ghalib.

Ghalib's poetry

Although Ghalib wrote in Persian as well, he is more famous for his ghazals written in Urdu. It is believed he wrote most of his very popular ghazals by the age of nineteen. His ghazals, unlike those of Meer Taqi Meer, contain highly Persianized Urdu, and are therefore not easily understood or appreciated by a vast majority of people without some extra effort. Before Ghalib, ghazal was primarily an expression of anguished love but he expressed philosophy, the travails of life and many such subjects, thus vastly expanding the scope of ghazal. This, together with his many masterpieces, will forever remain his paramount contribution to Urdu Poetry and Literature.

In keeping with the conventions of the classical ghazal, in most of Ghalib's verses, the identity and the gender of the beloved is indeterminate. The beloved could be a beautiful woman, or a beautiful boy, or even God. As the renowned critic/poet/writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqui [explains], since the convention of having the "idea" of a lover or beloved instead of an actual lover/beloved freed the poet-protagonist-lover from the demands of "realism", love poetry in Urdu from the last quarter of the seventeenth century onwards consists mostly of "poems about love" and not "love poems" in the Western sense of the term. Ghalib's poetry is a fine illustration of this. Ghalib also excels in deeply introspective and philosophical verses.

His letters also make for recommended reading but it is difficult to find these publications given their limited patronage.

His Takhallus

His original Takhallus (pen-name) was Asad. However, on realizing that there already was another Shayar by the name of Asad, he changed his name to Ghalib, which literally means a conqueror.

See note at Urdu poetry#Pen names

Film and TV serial based on Ghalib

Indian Cinema has paid a tribute to the legendary poet through a film (in sepia/black and white) named Mirza Ghalib (made in 1954) in which Bharat Bhushan plays Ghalib and Suraiya plays his courtesan lover, Chaudvin. The musical score of the film was composed by Ghulam Mohammed and his compositions of Ghalib's famous ghazals are likely to remain everlasting favorites among those who fancy such music.

Pakistan Cinema has paid a tribute to the legendary poet as well through another film also named Mirza Ghalib. The film was directed by M.M. Billoo Mehra and produced as well by M.M. Billoo Mehra for S.K. Pictures. The music was composed by Tassaduq Hussain. The film starred Pakistan film superstar Sudhir playing Ghalib and Madam Noor Jehan playing his courtesan lover, Chaudvin. The film was released on November 24, 1961 and reached average status at the box-office, however, the music remains memorable in Pakistan to this day.

Gulzar produced a TV serial titled Mirza Ghalib. It was telecast on Doordarshan (the Indian National Channel) and was quite well-accepted and liked by viewers. Naseeruddin Shah played Ghalib in the serial. The ghazals were sung by Jagjit Singh.

Examples of Ghalib's work

'''دست گاۂ دیدۂ خوں بارِ مجنوں دیکھنا

یک بیاباں جلوۂ گل فرشِ پا انداز ہے'''

1. look at the power/'hand-place' of the blood-scattering eye/gaze of Majnun!
2. a desertful of the glory/appearance of roses is a foot-wiper (carpet).

or:

2. the foot-wiper (carpet) is a desertful of the glory/appearance of roses

سب کہاں! کچھ لالہ و گل میں نمایاں ہوگئیں خاک میں، کیاصورتیں ہونگی کہ پنہاں ہو گئیں

عشق مجھ کونہیں ، وحشت ہی سہی میری وحشت، تیری شہرت ہی سہی قطع کیجیےنہ تعلق ہم سے کچھ نہیں ہے تو عداوت ہی سہی میرے ہونے میں ہے کیا رسوائی اے، وہ مجلس، نہیں خلوت ہی سہی ہم بھی دشمن تو نہیں ہیں اپنے غیر کو تجھ سے محبت ہی سہی ہم بھی تسلیم کی خو ڈالیں گے بے نیازی تیری عادت ہی سہی یار سے چھیڑ چلی جائے، اسد گر نہیں وصل، تو حسرت ہی سہی

نقش، فریادی ہےکس کی شوخئِ تحریرکا کاغذی ہے پیرہن ہر پیکرِ تصویر کا کاوِکاوِ سخت جانی، ہائےنادانی نا پوچھ صبح کرنا شام کا، لانا ہے جوئے شیر کا جذبۂ بے اختیار ِ شوق دیکھا چاہیے سینۂ شمشیر سے باہر، ہے دم شمشیر کا آگہی، دامِ شنیدن، جس قدر چاہے بچھائے مدعا عنقا ہے اپنے عالمِ تقریر کا بس کہ ہوں، غالب! اسیری میں بھی آتش زیرِپا موئےآتش دیدہ ، ہے حلقہ مری زنجیر کا

1. har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ke 'too kya hai' ?
tumheeN kaho ke yeh andaaz-e-guftgoo kya hai ?

[ guftgoo = conversation ]

2. na shole meiN yeh karishma na barq meiN yeh ada
koee batao ki woh shoKH-e-tund_KHoo kya hai ?

[ barq = lightning, tund = sharp/angry, KHoo = behavior ]

3. yeh rashk hai ki wo hota hai ham_suKHan tumse
wagarna KHauf-e-bad_aamozi-e-adoo kya hai ?

[ rashk = jealousy, ham_suKHan = to speak together/to agree,
KHauf = fear, bad = bad/wicked, aamozee = education/teaching,
adoo = enemy ]

4. chipak raha hai badan par lahoo se pairaahan
hamaaree jeb ko ab haajat-e-rafoo kya hai ?

[ pairaahan = shirt/robe/cloth, haajat = need/necessity,
rafoo = mending/darning ]

5. jalaa hai jicm jahaaN dil bhee jal gaya hoga
kuredate ho jo ab raakh, justjoo kya hai ?

[ justjoo = desire ]

6. ragoN meiN dauDte firne ke ham naheeN qaayal
jab aaNkh hee se na Tapka to fir lahoo kya hai ?

7. woh cheez jiske liye hamko ho bahisht azeez
siwaay baada-e-gul_faam-e-mushkaboo kya hai ?

[ bahisht (or bihisht, both are correct) = heaven, baada = wine,
gul_faam = delicate and fragrant like flowers, mushkaboo = like
the smell of musk ]

8. piyooN sharaab agar KHum bhee dekh looN do chaar
yeh sheesha-o-qadah-o-kooza-o-suboo kya hai ?

[ KHum = wine barrel, qadah = goblet, kooza/suboo = wine pitcher ]

9. rahee na taaqat-e-guftaar, aur agar ho bhee
to kis ummeed pe kahiye ke aarzoo kya hai ?

[ guftaar = speech/discourse ]

10. bana hai shaah ka musaahib, fire hai itaraata
wagarna shehar meiN 'GHalib' kee aabroo kya hai ?

[ musaahib = comrade/associate ]

External links

• [The Divan-e Ghalib] - in Urdu, with Devanagari and Roman transliterations. Also includes concise commentaries on each verse, as well as other critical information.
• [Poetry of Ghalib] - Complete Collection of Mirza Ghalib, A large Number of his Ghazals
• [The Love Sonnets of Ghalib] - Biography, selected works, and all things Ghalib
• [Biography and selected works]
• [Poems of Mirza Ghalib] - Selected poems of Mirza Ghalib in picture-based original Urdu script. Text-based InPage files can also be downloaded.
• [The Joy of the Drop] - 37 poems by Ghalib in English translation.

 

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