2009-11-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Mirza Ghalib

Urdu poet of Mughal era

Born: 27 December 1797 Agra

Died 15 February 1869 (aged 72)

Delhi Pen name Asad, Ghalib

Occupation Poet

Nationality Indian

Writing period Mughal era Genres Ghazal

Subjects Love, Philosophy

Influences Meer Taqi Meer, Abdul-Qader Bedil, Moulana Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi

Influenced Urdu poetry, Maulana Hali, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, Faiz

'Dabeer-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-daulah Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan (Urdu/Persian: مرزا اسد اللہ بیگ خان ), pen-name Ghalib (Urdu/Persian: غالب, ġhālib means dominant) and (former pen-name) Asad (Urdu/Persian: اسد, asad means lion) (27 December 1797 — 15 February 1869), was a great classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. During his lifetime the Mughals were eclipsed and displaced by the British and finally deposed following the defeat of the Indian rebellion of 1857, events that he wrote of. Most notably, he wrote several ghazals during his life, which have since been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people. He is considered, in the South Asia, to be the most popular and influential poet of the Urdu language. Ghalib today remains popular amongst Urdu speakers not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world.

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

POETRY CAREER

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 popular ghazals by age nineteen. His ghazals, unlike those of Meer Taqi Meer, contain highly Persianised Urdu, and are therefore not easily understood or appreciated by a vast majority of people without some extra effort. Numerous elucidations of Ghalib's collection of ghazals have therefore, been written by Urdu scholars. The first such elucidation or Sharh was written by Ali Haider Nazm Tabatabai of Hyderabad during the rule of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. Before Ghalib, the ghazal was primarily an expression of anguished love; but Ghalib expressed philosophy, the travails and mysteries of life and wrote ghazals on many other subjects, vastly expanding the scope of the 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.

The first complete English translation of Ghalib's love poems (ghazals) was written by Sarfaraz K. Niazi and published by Rupa & Co in India and Ferozsons in Pakistan. The title of this book is Love Sonnets of Ghalib and it contains complete roman transliteration, explication and an extensive lexicon.

His Letters

Mirza Ghalib was a gifted letter writer. Not only Urdu poetry but the prose is also indebted to Mirza Ghalib. His letters gave foundation to easy and popular Urdu. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He made his letters "talk" by using words and sentences as if he were conversing with the reader. According to him "sau kos se ba-zaban-e-qalam baatein kiya karo aur hijr mein visaal ke maze liya karo" [ from hundred of miles talk with the tongue of the pen and enjoy the joy of meeting even when you are separated] His letters were very informal, some times he would just write the name of the person and start the letter. He himself was very humorous and also made his letter very interesting. He said "main koshish karta hoon keh koi aisi baat likhoon jo parhay khoosh ho jaaye" [ I want to write the lines that whoever reads those should enjoy it] When the third wife of one of his friends died, he wrote... "Allah Allah aik woh log hain jo teen teen dafah iss qaid say chhoot chu-kain hain aur aik hum hain keh aik ag-lay pachas baras say jo phansi ka phanda ga-lay mein parha hai to nah phanda hi tut-ta hai nah dum hi nikalta hai" [Allah Allah, there are some among us who have been freed from this prison three times and I have for the past 50 years this rope around my neck; neither this rope breaks nor it takes my life] Some scholar says that Ghalib would have the same place in Urdu literature if only on the basis of his letters.They have been beautifully translated into English by Ralph Russell, The Oxford Ghalib.

Ghalib was an invaluable chronicler of this turbulent period. The structure of Delhi crumbled as if in an earthquake. One by one, Ghalib saw the bazaars – Khas Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Kharam-ka Bazaar, disappear, whole mohallas (localities) and katras (lanes) vanished leaving not a trace behind. The havelis (mansions) of his friends were razed to the ground. Ghalib wrote that Delhi had become a desert. Water was scarce. Delhi was now “ a military camp”. It was the end of the feudal elite to which Ghalib had so consciously belonged. He wrote:

                                 “An ocean of blood churns around me- Alas! Were these all!

                                       The future will show

                                       What more remains for me to see”.

His Takhallus
His original Takhallus (pen-name) was Asad, drawn from his given name, Asadullah Khan. At some point early in his poetic career he also decided to adopt the takhallus 'Ghalib' (meaning all conquering, superior, most excellent).
Popular legend has it that he changed his nom de plume(pen name) to 'Ghalib' when he came across this sher (couplet) by another poet who used the takhallus(pen name) 'Asad':
                  Asad us jafaa par buton say wafaa ki
                  mire sher shabaash rahmat Khudaa ki
                  Asad worshipped idols after being betrayed.
                  my poems(thank you,)are, the mercy of GOD.
The legend says that upon hearing this couplet, Ghalib ruefully exclaimed, "whoever authored this couplet does indeed deserve the Lord's rahmat (mercy) (for having composed such a deplorable specimen of Urdu poetry). If I use the takhallus Asad, then surely (people will mistake this couplet to be mine and) there will be much la'anat (curse) on me!" And, saying so, he changed his takhallus to 'Ghalib'.

However, this legend is little more than a figment of the legend-creator's imagination. Extensive research performed by commentators and scholars of Ghalib's works, notably Imtiyaz Ali Arshi and Kalidas Gupta Raza, has succeeded in identifying the chronology of Ghalib's published work (sometimes down to the exact calendar day!). Although the takhallus 'Asad' appears more infrequently in Ghalib's work than 'Ghalib', it appears that he did use both his noms de plume interchangeably throughout his career and did not seem to prefer either one over the other.

Personal life

Mirza was born in KalaMahal in Agra. His birth place was later, in 19th centuries, converted in a girls school known as Indrabhan Girls Inter College. The birth room of Mirza galib is present till this time in the school. Around 1810, he was married into a family of Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh Khan of Loharu' (younger brother of the first Nawab of Loharu, Nawab Mirza Ahmad Baksh Khan, at the age of thirteen. He had seven 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, and arguably, not very religious in the strict sense of the word.

In fact, Ghalib was proud of his reputation as a rake. He was once imprisoned for gambling and subsequently relished the affair which was deeply embarrassing at the time with pride. In one incident, when someone praised the poetry of the pious Sheikh Sahbai in his presence, Ghalib immediately retorted, "How can Sahbai be a poet? He has never tasted wine, nor has he ever gambled; he has not been beaten with slippers by lovers, nor has he ever seen the inside of a jail." In the Mughal court circles, he even acquired a reputation as a "ladies man".

Ghalib was a very liberal Sufi who believed that the search for god within liberated the seeker from the narrowly Orthodox Islam, encouraging the devotee to look beyond the letter of the law to its narrow essence. His Sufi views and mysticism is greatly relected in his poems and ghazals. As he once stated:

" The object of my worship lies beyond perception's reach;

For men who see, the Ka'aba is a compass, nothing more."

Like many other Urdu poets, Ghalib was capable of writing profoundly religious poetry, yet was skeptical about the literalist interpretation of the Islamic scriptures. On the Islamic view and claims of paradise, he once wrote in a letter to a friend:

"In paradise it is true that i shall drink at dawn the pure wine mentioned in the Qu'ran, but where in paradise are the long walks with intoxicated friends in the night, or the drunken crowds shouting merrily? Where shall i find there the intoxication of Monsoon clouds? Where there is no autumn, how can spring exist? If the beautiful houris are always there, where will be the sadness of separation and the joy of union? Where shall we find there a girl who flees away when we would kiss her?".

He staunchly disdained the Orthodox Muslim Sheikhs of the Ulema, who in his poems always represent narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy:

"The Sheikh hovers by the tavern door,

but believe me, Ghalib,

I am sure i saw him slip in

As i departed."

In another verse directed towards the Muslim maulavis (clerics), he criticized them for their ignorance and arrogant certitude:"Look deeper, it is you alone who cannot hear the music of his secrets". In his letters, Ghalib frequently contrasted the narrow legalism of the Ulema with "its pre-occupation with teaching the baniyas and the brats, and wallowing in the problems of menstruation and menstrual bleeding" and real spirituality for which you had to "study the works of the mystics and take into one's heart the essential truth of God's reality and his expression in all things".

He believed that if God laid within and could be reached less by ritual than by love, then he was as accessible to Hindus as to Muslims. As a testament to this, he would later playfully write in a letter that during a trip to Benares, he was half tempted to settle down there for good and that he wished he had renounced Islam, put a Hindu sectarian mark on his forehead, tied a sectarian thread around his waist and seated himself on the banks of the Ganges so that he could wash the contamination of his existence away from himself and like a drop be one with the river.

He died in Delhi on February 15, 1869. The house where he lived in Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, in old Delhi, has now been turned into 'Ghalib Memorial' and houses a permanent exhibition on him.

The Tomb of Mirza Ghalib

The Tomb of Ghalib is next to Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Mazaar. The tomb is made of white marble, and is worthy of the poet. The location is rather squalid, though. The tomb complex is usually kept locked; apparently there are loads of drug addicts in the area.

The inscription on the tombstone is in Persian - Ghalib’s house in Ballimaran, Chandi Chowk, Old Delhi back in the day when I lived in the city. Here’re a couple of assorted verses:

Museum Of Mirza Ghalib
It is well-known that Ghalib was a prolific letter writer and also a calligrapher of no mean distinction. The visitors to the museum can witness some of Ghalib’s writings in his hand-written postcards, letters and pension papers. There are also dummies of delicious foods that Ghalib enjoyed, like, seekh kabab, shammi kabab, dahi, pasande, murg massalam, kofta, dal chana, karela, yakhni, maash ki dal, besani roti. Standing there in the museum one can just smell the aroma of all these mouth-watering gourmet dishes. Alongside are displayed a silver glass with intricate engravings, a silver bowl, a soup spoon and other pieces of cutlery which belonged to Ghalib. Even the clothes of Ghalib, his shoes and his walking stick are exhibited. Ghalib had a great passion for chess and gambling, this is evident by the display of Ghalib’s personal chessboard made out of cloth with wooden pieces. One of the favourite pastimes of Ghalib was kite-flying. His charkhi, which is on display in the museum, bears testimony to him being a great patangbaaz. There have been artists, like Saadquin, Chagtai and Cpt. Sayyal who have illustrated his couplets in painting or in stone carvings some of which can be seen in the museum.

Mirza Ghalib Academy
Ghalib Academy is situated opposite the Qawwali hall of the holy shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Nizam Uddin Aulia near the mausoleum of Ghalib, in the bustling by-lane of Nizamuddin. This place is also a stone’s throw from the tombs of two celebrated poets Amir Khusro and Abdur Rahim Khan Khanan. Built in the architectural style contemporaneous to Ghalib, the Academy’s building has ornamental canopies and embellishments with delicate lattice work along with modern adaptations in order to meet the requirements of the present day. Set in the midst of historical residuum, the place breathes the bewitching grace resembling the times and life of Ghalib. The Academy was established on the death centenary of Ghalib in 1969. It was inaugurated by another Ghalib fan and a man with a name in the world of Letters, President Zakir Hussain. The Academy was equipped with an auditorium, museum and a conscientiously built library, to serve as a melting-pot for all research and discourse on Ghalib and his times.

Film, TV serial and plays based on Ghalib
Indian Cinema has paid a tribute to the legendary poet through a film (in sepia/black and white) named Mirza Ghalib (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.
Pakistan Cinema has also paid tribute to the legendary poet 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, Mirza Ghalib (1988), telecast on DD National and was quite well-accepted and liked by viewers Naseeruddin Shah played the role of Ghalib in the serial, and it featured ghazals sung and composed by Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh .
The Pakistan government in 1969 commissioned Khaliq Ibrahim (died 2006) to make a documentary on Mirza Ghalib. The movie was completed in 1971-2, and is regarded as a masterpiece. It is said, that the movie, a docudrama, was historically more correct than what the official Pakistan government point of view was. Thus, it was never released. Till this date, barring a few private viewing, the movie is lying with the Department of Films and Publication, Government of Pakistan. The movie was made on 16 mm format. Ghalib's role was played by actor Subhani Bayunus, who later played this role in many TV productions.
Various theatre groups have staged plays related to the life of Mirza Ghalib. These have shown different lifestyles and the way he lived his life.
An animation film on Mirza Ghalib is telecast on Zee Cinema.

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 18th century Urdu Poetry. Another poet Momin, whose ghazals had a distinctly lyrical flavour, was also a famous contemporary of Ghalib. Ghalib was not only a poet, he was also a prolific prose writer. His letters are a reflection of the political and social climate of the time. They also refer to many contemporaries like Mir Mehdi Majrooh, who himself was a good poet and Ghalib's life-long acquaintance.

Ghalib in today's culture
Ghalib's is still very popular today, and his poetry is well known. On the contrary Pakistani T.V shows have made Mockery of his poetry. One of the well known couplet was "Riqqat ke tum hi ostad nahi ho Ghalib, kehte hain kisi Zamane main Mir bhi tha". In this couplet Ghalib demonstrates that he is not the only best poet, and talks about Mir (a poet who was known, even before Ghalib was popular). The couplet translates as "You are not the only master of the urdu language, people say that at one time there was Mir who existed.

On a comedy program his Couplet was taken and turned into "Taar ne ke Tum Hi Ostad Nahi ho Talib, Pichle mahelle main Tauqeer bhi Tha". (Meaning that you are not the only master of staring oh Talib, in the back of the hood there was tauqeer as well".

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2009-10-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Articles & Books
Dewan e Ghalib pdf

Dewan e Ghalib-pdf-2
Ghalib was a great mango connoisseur (pdf article)
Ghalibyat per teen yadgar taqareer (pdf article)
Ghalib's Letter to tufta
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The Tomb of Mirza Ghalib