Wayfaring in Ghalib's Lane

Poerty and Urdu language had seemed to me very difficult and confusing until I came to know about Ghalib. Prior to my introduction with him, I did not even properly understand Urdu language which has now become my favourite. A few monthes ago when I was surfing Youtube, I suddenly found a video of one of his couplets and I played it on. That read: "Umr bhar 'ghalib' wahi galti karta raha/ dhool chehre pe thi aur ayna saaf karta raha".  From that moment to the present I could not help but indulge in reading and listening his Shayari and Ghazals and in turn knowing about him more and more day by day. The more I read his poems, the more bewitched I become by his philosophy and unparallel artistic skill. Though I am still a novice in Ghalib's world of poetry and I doubt my ability to fathom him through and through, I must say that in the world of poetry he is indeed what his pen-name suggests - 'superior'. 

What makes me astonished the most is , however, the fact that he was of the most progressive thoughts even in a time as primeval as 19th century and so also, in an amosphere where the orthodox Islamic culture, made ubiquitous by the Mughals, was observed reventially. He questioned the regressive thoughts and observances of religion without fear, even though his poetic craft was consistently uderestimated for this sole reason. But his philosphical thinking and his rationalism, though let down by his contemporaries, now resonates with the modern thinking of this century and will keep donig so with the ages coming, as Ghalib said: "Hui muddat ke 'ghalib' mar gaya/ par yaad ata hai woh har ek baat pe kehna ki yun hota toh kya hota". In his criticism of baseless rubrics and beliefs, he brought fundamentalism and superstitons under the scanner of rationality. To shed light on this matter, I must cite some of his lines; "Hum ko maalom hai jannat ki haqekat lekin/ dil ke khush rakhne ko 'ghalib' ye khayal accha hai." In this line, he negated quite bravely the gratuitous explanation of afterlife the fundamentists preached to the commoners. In another couplet he addressed to the radical minds, "Peene de baith kar masjid mein 'ghalib'/warna woh jagah bata jahan Khuda nehin." Here he again rebuts the funadamental thought that belittles the magnanimity of God by associating His greatness with a matter as trivial as drinking. How can God become really angry with such trivial matter like drinking? In another couplet, he put forth a thought-provoking truth which makes us think about our obsession with superficial religious norms: "Yeh masail-e-tasavvuf ye tera bayan 'ghalib'/ tujhe hum waali samajhte jo na bada-khva hota." Here he points out the baselessness of fundamental belief  that gives more importance on a man's likings and dislikings than on his actual quality and efficiency. Ghalib also refuted a century ago what we are still reluctunt to deny; it is the authenticity of astrology: "Hatoon ke lakeenron pe maat ja aae 'ghalib'/ naseeb unke bhi hote hai jinke haath nehin hota." These wonderful lines stike my mind every time I approah to Ghalib as hard as it did for the first time.

Urdu poerty abounds in love and romanticism. Ghalib was no exception. His romantic poems are placed on the pinnacle of poetry. His approach towards love was kind of dreary and rueful perhaps due to his painful life. It is to be noted that in contrast to his poetic supremacy he lived a shattering life and that he had seen throughout his life deaths of so many of his loved ones. Nevertheless, the way he impeccably represnted the nuances of human feelings in his poetry indeed touches the core of my heart. By reading him, I have discovered a more sesitive human self within myself and thereby become a better person and a better lover indeed. He described women beauty in a way as if the reader can see it through the poets' own eyes: "Yeh paari-chehra log kaise hain/ ghamza-o-ishwaa-o-ada kya hai/ shikan-e-zulf-e-ambarin kyuun hai/nigah-e-chasm-e-surma sa kya hai." Again, "Dil se teri nigah jigar tak utar gayi/ dono ko ik adaa mein razamand kar gayi." One more,"Hum toh faana ho gaye unki ankhein dekh kar 'ghalib'/na jane woh aaine kaise dekhte honge." There are still a lot more examples where he fanatasized women beauty like the Elizabethan sonneteers had done. He emphasized the importance of relationship in human life that is very necessary for human kind to understand in view of the impact of modernisation on human life. In every kind of relationship, we are now becoming selfish in keeping with modernisation and thus relationships are beoming less important to us . This is exactly where Ghalib's philosophy of life strikes with his admonition about human relationship: "Mashroof rehne ka andaaz tumhe tanha na karde 'galib'/ rishte fusrat ke nehin tavajju ke mohtaj hote hain."  However, as far as I have read his poetry till now, I deduce that Ghalib's love poetry is more of sorrows than of blissfulness. He mostly emphasized upon the unfulfilment of love inasmuch as he seems to express the feelings of one-sided love in his poetry. The following couplets aptly represent his view on insatiable love: "Dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai/ akhir iss dard ki dawa kya hai/ ham hain mustaq aur vo be-zar/ ya Ilahi ye majra kya hai." In his pessimistic approach towards love, he also meticulously presented in his poetry all the nuanced feelings of unfullfiled love. For example, a lover's objection in betrayal that still expresses his implicit love for his beloved: "Ye na thi hamari kismat ki visal-e-yaar hotaa/ agaar aur jeete rehte yunhi intezaar hota/ tere waade par jiye toh yeh jaan jhoot jana/ ki khushi se marr na jaate agar eitbaar hota." Again, "Hum ne mohabbat ke nashe mein aakar use Khuda bana dala/ hosh tab aya jab usne kaha ke Khuda kisi ek ka nehi hota."  Another example is the one where he represents the lover's possessiveness about his beloved who does not return his love: "Ye rashk hai ki vo hota hai ham-sukhan tum se/ vagarna khauf-e-bad-amozi-e-adu kya hai." One of my most favourite couplets of Ghalib also concerns the pain of unfullfiled love: "Jala hai jism jahan dil bhi jal gaya hoga/ kuredte ho jo ab rakh justuju kya hai." Such is the romantic mellifluence of Ghalib that smites my heart whenever I approach to him. 

Like his love poetry, his view on life was also gloomy and rueful. His life largely reflects in his poetry. Yet his observation of miseries of life is so real and palpable that it seems the complex and unspoken sorrows of our heart find their expression in his words. In reading him we wholeheartedly identify with him. Such is the deep impact of his poetic mastery that he leaves on his readers. Besides, his philosophy of life was profound and affluent of all-pervasive wisdom. Like Shakespeare he put forth the universal truths about almost every aspect of life with a poetic mellifulence that has the innate power to captivate our heart. Here are a few instances: "Hazaron khwaishein aisi ke har khwaish pe dum nikle/ bahut nikle mere armaan likin phir bhi kam nikle." "Bas ki duswar hai har kaam ka asaan hona/ admi ko bhi muyassar nehin insaan hona." "Ishrat-e-qatra hai darya mein fanaah ho jana/ dard ka had se guzarna hai dawa ho jana." "Na tha kuch toh Khuda tha kuch na hota toh Khuda hota/ Duboya mujhko hone ne na hota main toh kya hota." Moreover, his message to humanity is rational and impartial that always lashes out at the fake religious observances and that holds humanity high above all religious differences. Owing to his progressive thoughts and questioning baseless religious rubrics, he was neglected by his contemporaries and was not given the credit he deserved for his poetic mastery that is replete with deep philosopical insight. Ghalib himself also observed on this in his remarkable poetic style: "Hoga koi aisa bhi ke 'galib' ko na jane/ shaa'ir toh woh acha hai par badnam bohot hai." Still he did not shrink to tell the truth to humanity and herein lies his greatness. And that is why he does and will live in the heart of all human beings who approaches to him. 

Urdu is considered, as was by me before, to be a language related only to Islamic culture, but in actuality Urdu literature is one of the most atheistic ( atheistic in the sense of criticism of religion)  literature I have ever read. And Ghalib is deemed to be the greatest figure in Urdu literature. He is a magic. He is an enchantment that has bemused me as he does to everyone. My life indeed would have been wasted had I not read him ever. By him I was exposed to urdu literature and I have been reading it ever since with plethoric exuberance and excitement. However, I am still wandering in this magical lane of Ghalib and I am not sure if I will ever be fully done with it in my life. I never want to get away from it either. And I urge you, if you  have no cognizance about it yet, to walk in this lane for atleast once in your life. Life will be gratified.

~Imran