This is the book that lovers of Urdu literature needed, to understand its history

An anthology of poetry and prose that offers a panoramic view of more than 100 years of writing.

by  Rana Safvi

Published Sep 09, 2017 · 06:30 pm

Manisha Yadav

“Kya kahiye kya rakhein hain hum tujhse, yaar khvaahish
Yak jaan, sad tamanna – yak dil hazaar khvaahish”

“My love, I cannot tell the tale of all the things I want from you.

A hundred longings fill my soul, a thousand yearnings throng my heart.”

— Mir Taqi Mir

Of late there has been a renewed interest in Urdu thanks to the internet. Although many (at least in India) are not conversant with the Urdu script, thanks to ghazals and Hindi film songs most understand and appreciate Urdu poetry written in Roman or Devnagari.

Many books of Urdu poetry were written in Roman and Devnagari with the meanings of the tough words given in footnotes, and some books even giving English translations. A generation of Urdu poetry lovers grew up on those. Now of course it’s all available on the net on various blogs and websites. Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai have also been transliterated in Devnagari or translated into English and become very popular.

However, not many reader friendly books have been written on Urdu poetry and prose. Many masterly academic papers remained in the realms of academia and did not percolate down to non-academic readers. So while we hear Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hasan often, we may not really understand the symbolism that is such an integral part of their songs. For this, we need reader-friendly books written for just such an audience.

An Urdu syllabus

Even though I have grown up hearing many of these stories and verses I found A Thousand Yearnings to be an entire course curriculum on Urdu poetry and prose. Of course there are gaps, but then teachers can’t do all the work, and once pointed in the right direction, we have to do our homework too.

Ralph Russell, who headed the Urdu department at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London for thirty years, is one such teacher. He has written many books on Ghalib and Urdu literature and, as the cover blurb by Shamsur Rehman Faruqi says, “[Ralph Russell] is easily the best Urdu scholar in the west.”

Russell, along with Marion Molteno, his student and friend, arranged his extensive notes, that were published as two separate books. The first, The Pursuit of Urdu Literature: A Select History, was published in 1993, followed by Hidden In The Lute: An Anthology Of Two Centuries Of Urdu Literature, in 1995. I found the titles of the two editions very poetic, with Hidden in the Lute being after a verse by Ghalib.

The book under review, A Thousand Yearnings – named after a verse by Mir – is an edited version of Hidden in the Lute. Molteno describes how Russell helped her discover Urdu and found in her the “ideal audience” – the kind of person who would be interested in Urdu literature but could do it only through translations.

That is the USP of the book. It talks to an audience which, though interested in the writings of the era that began in the 19th century and ended in the 20th century with the beginning of the Progressive Writers Movement, does not understand all the cultural and literary nuances. Russell explains those nuances.

The book starts with seven short stories, with the translator explaining the evolution of short stories in Urdu literature. It’s interesting that he has included Premchand’s “A Wife’s Complaint”, written in Urdu as “Shikva Shikayat”. Today many are unaware that Premchand started writing in Urdu, switching to Hindi later because it was commercially more viable.

These are Russell’s personal selection and some of them, especially Chughtai’s sketch of her brother Azim Beg Chughtai in “Hellbound” (“Dozakhi”) are very unusual and intriguing. Some, like Rashid Jahan’s “Behind The Veil” (“Parde Ke Peeche”) and Manto’s “Kali Shalwar” are very popular. The translations are fluid and impeccable.

Of course, the stories of Manto and Chugtai were a no-no in genteel houses, so I read them very recently. Fifty years ago when my aunt and sister, who were interested in improving their Urdu reading skills, went to a bookshop in Lucknow and asked for a Chughtai novel, they were told, “Bibi, girls from sharif (genteel) families don’t read such books.”

Abashed, they came back empty handed. In fact the most suitable Urdu book for young Muslim ladies was supposed to be “Bahisti Zevar” by Maulana Ashraf Aki Thanvi, a regressive book by today’s standards that was a guide to religion and the religious duties of Muslim girls. It was gifted to young brides as a bible by which to conduct their lives.

Legends and love stories

Having grown up hearing stories of Sheikh Chilli, Mullah Dopiaza and folklore, I was enthralled by the popular literature section, as most of its contents were new to me.

Urdu poetry has many references to prophets and saints and their miracles. So the explanations from famous men will come in handy for the lay reader. I don’t know from which source Russell took the story of Adam and Eve because it is at variance to the one in the Quran, where both share the blame of temptation and are supposed to have erred together. Unlike western literature, Eve alone was not held responsible for the original sin. I suppose, as in all things, patriarchy throws its shadow on Urdu literature as well, where Eve tempts Adam with wine to eat the grain of wheat, which she has already consumed.

It is the section on “Love Poetry” that intoxicates one’s senses with the beauty of Urdu poetry. It’s a master class on it, in fact, detailing the nuances of mystic poetry, the challenge to orthodoxy, the humanist values of a ghazal, and the images and allusions it contains.

Those who enjoy Ghalib and Mir – and I must confess the latter is my favorite – will love the comparison Russell draws between their love poetries, with wonderful translations. With beautiful examples Russell proves how Mir was a committed lover whose love could be classified as junoon (madness), but Ghalib held back. He had reservations, was unwilling to commit whole-heartedly, and his love was just love, not madness.

While Mir writes:

“Guzar jaan se aur dar kuchh nahin
Rah e ishq mein phir khatar kuchh nahin”

“Just sacrifice your life and fear is banished

Go on your way; all danger will have vanished”

Ghalib writes:

“Yehi hai aazmaana to sataana kis ko kehte hain?
Adu ke ho liye jab tum to mera imtihaan kyon ho?”

“If this is testing, can you tell me, what would persecution be?

If it was to him you gave your heart; what would you want with testing me?”

I am no expert on Urdu poetry but I have always felt that Ghalib held back something: his poetry was often aimed at the intellect and not the heart. Given this, I feel the chapter on Ghalib’s personal philosophy is very apt as it explains much of his writings for the lay reader. One valuable espect of the book is the section on the lives of poets, as well as the one with Ghalib’s letters, which offer insights into their life and times.

Most books on Urdu poetry and prose tend to ignore the change that came after the failed war of independence in 1857. Russell describes Sir Saiyyad Ahmed Khan, the Aligarh Movement, and the satirical poetry of Akbar Ilahbadi in the political and cultural atmosphere of that era.

For some reason he has left out the hugely popular people’s poet Nazir Akbarabadi (1735–1830) whose verses give a glimpse of the people and their lives in that era. Russell also leaves out another very popular Urdu poet, Sir Mohammad Iqbal, popularly known as the shayer e mashriq or poet of the east, as he feels that Iqbal’s appeal was only to Muslims.

Today, when we have so many issues of blasphemy and religious feelings are easily hurt, Iqbal’s Shikwa and Jawab e Shikwa should be made compulsory reading. Apart from this, Iqbal had a body of socialist poetry as well as secular verses on Ram and on Guru Nanak, while his Tarana e Hind is still sung in schools. His Naya Shivala is an ode to syncretism.

The book, which also includes selections from Farhatullah Beg’s Dilli ka Aakhiri Mushaira and Rusva’s novel Umrao Jaan Ada, is truly worth reading as it traces the history and evolution of Urdu poetry and prose, using a rich variety of selections to capture the particular milieu of the era.

A Thousand Yearnings: A Book of Urdu Poetry and Prose, Translated and introduced by Ralph Russell, Edited and with a foreword by Marion Molteno, Speaking Tiger Books.

•

The mazar of Maulana Altaf Husain Hali
Poet, writer, critic
Friend and biographer of Ghalib in
Panipat
He wrote the popular ghazal-
aage bade na qissa-e-ishq-e-butan se hum
sab kuch kaha magar na khule razadan se hum

ab bhagate hain saya-e-ishq-e-butan se hum
kuch dil se hain dare hue kuch aasman se hum

hansate hain usake giriya-e-beikhtiyar par
bhule hain bat kahake koi razadan se hum

ab shauq se bigad ke baten kiya karo
kuch pa gaye hain aap ke tarz-e-bayan se hum

jannat mein tu nahi agar ye zakhm-e-teg-e-ishq
badalenge tujhako zindagi-e-javidan se hum

To Hali also goes the credit of being the first to introduce the genre of biography in Urdu and all in total he authored three biographies, Heyat-e-Saadi, life of great Persian scholar, Shaikh Saadi, Heyat-e-Javed, life of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of AMU Aligarh, and his famous Yadgar-e-Ghalib.
Hali also wrote one of the earliest works of literary criticism in Urdu ””Muqaddamah-i Shi’r-o-Sha’iri”.”
His work Musaadas Hali , inspired Iqbal to composed Shikwah Jawab e shikwah.. Khawaja Altaf Hussain ” Hali ” is the maternal grandfather of K.A.Abbas.

Nawab Kalbe Ali Khan (1865-87) was a distinguished scholar and very much interested in collection of rare manuscripts, paintings, and commissioned connoisseur scholars to obtain rare manuscripts, paintings and other art objects and thus enormously enriched the library collection.
( source :http://www.razalibrary.gov.in/Razalibnew/index.html

I had a wonderful time in the library and am sharing some of the photographs

Address: Hamid Manzil Qila Rampur U.P. 244901, India
Telephone: 91-595-2325045, 2325346, 2327244
Fax: 91-595-2340548
Timings
It opens for public daily between 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except on Fridays and gazetted holidays.

1, hazaaron Khvaahishen aisii ki har Khvaahish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaan lekin phir bhii kam nikale

KHvaahish ख़्वाहिश خواہش = wish, request, inclination, will
Dam = breath, life, vitality, moment
Armaan अरमान ارمان = Desire

(A thousand yearnings have I, each one to die for
Many a desire have I fulfilled yet many more remain)

koii is dil kaa haal kyaa jaane
ek KHvaahish hazaar tah-KHaane*
(*basements/ underground layers) #Shakeb Jalali

jaane tab kyo.n suuraj kii Khvaahish karate hain log
jab baarish mein sab diivaaren girane lagatii hain
#Salim Kauser

2. nikalnaa Khuld se Aadam kaa sunte aaye hain lekin
bahut be-aabaru hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale

KHuld ख़ुल्द خلد = paradise, heaven =
be-aabaru=disgrace, dishonourable
kuuchaa=street

(Am familiar with stories of Adam’s expulsion from Paradise yet,
Very dishonourable was my exit from your street)

ham Khuld se nikal to gaye hain par ai Khuda
itane se vaaqaye* kaa fasaanaa^ bahut huaa
#Faraz

*incident
^ story, tale, fiction

3. muhabbat mein nahiin hai farq jeene aur marne kaa
usii ko dekh kar jeete hain jis kaafir pe dam nikale

farq फ़र्क़ فرق = difference,
kafir = here beloved

(In love the difference between life and death is blurred
The sight of the same beloved gives me life, for whom I want to die)

Khudaa ke vaaste pardaa na kaabe se uThaa zaalim
Kahiin aisaa na ho yaa.N bhii vahii kaafir sanam nikale

Not by Mirza Ghalib – Few Couplets

“If these verses are in the text, then they’re mine; and if they’re in the margins, then they’re not mine.”

4. Kahaan maiKhaane ka daravaazaa ‘Ghalib’ aur kahaan vaaiz
par itnaa jaanate hain kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale

maikhana मै-ख़ाने مے خانے = bar, tavern
vaaiz واعظِ वाइज़ =here preacher ,but also adviser, religious wise man, learned man

(The wine- house and the preacher are poles apart
Yet I do know that he went in, as I came out (yesterday)

Ghalib” buraa na maan jo vaaiz buraa kahe
aisaa bhii koii hai ke sab achchhaa kahe.n jise

yaad aa gayaa vo but^ mujhe huuron ke zikr se
vaa.iz ke vaaz* se bhii meraa kaam chal gayaa
#Ranjuur Aziimaabaadi

^beloved
*sermon

1. kahte ho na denge ham dil agar para paya//
dil kahan k gum kije hamne muddaa paya

1. You say you will steal my heart, if found lying around//
But where is a heart to lose, I will argue

mudda’a मुद्दआ مدعا point, argument, complaint , desire, wish, meaning, object
Mudda’ii = complainant
( mudda’ii lakh bura chahe to kya hota hai ..)

2. ishq se tabiyat ne ziist ka maza paya//
dard ki dawa payi dard-e-bedawa paya

2. I found the joy of living , through love //
love is my cure and incurable is its pain

ziist / zeest = zindagi / life / existence
dard be- dawa = incurable pain

3. saadagi-o-purkaari bekhudi-o-hoshiyaari //
husn ko taghaaful main jurrat azama paayaa
saadgi = simplicity
pur-kaarii = skill, cleverness
be=khudi = ecstacy, rapture, senselessness
taghaful = neglect, forgetfulness
jur’rat-aazmaa जुरअत-आज़मा جرأت آزما testing courage

3. her innocent guile, her vigilant senselessness //
The negligence of beauty tests the lovers being

( Ghalib the master of contradiction )

4. guncha phir lagaa khilne aaj hum ne apna dil //
khuun kiyaa huwa dekha gum kiya huwa paayaa

gunchaa ( with ‘ghain’ not g’ -غنچہ ,गुँचा ) = bud. rose bud
khuun kiya huwa = murdered/ bloodied

4. the bud once again starts to bloom, my heart today I find /
You in bloodied state, That which was lost long ago

5. hal-e-dil nahin maalum lekin is qadar yaani //
ham ne barahaa dhundha tum ne baraha paayaa

baar-haa बारहा بارہا many a time,very often

5. where my heart is, I don’t know except /
many a times I sought it, many a times you found it

6. shor-e-pand-e-naaseh ne zakhm par namak chirka //
aap se koi puchche tum ne kyaa mazaa payaa

6. the noisy sermon of the preacher sprinkles salt on my wounds/
Dare anyone ask you, what enjoyment you got of it

Piya baaj piyaalaa piya jaaye naa
piya baaj yak til jiyaa jaaye naa

He was also a patron of arts and literature and encouraged men of arts. It was due to his pioneering work that Urdu got the status of a respectable language, as till then Persian was considered the language of choice for any literary work.

His work was continued by Wali Daccani (also called Wali Aurangabadi, Wali Gujarati)a mystic who along with some other men of letters was attracted to Aurangzeb’s court in Aurangabad.
To Wali Daccani goes the distinction of pioneering Urdu Ghazal and publishing a Diwan of ghazals.

His visit to Delhi in 1700 caused a stir amongst the poets who had hitherto been writing in Persian and the beauty and capacity of expression of his ghazals inspired them to write in Rekhta as Urdu was called then.

yaad karanaa har ghaDii us yaar kaa
hai vazifaa mujh dil-e-bimaar kaa



Kiya mujh ishq ne zaalim ko aab ahista ahista
Ke aatish gul ko karti hai gulaab ahista ahista

A century later Amir Minai also wrote
saraktii jaaye hai ruKh se naqaab aahista-aahista
nikaltaa aa rahaa hai aaftaab aahista-aahista



In the 18th century Urdu poetry saw great poets like Sauda, who became famous for his satire

badla tere sitam ka koii tujhse kya kare
apana hii tu farefta howe, Khuda kare

Khwaja Mir Dard , the mystic poet, who transcribed his mysticism into poetry
doston dekha tamasha yahan ka bas.
tum raho ab hum to apne ghar chale

And of course the incomparable Mir Taqi Mir who was called Khuda e Sukhan ( God of poetry). Mir wrote in simple words and more frequently in the short beher ( metre)

nazuki uske lab ki kya kahiye

pankhadi ik gulaab ki si hai
and
Ibtadaa’e ishq hai rota hai kya,
Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya



Ulti ho gayi sab tadbeerei’n kuchh na dawa ne kaam kiya
Dekha iss beemari e dil ne aakhir kaam tamaam kiya

The 19th century saw the zenith of Urdu poetry in Delhi with poets like Ghalib, Zauq, Momin, Bahadur Shah Zafar , Shefta, and Azurda.

Many have said that had Ghalib written in English he would have been more popular than Shakespeare today such was the power of his poetry.
Barrister Dr. Abdur Rehman Bijnori writes :There are only two divinely revealed books in India – the Holy Vedas and the Diwan-e-Ghalib.

Hazaaron khwahishe’n aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere armaan phir bhi kam nikle
His love poems are the most oft quoted in the sub continent today
Koi mere dil se poochhe, tere teer E neem kash ko

Yeh khalish kahaaN se hoti, jo jigar ke paar hota



The poetry of this period was centred on love with special emphasis of the poet’s sufferings in unrequited love. The Beloved was more often than not was the beautiful but ‘sang-dil’ (stone hearted) lady who did not really care about her lover’s feelings.

Tere waa’de par jiye ham to yeh jaan jhhooT jaana
Ke khushi se marr naa jaate jo aitebaar hota

The language used was very Persianised, full of similes and metaphors and not so easy to understand for those who were not aware of the sub text.

Naqsh fariyadi hai kis shokhi e tahreer ka
Kaagazi hain pairahan har paikar e tasveer kaa

Reference is made here by Ghalib to the Persian custom where the appellant/ plaintiff wore a dress made of paper when appearing in Court.
There were elaborate mushairas (soirees) arranged where these poets would recite their latest ghazals and there would be a buzz in the streets of Delhi after that. The arrangement of theses mushairas was a very elaborate and sensitive issue. Seating of the poets was paramount as wrong arrangement could hurt their sensibilities.
The amount of praise and applause given had to be just so! too much would seem a mockery, too little an insult.

1857 and the aftermath brought the curtain down on this era. The British exiled the Mughal Emperor and came down with a heavy hand on the Muslim nobility, who had traditionally patronized and supported the poets. This led to the decline of the Delhi School of Poetry.
Sir Saiyed’s Aligarh Movement was marked by an emphasis on western education, an attempt to give back prestige and glory to the dispossessed Muslim community. This gave birth to a new school of poetry which was spearheaded by Altaf Hussain Hali. Adopting the pen name of Hali ( the contemporary) he wrote the epic poem Musaddas e Madd o Jazr e islam (An elegiac poem on the Ebb and Tide of Islam), on the request of Sir Saiyed. It is also known as Musaddas-e-Hali. Hali was one of the first poets to raise his voice for freedom from British rule.
His poem Hub e Watan emphasised the virtues of patriotism and became very popular with children.
Teri ek musht e khaak ke badle

Luu’n naa hargis agar bahisht mile

The word sher’r itself is derived from the Arabic meaning “of wisdom and hence the she’r, shae’ri and mushae’ra all representing intelligence, reasoning, knowledge, and consciousness according to Sarfaraz Niazi and this was epitomized by Brij Narain Chakbast who described life in this masterful verse:

Zindagi Kya Hai, Anasir Mein Zahoore Tarteeb

Maut Kya Hai Inhi Ajza Ka Pareshan Hona

The 20th century was dominated by two great but totally different Urdu poets, Allama Iqbal and Akbar Allahabadi. Both had different concerns and used their pen to influence their generation.
While Iqbal exhorted the Muslims to rise above their circumstances, to develop their individuality as a step towards self-awareness and growth.

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pahle

Khuda bande se khud poche bata teri raza kya hai



Akbar Allahabadi used satire to challenge the emphasis on western values and mindless aping of the west.
chhoD ‘literature’ ko apnii, ‘history’ ko bhuul jaa 

sheKh-o-masjid se ta’alluq tark kar ‘school’ jaa

chaar din kii zindagii hai koft se kyaa faayadaa 

khaa ‘double-roti’ ‘clerky’ kar Khushii se phuul jaa

This new phase in Urdu poetry culminated in the Progressive Writers Movement with a complete shift in protagonist. Stalwarts of poetry such as Majaz, Kaifi Azmi, Sahir, Faiz, Makhdoom Moinuddin,Amrita Pritam, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Ali Sardar Jafri and many others changed the contours of poetry once again.

No longer was the emphasis on the Beloved .The focus shifted to Gham e Dauran (sorrows of the material world) as opposed to Gham e Jaana’n (sorrows of the Lover) . The poets wrote on the oppression of the imperialists, capitalists and dictators.

They played a very crucial role on India’s freedom struggle with Hasrat Mohani giving India its enduring slogan “Inqilaab Zindabad”.
These poets faced imprisonment, hardships for the causes they believed in.
The ghazal now gave precedence to the nazm which unlike the ghazal maintained a flow of thought.
The parameters of language changed. The courtly, ornamental Urdu was replaced by simpler, easier to understand and more direct language. They were to avoid use of metaphors and similes to have a greater impact.Josh Malihabadi, shayar e inqilaab wrote
Kaam hai mera taghayyar, naam hai mera shabab

Mera naara, inqilaab o inqilaab o inqilaab

Poets were encouraged to talk of optimism and not write in a pessimistic vein.
The subjects were drawn from everyday life as in Ali Sardar Jafri’s nazm:
Kumhar ka chak chal raha hai
Surahiyan raqs kar rahi hain
Safed aata siyah chakki se raag bankar nikal raha hai
Sunahare choolhon mein aag ke phool khil rahe hain
Pateeliyan gunguna rahi hain…

Kaifi Azmi gave a new dimension to the Beloved. She was no longer an object to sigh for but the new age woman
uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe
husn aur ishq ham aawaaz-o-humaahang haiN aaj

jis meiN jaltaa huuN usi aag meiN jalnaa hai tujhe

uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe
Majaz exhorted women to join the struggle:
Tere maathe pe ye aanchal bahut hi khoob hai lekin
Tu is aanchal se ik parcham bana leti to achcha tha

The classical poets had been caught up in their own internal struggles whether with the Beloved or their own circumstances. There had been a touch of conceit to their obsession with their own mostly unrequited love. But no longer :

Faiz Ahmed Faiz gave the call
Aur bhi dukh hain zamaane mein mohabbat ke siwa
Rahatein aur bhi hain wasl ki raahat ke siwa
Mujhse pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang



Sahir Ludhianvi led the charge in poetry and films, bringing out the frustrations of the post independence generation whose dreams and aspirations were not being met.

Woh Subah kabhi tau aayegi written for the independence movement was used in the film with same name in 1958 as disillusionment started to set in.
In kaali sadiyon ke sar sey jab raat ka aanchal dhalkega

Jab dukh ke badal pighalengey jab sukh ka saagar jhalkegi

Jab ambar jhoom ke nachega jab dharati naghame gayegi

Woh subah kabhi to aayegi…



The collapse of Soviet Union and decline of communism led to the end of this movement.
But nothing remains in a vacuum and a new generation of Urdu poets emerged. For them love was one of the issues of their lives, perhaps mirroring the modern struggles of the modern youth. Communalism, employment, disillusionment with their elected representatives and rising prices were of greater concern.
The language they used was everyday Hindustani which could be understood by all and it covered almost every topic which touched an ordinary man’s daily life.

As Javed Akhtar writes
Lo dekh lo, ye ishq hai, ye vasl hai, ye hijr
Ab laut chaleñ aao, bahut kaam pada hai

Munawwar Rana one of the most prolific and popular poets critcised the growing politics of communalism
Tawaif ki tarah hukumat apni badkarion par

Mandir o masjid ka parda daal deti hai

Adam Gondvi did not mince words when he said
Hindu yaa Muslim ke ahsasaat ko mat chediye
apni kursi ke liye jazbaat ko mat chediye
or
Veda men jinka hawala hashiye par bhi nahi
Ve abhaage aastha vishwaas lekar kya Karen
or
Kaju bhune hain plate me whiskey gilaas me
utra hai Ram rajya vidhayak niwas mein
or the voice of every ordinary person
sau main sattar aadmi
filhaal jab nashaad haiN
dil pe rakh kar haath kahiye
desh kya azaad hai

In the times of censorship and sycophancy Wasim Barelwi writes
main ye nahi kehta ke mera sar na milega
lekin meri aankhon mein tujhe dar na milega

Bashir Badr writes simple but very evocative ghazals
Ujaale apni yaadon ke humare saath rahne do
na jane kis gali main zindagi ki sham ho jaye



mujhse bichadkar khush rahte ho
meri tarah tum bhi jhoote ho

Another trend that is going a long way in popularizing Urdu ghazals by using Hindi words which were easily understood and identifiable, used very effectively by Dushyant kumar
ho gayii phir parbat-sii pighalnii chaahiye
is himaalay se koii gangaa nikalnii chaahiye



The difference in the three phases of Urdu poetry can be seen in these four verses written by different poets in different eras which showcase their concerns, their preoccupations.

Ho raha hai jahan mein andher
Zulf ki phir sirishta daari hai
Ghalib

bahut mushkil hai duniyaa kaa sa.nvarnaa
tirii zulfon kaa pech-o-KHam nahiin hai
Majaz

Saamne hai Zulfiqar bikhere
Kitne haseen hain andhere
Kaif Bhopali

Suljhane se ulajhti jaa rahi hun
Main apni Zulf ka bal ho gayi hun
Humiura Rahat

(This is inspired by a panel discussion in the 2nd Delhi Literature Festival on 9th Feb 2014, where I was also a panelist)

Every 27th December the world joins hands to pay tribute to the poet who for many is the voice of Urdu shayri.
“haiN aur bhii duniya meiN suKHanwar bohot achche
kehte haiN ki ‘GHalib’ ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur “
(There are in the world many very good poets
They say that Ghalib’s style of expression is something else)
Asadullah Beg Khan started writing with the nom de plume Asad that means lion and later adopted Ghalib, which means conqueror, predominant, victorious. He was definitely prophetic in his choice of words as he still dominates our hearts and keeps conquering each successive generation.
There have been many wonderful poets in Urdu, with Ghalib himself acknowleding Mir Taqi Mir, so what is it about Ghalib that makes him larger than life?
Considering that he wrote in chaste Urdu, a language, which is not in as much use today as it was when Ghalib rose to prominence, what is it that makes Ghalib as relevant today as he was 218 years ago?

Ghalib was essentially a poet of self-introspection but he was a great thinker and many of his verses reflect some deep philosophical truths.
His poetry touched a chord in everyone’s heart and I doubt there’s anyone who read his verses and could go away saying that Ghalib didn’t speak of his emotions. His poetry was timeless and for all ages.

Can anyone express love like this?
Ishq say tabeeyat ne, zeest ka maza paaya
Dard ki dawa paaee, dard-e-bay-dawa paaya
(I found the joy of living – through love
Love is my cure – And incurable is its pain)

Today in the age of commercialization and self-gratification, when all we want is the latest product in the market and spend our days in trying to achieve impossible targets to get to the top, this verse could be an anthem. Of course Ghalib was talking of different longings than what advertisements bombard us with.
Hazaron khwahshe aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle
(A thousand longings have I, each one to die for
Many a desire have I fulfilled yet many more remain)

When we see the mayhem caused by people in the name of religion, forgetting that without humanity there is no religion, this verse is as true today as it was then. In fact, I think more so.
Bas ke dushwaar hay, har kaam ka aasan hona
Aadmi ko bhi muyassar nahi, insaan hona
(It is hard for everything to be easy
(as) Man can’t opt to be human)

Is there a comparable verse when Ghalib who led a difficult life, talks of hopelessness and sorrow?
Koi umeed bar nahin aati
Koi soorat nazar nahin aati
Hum wahan hain jahan se humko bhi
Kuchh humari khabar nahin aati
(There seems no hope in sight
Nor any face comes to light
I am now in a place
From where there’s no news of myself in sight)

But to my mind the major reason for the timelessness of Ghalib’s magic is that his verses revealed deep philosophical truths which every human can identify with. His poetry though deeply mystical in nature was untouched by religious bigotry.
He was an iconoclast who took on established religious and cultural traditions and questioned hypocrisy. Ghalib’s poetry was all about freedom of choices, a passion for life and love.
He challenged the stranglehold of priests on the masses, questioning their own hypocrisy.

Kahan Maikhaane ka Darawaza Ghalib aur kaha waij,
Par itana jaanate hai kal woh jaata thaa ke hum nikale
(The wine- house and the preacher are poles apart
Yet I do know that he went in, as I came out (yesterday)
While he has no compunctions in questioning his own shortcomings he doen’t let the preacher go unquestioned either.
Kaabe kis munh se jaoge Ghalib
Sharm tumko magar nahin aati
(How will you face God, Ghalib?
You should be ashamed, but not)
In this verse Ghalib questions the rigid method of reaching God through mindless prayers and rituals, which often drive people away, as opposed to simply losing oneself in His worship.
Waaiz na khud peo, na kisi ko pila sako,
Kya baat hai tumhari sharaab-e-tahoor ki.”
(O Preacher, neither could you drink it, nor could you offer it
What is the use of your Pristine Wine?)

Sir Muhammad Iqbal had equated Ghalib with William Shakespeare and both the bards will endure forever.

Ghalib by Habib Wali Muhammad

1. Yeh na thee hamari qismat keh wisaal-e-yaar hota
Agar aur jeete rahtay yehi intezaar hota

Wisaal – union / meeting
Wisaal e yaar – union/ meeting  with Beloved

1. It was not destined that I meet/ connect with my Beloved
Had I even lived longer, waiting for her was my Fate

2. Tere waade par jiyee ham to yeh jaan jhoot jana
Keh khushi se mar na jaate agar aitbaar hota

2. If I lived because of my faith in your promise, I knew It was a lie,
Had i really believed in your word, I would have died of sheer joy

3. Koi  mere dil se pooche tere teer-e-neemkash ko,
ye khalish kahaan se hotee jo jigar ke paar hota

Neem / niim – half
Teer e neem kash – half drawn arrow ( neither pierces nor let’s the threat pass away)
Khalish – prick, pain

3. Someone should ask me the agony of your half- drawn arrow,
This continuous pain would not have been if it had struck & gone  through

4. ye kahaan ki dosti hai ke bane hain dost naaseh,
Koi chaarasaaz hota, koi ghamgusaar hota

Naaseh – advisor, counsellor , someone who admonishes
Chaarasaaz – physician, healer
Ghamgusaar – sympathiser, one who comforts

4. What price friendship when friends start admonishing,
someone should have been a healer, someone should have comforted me

5. kahoon kis se main ke kya hai, shab-e-gham burii bala hai,
mujhe kya bura tha marna agar ek baar hota

5. In Whom should I confide my woes in the evening of sorrow,
I would not have minded death,  if it was just once

(5. Because the Beloved does not give straight answers , hope and despair are both present , so it often  feels like death)

6. hue mar ke ham jo ruswa, hue kyon na gharq-e-dariya ,
na kabhee janaaza uthata, na kaheen mazaar hota

Gharq – drown
Janaaza – funeral
Mazaar – tomb , mausoleum

6. Why did I not just drown instead of being disgraced after death,
If there had been no funeral, there would be no tomb

6. This verse is a supreme example of Ghalib’s ego : he takes it as a given that many will visit his tomb( Beloved too) leading to gossip about their relationship.

7. ye masaail-e-tasawwuf, ye tera bayaan ‘Ghalib’!
tujhe ham walee samajhate, jo na baada_khwaar hota

7. Masaail – problems
Tasawwuf – mysticism
Masaail e tasawwuf – philosophy/ discussion  of mysticism
Wali – saint
Baada-khwaar – drunkard, inebriated

7. this mysticism, these statements of yours Ghalib
Had you not been inebriated, we would have taken you for a saint.
A few more popular renditions of the ghazal

Aah Ko Chaahiye Ek Umr Asar Hone Tak

( words explained and used in other context too , to provide better understanding

1. aah ko chaahiye ik umr asar hone tak
kaun jiitaa hai terii zulf ke sar hone tak

A sigh needs an age for it to have an effect
who can live till your tresses are combed

( literal meaning of “zulf ko sar hone tak” is combing the tresses but here it signifies the frivolous excuses made by the Beloved to avoid meeting/ honouring commitments)

Aah Ah!, groan, Oh!, sigh

hamaarii aah hamaare hii dil kii aah nahiin//
na jaane kitne dilon se nikal ke aayii hai (Shamiim’ Karhani )

2. aashiqii sabr talab (patient) aur tamannaa betaab (impatient)
dil kaa kyaa rang karuuN Khuun-e-jigar* hone tak ( *bloodied/ injured )

Love is patient but desires are untamed,
Many a hue the heart will take before it is bloodied

maze jahaa.n ke apnii nazar me.n KHaak nahii.n
sivaa.e KHuun-e-jigar so jigar me.n KHaak nahii.n #Mirza Ghalib

jigar = literally means the the liver, but in poetry it is used for courage, heart, mind
Lakht e jigar is a very popular endearment normally used to address children.

3. ham ne maanaa ke taGaaful* na karoge lekin
Khaak ho jaaye.nge ham tum ko Khabar hone tak

I accept you will not be negligient, but
I will have become dust ere you get the news

taGaaful par taGaaful ho rahe hain
kisii kii dil-lagii hai aur main huun #Indira Verma

[taGaaful = negligence, neglect, forget-fullness तग़ाफ़ुल
تغافل

4. Gam-e-hastii **kaa ‘Asad’ kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
shamaa har rang me.n jalatii hai sahar hone tak

Asad, there death is the only cure for the sorrows pf life
The candle burns in every color till the dawn

* sorrows of life * ग़म-ए-हस्ती غمِ ہستی Gam-e-hastii
nashshaa to maut hai Gam-e-hastii kii dhuup me.n
bikhraa ke zulf saath chalo mai.n nashe me.n huu.n ‘saaGar’ siiddiiqii

juz जुज़ جز = other than, except
juz dil ko.ii makaan nahii.n dahar me.n jahaa.n
rahzan kaa KHauf bhii na rahe dar khulaa bhii ho ‘naasir’ Kaazmi

marg मर्ग مرگ = death
marg hii sehat hai us kii marg hii us kaa ilaaj
ishq kaa biimaar kyaa jaane davaa kyaa chiiz hai Bahadur Shah ‘zafar’

sahar = dawn

Ilaaj इलाज علاج= medical treatment, cure, medicine

A print of what was apparently the only photo taken of Ghalib, in 1868*

Come 27th December and the world especially the virtual world is full of tributes to Mirza Ghalib on his birth anniversary.
What is it that makes Ghalib as relevant today as he was 215 years ago?
Considering that he wrote in chaste Urdu, a language which is not in as much use today as it was years ago when Ghalib rose to prominence.
Ghalib needs no introduction, of all the Urdu poets he is most widely read and considered greatest of them all. Sir Muhammad Iqbal equated him with William Shakespeare. His real name is Mirza Asad Ullah beig Khan. He started writing verses at the age of twelve and in the beginning his takhallus (pen name) was “Asad” (Lion), which he later changed to “Ghalib” (conqueror). True to his pen name, he still rules the world with the sheer magic of his poetry. Ghalib is essentially a poet of self-introspection but he was great thinker and many of his verses reflect some deep philosophical truths. But Contrary to the standard practice he never sent his verses to any senior poet for correction. He was not anyone’s disciple and he wrote about himself ” I am not a man, but a observer of the men. In my life of seventy years, there are seventy lac people who crossed my eyes”.

“huyi muddat ke Ghalib mar gaya par yaad aataa hai..
Vo har ik baat par kehna, ke, yun hota, to kya hotaa…”

( It’s been a while since Ghalib died but I still remember
His love of argument, and habit of saying if this happened then what?’)

His poetry touched a chord in everyone’s heart and I doubt there’s anyone who read his verses and could go away saying that Ghalib didn’t speak of his emotions.His poetry was timeless and for all ages.

Aate hain ghaib se yeh mazameen khayaal mein,
Ghalib sareer-e-khama nawa-e-sarosh hai.

(from the world unseen come to mind these themes,
Ghalib, the scratching of the pen is the voice of the heavenly angel)

Can anyone express love like this?

“Ishq say tabeeyat ne, zeest ka maza paaya
Dard ki dawa paaee, dard-e-bay-dawa paaya”

(I found the joy of living – through love
Love is my cure – And incurable is its pain)

Human beings have always run after self-fulfilment and forget humanity. This verse of his is as true today as it was then. In fact more so today, when we glance around and see the crimes and atrocities happening all around us.

“Bas-ke dushwaar hay, har kaam ka aasan hona
Aadmi ko bhi muyassar nahi, insaan hona”

(It is hard for everything to be easy
(as) Man can’t opt to be human)

One of his most quoted verses talks of ambitions and greed which is universal and for all times, and can be seen in the consumerism of today. And has any verse touched the heart of all human beings like this one?

“Hazaron khwahshe aisin ke har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere arman lekin phir bhi kam nikle”

(A thousand desires have I, each desire to die for
Many a desire have I fulfilled yet many more remain)

Is there a comparable verse when Ghalib who led a difficult life, talks of hopelessness and sorrow?

Koi umeed bar nahin aati
Koi soorat nazar nahin aati

Hum wahan hain jahan se humko bhi
Kuchh humari khabar nahin aati

(There seems no hope in sight
Nor any face comes to light

I am now in a place
From where there’s no news of myself in sight)

Another reason for his was that he was an iconoclast who took on established religious and cultural traditions and questioned hypocrisy. Today in a world which is plagued by bigotry Ghalib’s poetry is all about freedom of choices, a passion for life and love.

Khuda Ke Vaste Parda Na Kaabe Se Uthaa Zaalim.
Kahin Aisa Na Ho Yahan Bhi Wohi Kaafir Sanam Nikle!!

He challenged the stranglehold of priests on the masses, questioning their own hypocrisy.

“Kahan Maikhaane ka Darawaza Ghalib aur kaha waij,
Par itana jaanate hai kal woh jaata thaa ke hum nikale”

(The wine- house and the preacher are poles apart
Yet I do know that he went in, as I came out (yesterday)

Go vaan nahin, vaan ke nikaale hue to hain,
Kaabe se un buton ko bhi nisbat hai door ki

(Though they aren’t there, they have been expelled from there,
With the kaaba, even those idols enjoy a distant relationship.)

Though he does question his own sins in this verse

Kaabe kis munh se jaoge Ghalib
Sharm tumko magar nahin aati

(How will you face God, Ghalib?
You should be ashamed, but not)

In today’s world of fickle emotions and transient relationships, Ghalib’s verse holds so true

“tere wade par jiye ham to ye jan jhuth jana
k khushi se mar na jate agar aitbar hota”

(If we lived on your promise it was because we knew it was a lie
That had it been true we would have died of happiness)

Of course Ghalib himself Ghalib had a very fine sense of his own greatness d wrote,

“haiN aur bhii duniya meiN suKHanwar bohot achche
kehte haiN ki ‘GHalib’ ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur “

(There are in the world many very good poets
They say that Ghalib’s style of expression is something else)

Come summers and all of us in the sub-continent start thinking of all things mangoes and those abroad start pining for it.
Ghalib was extremely fond of mangoes while Hakim Raziuddin Khan an extremely close friend of Ghalib didn’t like mangoes. One day both were sitting in Mirza Ghalib’s verandah when a donkey-driver passed through the lane with his donkey. Some mango-skins were lying there; the donkey took a sniff, and then left them.
The Hakim said, ‘Look– a mango is such that even a donkey [gadhaa bhii] doesn’t eat it!’
Ghalib said, ‘Without a doubt, only a donkey doesn’t eat it.’
Ghalib plays on the word ‘Bhii” which means ‘too’, ‘even’.

During Ramzan Ghalib went to visit, The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar and the King asked, ‘Mirza, how many days of fasting did you keep?’ He petitioned, ‘My Lord and Guide, I did not keep one’. (Ek nahin rakkha)
This is a question many are asked during the month of Ramzan and squirm to answer if they have slacked.

After Ibrahim Zauq , Ghalib was made the court poet and that fact weighed on his soul and he wrote

“Ghalib wazifa-khwaar ho, do Shaah ko dua
Vo din gaye ke kehte the naukar nahi huu’n main.”

( Ghalib you are now a salaried man, bless the King
Those days are no more when you said you are nobody’s servant)

This finds resonance in so much of the world around us, especially when we see how commercialised the world is becoming, enslaved by their ambitions.

In 1842, Mirza Ghalib was offered a teaching post in the Delhi College.
When he went to meet the Lieutenant Governor of the North-western Province, Thomason, the latter did not come to receive him at the gate.
Ghalib refused to get down and was told, ‘When you come to the governor’s court in your capacity as a nobleman, then you will receive the customary honour. But at the present time you have come for employment. You are not entitled to this honour.’
Mirza Ghalib said, ‘I consider government service a reason for additional honour, not something in which I would lose my ancestral honour also!’
Mirza Ghalib took his leave and came away.
Self-respect is precious to everyone, whatever the age , whatever the situation.

As he says in his verse:

“bandagii mein bhii vuh aazaadah-o-khud-bii hain ki ham
ulTe phir aaye dar-e kaabah agar vaa nah huwa”

(even in servitude we are so free and self-regarding that we
Turned and came back if the door of the Ka’bah did not open)

As Ralph Russell says in The Oxford India Ghalib: Life, Letters and Ghazals
“Had Ghalib written in English, he would have been the greatest poet of all times, amongst all languages!”

* Source: The photo belonged to Mrs. Santosh Mathur, great-granddaughter of Babu Shiv Narain, who was a friend of Ghalib’s; it is now in a private collection in Allahabad. The scan is provided here through the courtesy of Alok Rai and Rajul Mathur, and through the good offices of Francesca Orsini, Jan. 2010.

They fall into the category of nazms and had to be in meter.

Of course the most famous sehra is the one by Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) in which he took a dig at the Emperor’s Ustad, Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq (1788/9-1854). Zauq was given the title of Khaqani e Hind and drew a nominal salary of Rs 4/. The respect and position that he gained as a result was immense. It also gave him free access to the Qila e Moalla (Red Fort). This was a constant thorn in the side of Mirza Ghalib who always felt he was better and should have got a royal position too. He never let go of any chance to score poetic points over his rival.

It was the last grand Mughal wedding on 2^nd April 1852 – that of Badshah Bahadur Shah Zafar’s son Jawan Bakht by his favourite and youngest wife Zeenat Mahal to Nawab Shah Zamani Begum.

Begum Zeenat Begum asked Ghalib to write a ‘sehra’ for her son, Mirza Jawan Bakth’s wedding. The honour should have gone to Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq but he was reportedly unwell.

William  Dalrymple in his book “The Last Mughal” writes :
“The marriage procession of Prince Jawan Bakht left the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort at 2 a.m. on the hot summer night of 2 April, 1852.”
and he goes on to write that what was remembered longest and discussed most eagerly was not so much the festivities or the feasting or the fireworks, as the marraige odes recited by the Poet Laureate Zauq, and his rival Mirza Nausha, now more widely known by his pen-name Ghalib.”

“The squabble at the wedding was over a single verse in Ghalib’s sehra (or wedding oration) where he appeared–characteristically–to suggest that no one in the gathering could write a couplet as well as he…. Zafar also encouraged Zauq to reply to Ghalib’s unprovoked sally. The fine sehra that the Poet Laureate came up with ended with a couplet tossing the challenge back to Ghalib:

The person who claims poetic skills,
Recite this to him and say,
“Look–this is how a poet”

This round went to Zauq as the singers in attendance, picked  up the verse and spread it all over Shahjahanabad. By next day it was in the newspapers

This is the famous ‘clash between Mirza Ghalib and Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq over the writing of the royal ‘sehra’ ( a celebratory poem at time of a wedding in honour of the groom, It’s usually a humorous take on marriage, relatives and festivities connected with the wedding, interspersed with praises and wishes for the groom. ).

Bahadur Shah Zafar’s favorite wife, Begum Zeenat Begum asked Ghalib to write a ‘sehra’ for her son, Mirza Jawan BaKth’s wedding.

The honour should have gone to Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq but he was reportedly unwell.

Complying with the Empress’ wish, Ghalib wrote a ‘sehra’ whose maqta* was:

‘hum suKhan_fahm haiN, Ghalib ke tarafdaar nahiN
dekheN keh de koi is sehre se baRh kar sehra’ **

We are connoisseurs of  poetry, not partial to Ghalib
Let’s see if there’s anyone who can write a better ‘sehra’

The Emperor realizing that this was a dig at his mentor Zauq is said to have been displeased with the maqt’a. A slight to his mentor was seen as a slight to the Emperor himself. Zafar asked Zauq to write a ‘sehra’ as well . Not one to let go of an opportunity , Zauq included these lines:

jin ko daawa ho suKhan ka yeh sunaa do unko
dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra

Tell those who claim to be eloquent
This is how poets write a sehra

 The Fort reverberated with this clash of titans and It is recorded that the Crown Prince Mirza Fakhruddin (also a disciple of Mirza Zauq) exclaimed, “Ustaad ne maidan maar liya”

Ghalib wrote his celebrated  ‘qat’a-e-ma’azerat’ ( letter of apology) in response to the Emperor’s reaction. However, the egoistic Ghalib left no ‘verse’ unturned in adding insult to injury, using poetry as a medium to prove his supremacy. and take a dig at Zauq’s ancestry and the Emperor’s neglicience towards himself. The maqta of this ghazal became even more famous.

manzoor hai guzaarish-e-ahvaal-e-waaqa’aii
apna bayaan-e-Husn-e-tabii’yat nahiN mujhe

I accept the request to state the facts,
To praise oneself is not a habit of mine

sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgari
kuchh shayari, zari’ye-e-izzat nahiN mujhe

My forefathers have been warriors for  hundred generations
By writing poetry, fame I seek  not

aazaadah rau huN, aur mira maslak hai sulH-e-kul
hargiz kabhi kisi se adaawat nahiN mujhe

I am a free spirit and my conduct is always peaceful,
I bear malice against no one

kya kam hai yeh sharaf ke Zafar ka Ghulaam huN
maana ke jaah-o-mansab-o-sarwat nahiN mujhe

Is the privilege not enough that I serve Zafar ,
Agreed rank, position and affluence I have not

ustaad-e-shah se ho mujhe parKhaash ka Khayaal
yeh taab, yeh majaal, yeh taaqat nahiN mujhe

The thought of a row with the king’s mentor
This arrogance, this audacity, this strength I have not

jaam-e-jahaaN_numa hai shahenshaah ka zameer
saugand aur gawaah ki Haajat nahiN mujhe

The king’s conscience is all encompassing,
The need for an oath and witness I have  not

sehraa likhaa gaya ze_rah-e-imtiSaal-e-amr
dekhaa ke chaarah Ghair ita’at nahiN mujhe

The sehra was written in obedience of orders,

Non compliance with that order I dare not

maqt’e meiN aa paRi hai suKhan gustaraana baat
maqsood is se qat’a-e-moHabbat nahiN mujhe

I wrote something in the maqta’ which became popular,
A reason to ending friendship I want not.

ruu-e-suKhan kisi taraf ho, tau ruu_siyaah
sauda nahiN, junooN nahiN, veHshat nahiN mujhe

If I aimed it at someone in particular then may my face be
blackened,
I am neither mad, nor crazed nor so deprived of sense.

qismat buri sahii, pa tabii’yat buri nahiN
hai shukr ki jagah, ke shikaayat nahiN mujhe

Although my luck is bad, but my habits aren’t bad,
I’m in a place of thankfulness and complain I do not.

saadiq huN apne qaul meiN Ghalib Khuda_gawaah
kehta huN sach ke jhooT ki a’adat nahiN mujhe

Always true to his word is Ghalib, as God is my witness,
I tell you the truth as lie I do not.

*The maqta is the last verse of a ghazal  in which the poet’s takhallus, or pen name, is employed

This is the original sehra written by Ghalib for Mirza Jawan Bakht

Here is the ‘sehra’ written by Ghalib for the wedding of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s
son Javan Bakht.

Khush ho ai baKht ke hai aaj tere sar sehraa
baaNdh shahazada Javaa.N baKht ke sar par seharaa

[baKht = luck; pun on Groom’s name]

kyaa hii is chaaNd se mukhaDe pe bhalaa lagataa hai
hai tere husn-e-dil_afroz kaa zevar sehraa

[husn-e-dil_afroz = beauty that lights up the heart]

sar pe chaDhnaa tujhe phabataa hai par ai tarf-e-kulaah
mujhko Dar hai ke na chhiine tera lambar sehraa

[phabataa =  suits]

nav bhar kar hii piroye gaye honge motii
varnaa kyun laaye hain kishtii mein lagaakar sehraa

saat dariyaa ke faraaham kiye honge motii
tab banaa hogaa is andaaz kaa gaz bhar sehraa

ruKh pe dulhaa ke jo garmii se pasiinaa Tapakaa
hai rag-e-abr-e-guharabaar saraasar sehraa

ye bhii ik be’adabii thii ke qabaa se baDh jaaye
rah gayaa aan ke daaman ke baraabar sehraa

jii me.n itaraaye.N na motii ke hamii.n hai.n ik chiiz
chaahiye phuulon ko bhii ek mukarrar sehraa

jab ke apane mein samaave’n na Khushii mein maare
guu.Ndhe phuulon kaa bhalaa phir koii kyuu.Nkar sehraa

ruKh-e-raushan kii damak gauhar-e-Galtaa kii chamak
kyuN na dikhalaaye faroG-e-maah-o-aKhtar sehraa

taar resham kaa nahii.n hai ye rag-e-abr-e-bahaar
laayegaa taab-e-giraa.Nbaari-e-gauhar sehraa

ham suKhan_faham hain “Ghalib” ke tarafadaar nahii.n
dekhe.n is sehare se kah de koii ba.Dhakar sehraa

[suKhan_faham = patron of poetry/ kaavyaa parakhane vaalaa

ZAUQ’s SEHRA

Ai Javaan Bakht mubarak tujhe sar par sehra

Aaj hai Yaman wa Sada’t ka tere sar sehra

Aaj woh din hai ke laaye durr e anjum se falak

Kashti e zar mah e nau ke lagakar sehra

Tabish husn se manind shua e khursheed

Rukh e pur noor pe hai tere munawwar sehra

Woh kahe Salle Alay eh kahe SubhanAllah

Dekhe mukhade pe jot ere mah o akhtar sehra

Taa banni aur banne mein rahe ikhlas baham

Goondhiye sura e ikhlas padhkar sehra

Dhoom hai gulshan e afaaq mein is sehre ki

Gaaye’n marghaan e nava sanj na kyunkar sehra

Ru e farkh pe jo hain tere baraste anwar

Taar e barish se bana ek sarasar sehra

Ek ko ek pe tazai’n hai dam e araaish

Sir pe dastar hai, dastar ke oopar sehra

Ek gauhar bhi nahin sadgaan e gauhar mein choda

Tera banwaaya hai le leke jo gauhar sehra

Phirti khushboo se hai itraayi huyi baad e bahaar

Allah Allah re phoolo’n se moatta’r sehraa

Sar pe turra hai muzaiyyan to gale mein baddhi

Kangana haath mein zeba hai to munh par sehra

Runumayi mein tujhe de mah o khurshid o falak

Khol de munh ko jot u munh se uthakar sehra

Kasrat e taar e nazar se hai tamaashiyo’n ke

Dam e nazara tere ru e niko par sehra

Durr e khush aab e mazameen se banakar laaya

Waaste tere tera Zauq sanagar sehra

Jis ko daawa hai suKhan ka yeh sunaa de usko
Dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra

The court of Bahadur  Shah II, himself an accomplished  poet who wrote under the nom de plume or takhallus of Zafar, was home to some of the brightest  talent to grace the world of poetry. The poets flourishing  under Zafar were  the calibre of Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq, Mirza Ghalib, Momin Khan Momin, Shefta , Azurda and Zafar himself.

Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq ( 1789–1854) was Zafar’s ustad ( mentor) and enjoyed the position a poet Laureate would.

He was an accomplished  poet with complete mastery over Urdu and Persian but wrote in very simple terms, easily understood  by all.
“laayii hayaat aaye, qazaa le chalii chale
apnii khushii na aaye na apnii khushii chale”
[hayaat=life, qazaa=death]
Is one of his most famous and oft-quoted verses.

Mirza Ghalib felt that his entry into the favours of the Emperor  was being impeded by Zauq and this was a bone of contention for him.

Once in the lanes of Shahjahanabad he saw Zauq passing by and in an aside to his proteges and hangers on he said
” Huwa hai shah ka musaahib, phirey hai itraata”
Zauq overheard it as he was probably  meant to and made a strong complaint to the Emperor. In the next mushaira at the Qila e Moalla (The Red Fort)  the Emperor took Ghalib to task.
Ghalib confessed that yes he had said the line but it was not aimed at  Zauq –
He said it was the first line (misra) of the last couplet (maqta) of his latest Ghazal. Bahadur Shah Zafar obviously  asked Ghalib to recite the entire verse.
The haazir jawaab poet immediately  turned it on himself and recited:

“Huwa hai sheh ka musaahib, phirey hai itraata 
Wagar na sheher mein Ghalib ki aabroo kya hai”
“Having become the King’s companion he shows off arrogantly
Otherwise what other claim to respect does Ghalib have?”

Legend has it that knowing Ghalib’s poetic prowess, Zauq did not accept this at face value and asked the Emperor to insist on hearing the entire ghazal…
Both underestimated  Ghalib’s genius. He is said to have composed one of his most popular  ghazals on the spot and recited it to thundering applause. So impressed was Zauq by it that even he joined in on the praise being showered on Ghalib.

” Har ek baat pe kahate ho tum ki tuu kyaa hai
tumhiin kaho ke ye a.ndaaz-e-guftaguu kyaa hai

na shole mein ye karishmaa na barq mein ye adaa
koii bataao ki vo shoKh-e-tundaKhuu kyaa hai

shola=flame,:barq=lightening: Shokh e Tundkhuu- mischievous

ye rashk hai ki vo hotaa hai ham_suKhan hamse
vagarnaa Khauf-e-badaamozii-e-ad kyaa hai
[rashk=jealousy; ham-suKhan=some who agrees with you]
[Khauf=fear; aamozii=teaching; aduu=enemy]

chipak rahaa hai badan par lahuu se pairaahan
hamaarii jeb ko an haajat-e-rafuu kyaa hai
[pairaahan=dress/cloth/robe; haajat=need; rafuu=darning]

jalaa hia jism jahaaN dil bhii jal gayaa hogaa
kuredate ho jo ab raakh justajuu kyaa hai

ragon mein dauDate phirane ke ham nahiin qaayal
jab aa.Nkh hii se na Tapakaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai

vo chiiz jisake liye hamako ho bahisht aziiz
sivaa_e baadaa-e-gulfaam-e-mushkbuu kyaa hai
[bahisht=heaven; baadaa=wine; gulfaam=delicate/like a flower]
[mushk-buu=the smell of musk]

piyuuN sharaab agar Khum bhii dekh luuN do chaar
ye shiishaa-o-qadaah-o-kuuzaa-o-subu kyaa hai
[Khum=wine barrel, qadaah=goblet, subuu=wine pitcher ]

rahii na taaqat-e-guftaar aur agar ho bhii
to kis ummiid pe kahiye ke aarazuu kyaa hai
[guftaar=speech]

banaa hai shah kaa musaahib, phire hai itraataa
vagarnaa shahar mein “Ghalib” kii aabruu kyaa hai

Note: many stories related to Ghalib have come up in folk lore