Legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s 220th birth anniversary

He was born in 1796 in Akbarabad (present Agra). His father Abdullah Beg Khan and uncle Nasrullah Beg Khan were in the Army. Mirza Ghalib become orphaned when he was just 5 years old. He lived with his uncle for 4 years, when his uncle too died.

He started saying sher in Agra itself. He married the daughter of Nawab Ilahi Baksh ‘Maaroof’ and therefore moved to Delhi. In Delhi he devoted his full concentration to poetry. Soon he mastered the Persian language. So that no one should call him be-ustad (without a teacher) he fabricated a story that he had an Iranian teacher Abdul Samad live in house for two years to teach him Farsi. Ghalib was always proud of his Farsi poetry but he is known more by his Urdu prose and poetry.

Ghalib never had a regular job, he struggled financially and was dependent on the royalty and British for the pension. The idea that life is a continuous struggle was a dominant theme in his poetry.

After 1857 the support from the Royal durbar stopped. The pension from the British Government was stopped because he was suspected of supporting the rebels. He even traveled to Calcutta to restart the pension but to no avail. He went to the Nawab of Rampur, who promised him Rupees 200 if he lived in Rampur and Rs. 100 if he lived anywhere else. His pension was resumed 3 years after that, but all that money was used up for paying old debts. 

Ghalib’s verse is characterised by sadness, the result of an often tragic life. He was married early and lost all his seven children in their infancy. This pain is reflected in his ghazals or poems.

हजारों ख्‍वाहिशें ऐसी कि हर ख्‍वाहिश पे दम निकले

बहुत निकले मेरे अरमां, लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले

hazaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle,
bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle

Ghalib’s best poems were written in three forms: ghazal (lyric), masnavi (moralistic or mystical parable), and qasidah (panegyric).

He was awarded the title Dabir-ul-Mulk by Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II in 1850, along with the title of Najm ud-Daulah. Later he was also bestowed the title of “Mirza Nosha”. He was also appointed as the teacher of, Faq-ud-din Mirza, the eldest son of Bahadur Shah Zafar II.

Not only Urdu poetry but the prose is also indebted to Mirza Ghalib. His letters gave foundation to the easy and popular Urdu. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He made his letters “talking” by using words and sentences as if he is talking to the reader. According to him “sau kos say ba-zabaan-e-qalam baateiN kiya karo aur hijr meiN visaal kay ma-zay 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 will 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 pa-Rhay 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 the 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 scholars says that Ghalib would have the same place in Urdu literature even only on the basis of his letters.

In Urdu ghazals, along with the love and beauty Ghalib added all the facets of life. Because of him the canvas of Urdu ghazal became very extended.

Since Ghalib was very occupied with Persian, his earlier shers used difficult words and his flights of imagination was such that… “yaa to aap sam-jhay yaa kHuda sam-jhay” [ either you (Ghalib) understand or the God understand]

Ghalib was not a philosopher but he questioned things around him. jub keH tujh bin nahiN koi maujood phir yeH hungaamaH ai kHuda kya hai [ when there is no one besides you; then oh God why is this pandemonium]

One also find naughtiness in his writings, he makes fun of every thing and everybody including himself. jiss meiN laakhoN baras ki hooreiN hoN aisi jannat ka kya ka-ray koi [ when the women are million years old what i will do with that paradise]

But Ghalib’s sher not only have immediate effect on the heart but it makes you think too. aah ko chahiye aik umr asar ho-nay tak kaun jeeta hai teri zulf kay sar ho-nay tak.

hum nay mana keH tagHaful naH karo-gay lekin kHaak ho jaaayeN-gay tum ko kHabar ho-nay tak.

daame hur mauj meiN hai hulqa-e-sad kaam nihaNg dekheiN kya guz-ray hai qat-ray peH guhar ho-nay tak.

Ghalib is best known for Urdu ghazals. He wrote that though there are many ‘shayar’s’ but it is his unique style that sets him apart

“हैं और भी दुनिया में सुख़न्वर बहुत अच्छे

कहते हैं कि ग़ालिब का है अन्दाज़-ए बयां और”

Some of Ghalib’s popular Ghazals are

1)

हम वहां हैं जहां से हम को भी

कुछ हमारी ख़बर नहीं आती

मरते हैं आरज़ू में मरने की

मौत आती है पर नहीं आती

काबा किस मुँह से जाओगे ‘ग़ालिब’

शर्म तुम को मगर नहीं आती

2)

हर एक बात पे केहते हो तुम के तू क्या है,

तुम्ही कहो यह अंदाज़े गुफ्तगू क्या है।

चिपक रहा है बदन पर लहू से पैराहान

हमारी जेब को अन हाजत-ए -रफू क्या है

जला है जिस्म जहां दिल भी जल गया होगा

कुरेदते हो जो अब राख जुस्तजू क्या है

रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं कायल

जब आंख से ना टपका तो फिर लहू क्या है

बना है शाह का मुह्सहिब फिरे है इतराता,

वरना इस शहर में ‘ग़ालिब’ की आबरू क्या है।।

3)

हुस्न-ए-माह, गरचे बा-हंगामा-ए-कमाल अच्छा है

उससे मेरा माह-ए-ख़ुर्शीद-ए-जमाल अच्छा है

बोसा देते नहीं और दिल पे है हर लहज़ा निगाह

जी में कहते हैं, मुफ़्त आए तो माल अच्छा है

और बाज़ार से ले आए अगर टूट गया

साग़र-ए-जाम से मेरा जाम-ए-सिफाल अच्छा है

बे-तलब दें तो मज़ा उसमें सिवा मिलता है

वो गदा जिसको ना हो ख़ू-ए-सवाल अच्छा है

उनके देखे से जो आ जाती है मुँह पर रौनक़

वो समझते हैं के बीमार का हाल अच्छा है

देखिए पाते हैं उश्शाक़ बुतों से क्या फ़ैज़ ?

इक ब्राहमण ने कहा है, के यह साल अच्छा है

हम-सुख़न तेशे ने फरहाद को शीरीण से किया

जिस तरह का भी किसी में हो कमाल अच्छा है

क़तरा दरिया में जो मिल जाए तो दरिया हो जाए

काम अच्छा है वो, जिसका माल अच्छा है

ख़िज्र सुल्तान को रखे ख़ालिक़-ए-अकबर सर-सब्ज़

शाह के बाग़ में यह ताज़ा निहाल अच्छा है

हमको मालूम है जन्नत की हक़ीक़त लेकिन

दिल के ख़ुश रखने को ग़ालिब’ यह ख़याल अच्छा है

Some of his ‘sher’ are

1)
bas-ki dushvar hai har kaam ka asaan hona
aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahin insaan hona

2)
hum ko maalum hai jannat ki haqiqat lekin
dil ke khush rakhne ko ‘ghalib’ ye khayal achha hai

Ghalib died on 15th February, 1869. He was buried in Delhi near the tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya

Edited by Adam Rizvi