INTRODUCTION

GHALIB—AS I UNDERSTAND HIM

Ziauddin Ahmed
tidylink@yahoo.com

Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797 - 1869) was a poet philosopher of India in the eighteenth century. They were times of flux, and the entire world was engulfed in a drastic change. It was an age of transformation for all of mankind. The whole world was in tumult because the change was fundamental in nature. Industrialization was spreading rapidly, and with the advent of the machine age a major sifting and shifting of human values was taking affect. Centuries old and established moulds of culture and morality were being reshaped in the light of the immense impact of the material giant of mass production through machines. Man, who had hitherto considered himself completely under the control of Nature and its rampant laws now began to perceive the power of his own discovery and invention -- the machine. He started to use it to his material benefit and the uplift of his fellow-beings, gaining more self confidence and personal security. The ideas of -- ‘ work now and be rewarded later ’, and that -- ‘ all labour and effort of each individual was being recorded, to be compensated and acknowledged in another life perhaps’ ; were being questioned. The entire basis of human morality came under close scrutiny. The theory and belief of a completely subjugated man, which had been exploited by the dogmatic and myopic view of the clergies of the religious beliefs of all three monotheistic orders, too started to show cracks under critical analysis. Man seemed to feel surer of himself and the fear of the unknown began to recede. The subtle workings of ‘Mother Nature’ which man could not observe by his naked gaze, he could now examine by a telescope over his head or a microscope under his eye. The ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ and his own position in the universe of things started becoming clearer to him with the advancement of scientific knowledge. Some of the greatest men of learning were the outcome of this fundamental readjustment of human thought. Ghalib was one of the front-runners of these independent thinkers.

As the title suggests, this is only an individual’s attempt to understand the intellect and genius of Ghalib -- the likes of whom take birth but only once for mankind. A large number of people have been drawn into Ghalib’s fold and a great variety of work has been done on the poet. One of the greatest of them in English, has been done by (Prof) Ahmed Ali in his book:

The Golden Tradition -- an anthology of Urdu poetry.

Published by Columbia University Press ( ISBN 0-231-03688-4)


The back ground and period of Urdu poetry is most comprehensively discussed and explained in it, along with an unparalleled translation of selected poems from celebrated poets of each period.

Ghalib’s ever lasting quality is his depth of human knowledge and philosophy presented in a unique tongue, diction and tradition of his time. The depth of thought and observation have been married in the maturity of language and vocabulary. The result is a vast variety of shades of impressions, giving a new slant every time it is read. Therein lies its perpetual bloom and appeal for all ages. Ghalib’s philosophy embodies humanity, hence its universal acceptance and admiration. His maturity and intricacy of style is also evident in his double meaning sentences and stanzas, and above all his pun. eg.


Kayuun Jal Gaya na taab-e rukh-e yar daekh kar
Jalta hoon apni taqat-e didaar daekh kar

Why did I not burn on seeing the heat of her ire
I am jealous of my own ability to bear the fire.

and

Nukta cheen hai gham-e dil, ous ko sunayae na banay
Kaya banay baath, jehan baath banae na banay

Difficult task is the sorrow of the heart,
even her, one can’t narrate it to.
What use is there to make ado,
where no make ado, will ever do.


Ghalib was a “progressive Muslim”, one who questioned, deciphered, understood and only then submitted to Nature’s laws. He did not surrender to the dictates of the dogmatic or the fundamentalist’s school of thought. His questioning mind brought him to the zenith of detached self-observation and critical personal analysis. He understood the workings of human nature from outside the shackles of ignorant and dogmatic religious beliefs and practices. For he says:

Hum Mouwahid hain, hamara caish hai tark-e rusoom
Millatain jub mitt gaiyan ajzaa-e imaan ho gaiyan

We are monotheists, our belief is
to shun traditions and scribes.
Ingredients of faith flourish
with the elimination of sects and tribes.

All original thinkers have a sensitivity about them. They are aware and gain consciousness of phenomena which are beyond ordinary humans and want to share it with the world; only to be rebuffed and ridiculed by conformists and propagators of status quo. Original thought leads to the reality of extreme loneliness and elevated comprehension, and is insatiable by temporary companionships which one seeks in the surroundings. Ghalib’s awareness and vision were so acute and penetrating that to preserve sanity he sought some relief. Knowing fully well that exceeding the limit would tilt the balance and lead to addiction and escapism. He has narrated this so aptly by saying:

Bay mae kisay hai taqat ashoob-e aaghahee
Kheincha hai eijz-e hawsala nae khat ayagh ka.

Without wine who has the strength
to bear the din of consciousness.
The defeat of courage has drawn a mark,
on the rim of the cup’s evenness.

And he goes further to stress that:

Mae say gharaz nishaat hae kis roosia ko
Eik Goona baekhudi mujhay din raat chahiaye

Which wretched sinner seeks pleasure from wine.
A deep oblivion, day and night for me, there should be.

A state of oblivion or bliss is sought by man since the beginning of time. It may not be achievable in this mortal life but its search is eternal and has been endowed in human nature. Self fulfillment is one form of acquiring it. Contentment comes in spurts and bliss and satisfaction are temporarily achieved when man puts in his best and whole-hearted effort in exposing the hidden embedded talent, possessed by every individual; thus fulfilling the very purpose of his creation perhaps. The liberation of the trapped treasures of ones nature is every ones desire, but the majority of us are lost and tangled in the achievement of glamour and material glitter of this worldly life. Only some can see the truth beyond its physical garb. Ghalib was one who saw it. His view encompassed the universe it self; as is evident from:

Hastee kay muth farayeb may ajayeeoo Asad
Aalam tamam halqa-e daam-e khayaal hai.

Be not deceived, O Asad, by the dazzle of creation
All existence is encircled, by the net of imagination.

The one distinctive aspect between man and the rest of the creation
is his intellect. All things have good or bad effects depending on how they are viewed and employed. So also it is with the intellect. If intellect is endowed with a positive approach it leads to progress and achievement, but if enshrined in pessimism it destroys and destructs the edifice of life itself. The basis of intellect is thought and imagination. Out of which emerge all word and deed. It is this fact which Ghalib has so beautifully bejeweled in the verse above. A beautiful thought emanates from purity, and a vicious idea takes birth in the ugliness of contamination. Purity in its turn is inculcated by faith and belief, whereas impurity originates in doubt and deceit.
It just goes to show what faith and belief Ghalib must have possessed.
Ghalib tried to view the reality of Nature itself, but in its reflection saw his own image; since he said:

Sach kehtay hoe khud beene O’, khud aara hun na kayuun hun ?
Baitha hai buth-e aaina seema meray aagay

True I am self observing, self admiring, why be it not so ?
Facing me is one whose forehead, like the mirror, is aglow.

Then Ghalib goes on to tackle the hidden mysteries of Nature and questions its underlying purpose. For he says:


Naqsh faryadee hai kis ke shokhi-e thareer ka
Kaghazi ha payrahan her paykarr-e tasweer ka

Whose dazzling work does the impression stricture ?
Of paper is the robe, of every figure in the picture.

The impression – the picture or creation, is questioning, crying out loud, for having been given the brilliance and the joy of being created; brought into existence and given the consciousness of it. Yet there is lament and pain of awareness because all is temporary and short-lived, just like the dress of paper of each figure face in the picture.

When he comes to behold beauty in Nature he questions its secrecy:

Jab woh jamal-e dil farooz, surat-e mehar-e neem rose
Aap he hoe nazara sooz, purdaey mein munh chuppaeye quon

When her radiance is heart enthralling and appearance like the sun at noon.
Self-exposed and self-adoring,Why then in veil, she hides her bloom?

and then professes to explain its reason:

Dashna-e ghamza janistan, nawak-e naz bay panah
Taera hi ux-e rukh saahee, samnay taeray aayae quon

Like shooting arrow your demeanor, and dagger sharp your vanity.
Even your own faces shadow,in front of you why would it be?

This wonder, amazement and query then leads him to lament the fact -- the same conclusion as has been reached by philosophers like Plato, Pythagoras and others -- that man is fallen divinity. As is evident from his verse:


Na tha kutch to Khuda tha
Kutch na hoota to Khuda hoota
Duboya mujh ko honay nay
na hoota main to Kaya hoota?


When naught existed God existed,
Had none there been, God would be.
My own existence lowered me.
Would I not be, what would it be?

In the end I would like to leave the questioning mind with my question for Ghalib lovers to ponder, decipher accept or reject. For, if and when I meet Ghalib I will ask him as to why he did not write thus:


Na tha kutch to Khuda tha,
Kutch na hoota to Khuda hoota
-Sujhaya- mujh ko honay nay,
na hota main to Kaya hoota?


For if I had not been brought forth I would no doubt have been part of the whole; but an insensitive, unconscious, ignorant part. My very being and individual existence gives me an identity of an entity and is responsible for making me aware of that fact. Hence:

When naught existed God existed,
Had none there been, God would be.
My very being, this made me see.
Would I not be, what would it be?