Ghalib (5)- Aah ko chahiye

The following couplets are amongst the most famous of Ghalib, probably due to the simplicity of the words used. However, I always find them quite complicated to interpret. An attempt is made below:

Aah ko chahiye ek umr asar hone tak,
Kaun jeeta hai teri julf ke sar hone tak.

A simple but complicated couplet: sighs (of a passionate heart) take a life time to be effective/ fulfilled. But who will live so long that the locks and curls in your hair get unlocked.

The beloved’s tresses represent such complexities that take time to get resolved- by that time the poet says he will be dead, not withstanding his sighs and desire to meet the beloved)

Aashiqui sabr talab aur tamanna betaab,
Dil ka kya rang karoon, khoon-e-jigar hone tak.

Romance asks for patience (for the beloved to mellow down) while the desires are restless and impatient (want to meet the beloved at the earliest?),
What colour do I paint my heart, by the time it is all blood
i.e. it is only a matter of time till my heart will take this pain of anticipation/ patience, then it will probably rupture with emotions and be all red with blood,
Isn't Ghalib preaching? ‘Don’t test my patience- how so ever much the patience should the ‘love’ expect- it has touched the limits of tolerance. More delay on your part and you lose me’

Hamne maana ki tagaful na karoge lekin,
Khaak ho jaayenge hum tumko khabar hone tak.

I accept that you will not be careless and will do no delay (on hearing my condition), but by the time the message of my condition reaches you I would be dust (dead and buried)

Contrast this with “Vaada kiya tha fir bhi naa aaye mazaar pe,
Humne to jaan di thi, isi aitbaar pe)

Is the beloved in Ghalib’s case less 'merciless'?
Who knows, but for sure the allegation of the master poet is more subtle. Obviously the plight of the poet is known to the beloved, but Ghalib rubs on the carelessness of the beloved by praising the feigned ignorance)

Partave-khur se hai shabnam ko, fanaa ki taalim,
Main bhi hoon, ek inaayat ki nazar hone tak.

The morning dew has the instructions (taalim- education) to disappear when the first rays of sunlight appear.
Similarly Ghalib’s existence lasts in anticipation of beloved’s one sight of benevolence (and then he departs/ dies)

Gam-e-hasti ka Asad kis-se ho jujmarg ilaaz,
Shamaa har rang mein jalti hai, sahar hone tak.

Asad- (Ghalib’s name) what can cure the pains of ‘the existence’ (i.e. only death can- when there will be no existence)
The candle burns at night will flames of all colours till the morning arrives.

Ghalib compares the pains of life with the burning of the candle during the night. Wouldn’t every moment of being in flames be very painful? The pain ends when the morning comes and the flame is put to rest i.e. it dies. So also, death lays to rest all pains of human existence.

Memoirs..

(continued from last post)

Amit looked around; there were mounds of dust and coal everywhere. People were sitting and standing over them, not able to realize what was happening. If Ramesh Pal could have communicated to them, they might have descended.

At that moment nothing came to Amit’s mind except two similar instances in the past where after having solved the problem he had been scolded by senior officers- ‘Why the hell do you rush to every place ahead of the police force?’ they had said. But in last two instances, the mob assembly had build up after local incidents alone while here they were being incited by a hostile person.

Amit realized that during the union negotiations, the other parties had refused to sit in discussion along with Pal’s group. While Pal's group had refused to sit in discussion with Amit on the pretext that ‘the administration represented the interests of the management’. This lack of discussion might have offended Pal and he was personally hostile to Amit.

Amit’s security guard was getting restless. As a natural reaction to the situation his hand was reaching towards the arms repeatedly, only to be stopped by Amit every time. Thankfully, experts at LBSNAA discussed cases where they had organized ‘Kumbh’ and handled more than a million crowd in a day. Don’t provoke the mob, was the substance.

Amit thought again, ‘Good Luck, Ramesh Pal does not have a mike; he is not able to communicate beyond a distance. So they were actually 2 to 20, those 20 who had come with Pal. Using the gun would mean making it 2 to 1000’.

But those 20 people were aggressive- so every time some one tried to come forward, Amit pushed him back ‘slightly’ as if they were friends discussing some urgent matter and he did not want to be disturbed.

The act of provocation and ‘self defense’ had continued for some time. The small group surrounding them was confused what to do. They were not seeing the reason as to why to attack one harmless SDO except their leader provoking them for an event they had only heard of.

Then there was a loud uproar. The excitement now was for the two huge cranes which had reached the spot slowly after ‘successful’ administrative negotiations with the unions; thereby permitting their entry. The crowd moved towards the cranes, to see them from close and in moments there was Ramesh Pal left standing with his few followers and Amit with his security.

Soon the followers of the union leader found it better to leave the place as the police personnel were also arriving gradually.

The operations had started; Ramesh Pal had left the area, but the problem didn’t end that soon. A message was received through some police resources that some people had been sent with bombs - as in colliery area dynamite was easily available- to target them. The senior police official present had decided to leave the place and asked Amit that he should also leave, which Amit had to decline. Again, instances of desertion remain tagged to officers’ name for their entire career.

Now that the police was there, surely Pal wouldn’t come close but he may use someone else to create a nuisance, thought Amit. So Amit decided to call the local elected representative and requested him to come to the spot, as it was his area and his presence could be helpful. This was very unconventional way of handling a law and order situation.

While Government officials are easy targets, Amit thought, a wise ‘political leader’ would not touch his senior politician. So Amit decided to take help of this political person and his assumption proved correct.

For next six hours, the rescue operation had continued. 4 mutilated bodies were recovered close to mid night. The local political person had remained present for all that time. He was not only glad that the problem was solved but was also thankful that the SDO had allowed him to stay there all that time.

On his way back, Amit had dropped the truck carrying the bodies in the local PS. Next day he had taken salute in all the 4 Republic day ceremonies in Kalipur.

In a couple of months after that Amit had been transferred from Kalipur, to complete the ‘rural’ lag of his sub-divisional posting.

And today there was this news about Ramesh Pal’s murder. May be Pal should have sat for discussion with the SDO that day. He might have become very weak politically in his area since the administration could do operations against his will in his den. This is where some lower rung leader would have seen the opportunity to move higher, same way as Pal was aspiring through the colliery incident.

ग़ालिब (४)- दर्द मिन्नत

दर्द मिन्नत-कशे-दवा ना हुआ,
मैं ना अच्छा हुआ, बुरा ना हुआ

जमा करते हो क्यों रकीबों को?
यक तमाशा हुआ, गिला ना हुआ

हम कहाँ किस्मत आजमाने जाएं,
तू ही खंजर आजमा ना हुआ?

कितने शीरीं हैं तेरे लब, की रकीब-
गालियाँ खा के भी बेमज़ा ना हुआ

क्या वह नमरूद की खुदाई थी,
बंदगी में मेरा भला ना हुआ

जान दी, दी हुई उसी की थी,
हक तो यह है, की हक अदा ना हुआ

कुछ तो पढिये, की लोग कहते हैं,
आज ग़ालिब, ग़ज़लसरा ना हुआ

Ghalib- Dard Minnat

o Dard Minnat-kashe-davaa naa hua,
Main naa achchaa hua, bura naa hua.

o Jamaa karte ho kyon rakeebon ko?
Yak tamasha hua, gila naa hua.

o Hum kahaan kismat aajmaane jaayen,
Tu hi khanjar aazmaa na hua?

o Kitne shirin hain tere lab, ki rakeeb-
Gaaliyaan kha ke bhi bemazaa naa hua.

o Kya wah Namruud ki khudai thi,
Bandgi mein mera bhalaa naa hua?

o Jaan di, di hui usi ki thi,
Haq to yeh hai, ki haq ada na hua.

o Kuchh to padhiye, ki log kehte hain,
Aaj Ghalib, gazalsara na hua?

 (My pain did not pray for the medicine (i.e. beloved’s love),
That I did not get cured, is not bad under these circumstances
Thanks God that I did not get cured of the sorrow (of separation); since (from the beloved) I did not ask for the medicine i.e. beloved’s love- at least my pride is intact

 (Why do you gather your other lovers? Even if there is a complaint (against me), why do you make it a public display i.e. when you could speak about it to me alone)

 Where (and how) should I test my luck?
When you are not interested to hold the knife
(Ghalib offers to be tested by sacrificing his life- even if the beloved desires to take his life; but which is not happening)

 (So sweet are your lips that even after hearing all the insults from you- your other lover is not at all disheartened i.e. his passion for you doesn’t decline)

 (Did I pray a false God- Namruud,
Despite all my prayers, no good happened to me)

 (I gave my life (for beloved / to God), but the life was given by God (or beloved owned it),
So the truth is that I have still not paid back my debts despite my dying in love)

 (Read something (Ghalib) for the people are complaining of not having heard Ghalib’s Ghazal this day)

Ghalib (3)- Ye na thi hamari kismat

Ye na thi hamari kismet ki visaal-e-yaar hota,
Agar aur jeete rahte, yahi intzaar hotaa.

Tere wade par jiye hum, to ye jaan jhooth jaana,
Ki khushi se mar naa jaate, agar aitbaar hota

Koi mere dil se pooche, tere teer-e neemkash ko,
Ye khalish kahan se hoti, jo zigar ke paar hota.

Ye kahan ki dosti hai ki bane hain dost naaseh,
Koi chara saaz hota, koi gam- gusaar hota

Kahoon kis-se main ki kya hai, shab-e-gham buri bala hai,
Mujhe kya bura tha marna, agar ek baar hota.

Hue mar ke hum jo ruswa, hue kyon na gark-e-dariya,
Na kabhi janajaa uthta, na kahin mazaar hota.

Yeh masayile tasawwuf, yeh tera bayaan Ghalib,
Tujhe hum wali samajhte, jo na badakhwar hota

(Meeting the beloved, half drawn arrow, pain/ inflammation, an evening of sorrow, possessed by the river, drunkard)

o Ghalib says- Meeting the beloved was not his destiny; had he lived longer, the yearning would have continued.

o He continues- "But don’t you believe that I lived trusting your promise (that we will meet). I would have died of happiness if I’d believed your promises".

o But then why does Ghalib live for? He says, “Ask my heart, the impact of your arrow from a bow with a slack string ; why would this pain be if the arrow had pierced through the heart (had the string not been slack). Which means, now the arrow could not pierce through the heart and so he still lives on with an arrow struck in his heart that causes this pain”

o "Even Ghalib’s friends are betraying him, instead of sharing his pains and finding the ways out, they are preaching before him".

o "He is wordless to explain how sad is a night of sorrow (of separation); had death come once, he would have preferred it to ‘dying again and again’ (which is happening now) ".

o "Ghalib laments the slander after his death (obviously here his failed love), wishes he had drowned in a river. There would have been no funeral procession for him, no grave either; where the people are reminded of him and where they slander again".

o "These words of wisdom, the words of Ghalib- he would be counted amidst pious/ wise men, had he not been a drunkard".

Once again a varied interpretation of the last couplet from the explicit one could change the interpretation of the ghazal. If Ghalib were a Sufi poet (which is still opinionated), in this ghazal he could be talking about his quest to reach the God despite his human passions that were maligned by his rivals.

ग़ालिब (३) - ये ना थी हमारी किस्मत

ये न थी हमारी किस्मत की विसाल-ऐ-यार होता

अगर और जीते रहते, यही इंतज़ार होता.

तेरे वादे पर जीये हम, तो ये जान झूठ जाना,
की खुशी से मर ना जाते, अगर ऐतबार होता

कोई मेरे दिल से पूछे, तेरे तीर-ऐ- नीमकश को,
ये खलिश कहाँ से होती, जो जिगर के पार होता.

ये कहाँ की दोस्ती है की बने हैं दोस्त नासेह,
कोई चारा-साज़ होता, कोई गमगुसार होता

कहूं किस-से मैं की क्या है, शब-ऐ-ग़म बुरी बला है,
मुझे क्या बुरा था मरना, अगर एक बार होता.

हुए मर के हम जो रुसवा, हुए क्यों न गर्क-ऐ-दरिया,
न कभी जनाजा उठता, न कहीं मजार होता.

यह मसायिले तसव्वुफ़, यह तेरा बयान ग़ालिब,
तुझे हम वली समझते, जो न बादाख्वार होता

Ghalib- 2

On a lazy afternoon after the passage of a storm, I am doing what I like the most, listening to Ghalib and trying to explain his philosophy and poetry to non existent / disinterested readers.
While I believe that few of Ghalib’s gazals are completely understood today, I will discuss one whose few couplets are well understood. The couplets here are those which were sung in the serial Mirza Ghalib (and may be available on the You Tube). In my next post I might cover the remaining couplets as well, just to make the gazal complete and the present couplets more meaningful.

Bazeecha -e-atfaal hai duniya mere aage,
Hota hai shab-o-roz tamashaa mere aage.
(Children’s play; Night and Day/ continuously)

Hota hai nihaan gard mein, sehra mere hote,
Ghista hai zamin khaak pe dariya mere aage
(covered with dust, desert, dust, river)

Mat pooch ki kya haal hai, meraa tere peeche,
Tu dekh ki kya rang hai, teraa mere aage

Imaan mujhe roke hai, jo kheenche hai mujhe kufr,
Kaaba mere peeche hai, kalisaa mere aage
(atheism/ irreverence, church)

Go haath ko zumbish nahin, aakhon mein to dum hai,
Rehne do abhi saagar-o-meena mere aage.
(slight movement, the bottle and glass (of liquor))


Couplet 1: For me, this world is a children’s game where new shows take place day and night
Couplet 2: The passions (in my heart) raise storm such that even the desert gets covered with dust and such emotions flow there that even the streams appear dragging.
Couplet 3: (On separation) now when we meet, don’t ask how well I am doing without you; look at the colour of your face as you face me (and turn colourless) (obviously the beloved is trying to hurt Ghalib and take ‘revenge’ but Ghalib, another egoist, reminds that while you know I am not doing well without you, the pain of separation is more visible on your face- So whom are you hurting anyway?)
Couplet 4: The ‘beliefs’ stop me (from doing wrong), when the disbeliefs pull me on the other side. I either reach Kaaba or I reach the church. In a ‘Sufi’ mood Ghalib says that both are equally good, I reach the same God whichever path I tread upon.
Couplet 5: There is no motion in my hands (for they are so weak now), but my eyes still can see; so at least let the flask and the glass of liquor remain in front me (such is my passion).

While the above couplets, all master pieces, here seem to be wandering between philosophy, love, lord, passion and drinks; in the original and complete version the flow is very steady and hopefully I will cover them soon.

ग़ालिब- बाज़ीचा-ऐ-अत्फाल

बाज़ीचा-ऐ-अत्फाल है दुनिया मेरे आगे,
होता है शब-ओ-रोज़ तमाशा मेरे आगे.

होता है निहां गर्द में, सेहरा मेरे होते,
घिसता है ज़मीं ख़ाक पे दरिया मेरे आगे

मत पूछ की क्या हाल है मेरा, तेरे पीछे,
तू देख की क्या रंग है तेरा, मेरे आगे

ईमां मुझे रोके है, जो खींचे है मुझे कुफ्र,
काबा मेरे पीछे है, कलीसा मेरे आगे

गो हाथ को जुम्बिश नहीं, आखों में तो दम है,
रहने दो अभी सागर-ओ-मीना मेरे आगे.

Memoirs of a lost world

The polio campaign had entered its most critical phase. It was facing hostile reaction from a very small segment of anti-campaign leadership, but their command on the masses was much stronger than the official one. The worst part was that the most critical element of official campaign was also the weakest link, and it was affecting the progress badly.

Every weekend when the officials started at 7 am in the morning and returned after the compilation of the figures from the block by late evening, they complained; and the complaints were gradually becoming louder. “Why should the Doctors leave their practice and move from house to house facing humiliation? After all our SDO Sahib will not write their ACR”, senior officials would say.

Shocking incidents took place at times. A lady had been divorced after she had given polio drops to her child. Amit felt like interfering though his officials but that could have caused reaction and he had to remain silent. The number of volunteers who were being beaten was increasing. On one of the occasions Amit was forced to call the police (against the decision to keep the campaign non-coercive) to an institution from where the head was creating disturbance. The old man was asked to give the polio drops by his own hand to his grand children to send the right message in the village.

One of those days when Amit was in a semi urban municipality, there was news that an early born child had died. She had also been given the polio drops that day and now the mob had build up and they had surrounded the volunteer. Luckily the place was barely two kilometers from where Amit was and they had to rush to reach the spot. The volunteer was petrified and was crying inconsolably, begging mercy from the crowd.

When Amit reached there he was received by a large and hostile crowd. The father of the child angrily rushed inside his hut and took out the body of the child, born full 6 weeks ahead of the delivery date. The body was very small, weak and underdeveloped. There was again a furore in the crowd and the lady once again screamed with fear.

The doctor who had accompanied Amit tried to defend the health worker, “This was an early born child, clearly so weak, how could it have survived? Who is blaming the health worker? She did the right thing; this drop should have been given earlier. It could have built some immunity in the body”.

Crowd was perplexed by the logic. Then someone from the neighbourhood said that it was one of the twins born, the first one had died immediately after the birth some 7 days back. Even the father of the child accepted that the other twin had died immediately after the birth. Then the BDO questioned him that when the other child had died without the polio drops then how he was blaming the present incident to the polio drops.

Just to nib the problem in its bud, Amit asked to register a case against the main culprit, a politically motivated person, and the ‘leaders’ in this matter. They were soon totally defensive.

Shortly there was to be held a meeting with a senior minister and doctors in the subdivision. That far barring a few health officials, there had been lukewarm response in general. Should he speak out or not and where was the question before Amit. The officials of health administration were trying to convince him that things had improved drastically and speaking something to the minister could antagonize the health officials

During the public address of the dignitary to the department concerned Amit was to speak first. He began with an apology and went on to explain that how the Junior Engineers and Assistant engineers, head clerks, school teachers and anganwadi workers had all gone out to field with polio vials. But it was his inability to raise the interest of the appropriate stake holders to participate in the programme and if this did not change, momentum may not be maintained longer.

There was press around, there was whole concerned fraternity around and the comments of SDO were brutally blunt. It was obvious one of the parties will have to quit the screen, either him or the non participating officials.

By evening, number of transfer orders had started pouring in. People were to move out of their long established fiefdoms. Amit was to stay and complete the mission. In the days to come, even Doctors faced the public wrath but that helped their resolution to solve the problem once for all. The ‘Convergence Model’, the officially coined term for the campaign, was to be quoted in international seminars and replicated across the state and later in other parts of the country. Thousands of volunteers had worked across departments reaching house after house morning to evening for days, hundreds of meetings and rallies were held over months; but it had meant success.