The Mystical Journey of Ghalib

Reema Kaur

30 August 2009, 02:04

If Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan would have been alive today, he would definitely have enjoyed seeing his life in music and colour. That was exactly what the play “Ghalib” (Produced by Maitri Arts & Cultural Society and Pierrot’s Troupe) had to offer, a vivacious account of Ghalib’s biography. This mystical Urdu and Persian poet from India, born to parents with Turkish aristocratic ancestry, in December of 1797, left an indelible mark in the history of poetic proficiency. His ability to complete verses and bind Misra’s (poetic line) together starting at the tender age of 8 till his death in 1869- a state in which he was incapable of speech but somehow managed to pen the lines down to show his expertise- was beyond recognition.

The play unfolds with a 70 year old Ghalib, played by the versatile Tom Alter, narrating the memoirs of his life to his first biographer Maulana Altaf Hussein Hali. He in his inimitable style, laced with humour and satire, takes Hali and audiences to an array of scenes depicting Ghalib the (talented) child; Ghalib the (carefree) young man; Ghalib the (mature) middle aged and finally the curtains are drawn with him succumbing to old age. Ghalib, married at the tender age of 13 to a god fearing girl (Umrao Begum), had to foresee the turmoil his wife had to go through after losing all their 7 children during infancy. He later adopted the two children of Arif, his wife’s nephew, who died young in 1852. The otherwise blithe poet was forced to think about material advancements once he understood the responsibilities of a family life having left his home town Agra and settling as a Ghar Jamai (House husband) in Ballimaran, Delhi.

Trying to secure a dignified place in the last Moghul king- Bahadur Shah Zafar’s darbar, Asad (former pen-name), ended up being looked down upon by his compatriots. In the scene where the Mushaira is going on in the king’s darbar, Mirza Naushad (as he was fondly called) being an exponent in Persian poetry used to sing verses in the same but the others couldn’t reciprocate due to lack of knowledge of the language. Thus justifying the reason why Bahadur Shah Zafar, himself a poet of considerable merit, did not much care for Ghalib’s style of poetry or life. However, after his court rival, Ustad Zauq’s (the king’s tutor in the writing of poetry) death, Ghalib did gain an appointment as the king’s advisor on matters of versification.

Hain aur bhee duniya mein sukhanwar bohot achche
kehte hain ki ‘Ghalib’ ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur
(There are indeed other eloquent poets in this world as well,
But it is said that Ghalib’s style of diction is something else)

Despite being a devout Muslim, one thing that Ghalib could never dispel was his love for wine and women. Though he never expressed the latter explicitly, but the character gets nostalgic during his reminiscence of his lady love (Mughol Jan), who was a court dancer and committed suicide during Ghalib’s away trip to Calcutta. Alas, wine could never part ways with him and was in Asad’s hand even during his biographic narration to Hali.

Hazaron khvahishen aisi kih har khvahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere arman lekin phir bhi kam nikle
(A thousand such desires that upon each one I would rather die,
Though many of my longings were fulfilled, many so remained)

The play then takes a more intricate turn when Ghalib starts describing his journey during the British reign. Always a man of honor, Ghalib rejected the professorship in a Delhi College (now Zakir Hussain College) as he wanted Col. James Thompson to come himself and hand him the letter which apparently did not happen due to ego clashes between them. Even at a time when he was burdened with debt, Asad commanded respect as an honourable poet of the period. The rage was evident in ageing Ghalib’s eyes when he remembered the mutiny of 1857 and the sufferings everyone was going through. A victim of the same was his deranged brother Yusuf who was shot dead as a rebel by Britons in 1857.

This 1 our 45 minute long theatrical presentation of a historical character named- Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib — a master yet a rundown poet, a privileged yet a pitiable elite, an extravagant yet a poor noble, a devout yet a self effacing lover, an irreverent yet a pious husband and a self-seeking yet an altruistic person; was a visual treat. But the core of the play was Ghalib’s Ghazals (recited, sung and performed); including a good number of them hitherto unheard in their original compositions (Urdu, Persian), difficult to comprehend by the urban audience. Nevertheless, this play is a good attempt by Director Sayeed Alam to revive the fading memory of a stalwart named- Ghalib.

Hum ko malum hai jannat ki haqiqat lekin
Dil ko khush rakhne ko Ghalib yih khayal accha hai
(We do know the reality of Paradise;
However, for consoling hearts, the idea is good Ghalib)

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