Ghalib's tomb, house lie forlorn on 144th
death anniversary
Friday February 15, 2013 03:14:35 PM,
Firoz Bakht Ahmed,
IANS
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"Koi virani si virani hai/Dasht ko
dekh ke ghar yaad aaya" (It is desolation personified/ I saw the
wilderness and remembered my abode) wrote Ghalib in what would be
a prophetic couplet on the condition of his habitation and last
resting place.
The iconic Urdu poet died Feb 15, 1869, in his Ballimaran haveli
in the walled city of old Delhi's Shahjahanabad and was buried
near Chaunsath Khamba, close to Hazrat Nizamuddin's shrine. There
was nothing to mark his last resting place for a century later
till an ardent fan, an Englishman, came to Delhi in search of his
grave.
To his disappointment, he couldn't find it. He then wrote an
article in one of the newspapers about it, after which it came to
light that Ghalib, after death, didn't have a place to call his
own. That's when a tomb was built for him and beautified by the
efforts of actor Sohrab Modi and Hakim Abdul Hameed of Hamdard.
The tomb, like most heritage structures in the city, is under the
care of the Archaeological Survey of India, but is run in a most
haphazard way. The keys to the entrance have been entrusted to the
guards. From there begins the ordeal for the visitor.
After asking for the keys from some 10 people around, an old man
called Tauqeer shouts "Babu bhai." But no one turns up. Finally,
he looks for it in the most unlikely places - a mug, a torn black
umbrella and broken earthenware. Finally, he finds it - in the
umbrella. Sad, but true.
The condition of Ghalib's house is no better, with the 130 sq yard
haveli still lying decrepit without any light or life. Despite
repeated representations to the Delhi government, nothing has been
done to beautify it or make it a living monument to one of the
most well-known literary figures of the city.
Like death, life wasn't exactly kind to Ghalib. He lost everyone
he loved. In childhood, he lost his father and in adolescence, his
brother. He became a father of seven sons but none survived.
Defeated, he adopted a child but even the adopted son expired in
youth.
These successive tragedies broke his spirit but he consoled
himself that if all that happens is god's will, one cannot fight
him.
But as he told his admirer and fellow poet Nawab Mustafa Khan 'Shefta'
that one can complain and cry against divine dictates to make the
heart feel lighter. 'Gham-e-hasti ka Asad kis se ho juz marg ilaaj/
Shamma har rang mein jalti hai sahar hone tak (There is no remedy
to the sufferings of life for Asad (his earlier pen-name)/ The
flame burns in every colour until the dawn).
It is said that he was the heir to a great legacy but Ghalib,
valuing human relations more, had little significance for the
wealth left by his forefathers. His poetry reflected life through
a collage of indefinite human roles - sometimes the beloved,
sometimes the observer, sometimes the follower bowing before the
Lord.
Probably it was his natural arrogance, some called it pride, that
made him more loved. He was said to be an unusually attractive man
and was used to getting attention. His persona like his poetry had
that extra dimension that made those who admired him get hooked on
to him forever.
It's because everything about him was unusual. Those closely
interacting with him have fascinating stories about his working
style.
It is said that he would sit all night by a flickering lamp,
humming and mulling over his thoughts, all the while playing with
a long piece of cloth. When he felt satisfied with a verse, he
tied a firm knot on the cloth as a reminder. He would do that all
night.
Next morning, when he awoke, he would sit with the cloth and one
by one untie the knots, gradually and carefully recalling every
verse. It was indeed the most unusual way for any writer to work,
but then nothing about Ghalib was ordinary.
Firoz Bakht Ahmed can
be contacted at firozbakhtahmed08@gmail.com
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