Written by Ershad Nabil Khan
This nature poet did not get the price of talent while alive. He himself said, after his death, the posterity will recognize him. Indeed, among the poets of later Urdu and Persian literature, he is the most written and discussed. Mirza Ghalib is a popular poet all over the world beyond the boundaries of the subcontinent – an incomparable poet of sadness, love, lamentation and dissatisfaction. Mirza Ghalib has a stigma in the literary world like the full moon but everyone has to succumb to the beauty of his beauty, his light at the end of the night.
Narcissus’ beauty and self-love cost him his life. Where Narcissus died, a very beautiful flower was born and that flower is known by its name, the flower is called Narcissus. From this narcissus came the idea of narcissism, which indicates a kind of egotism, self-pride, self-aggrandizement in people. When one thinks of such a narcissistic, pretentious but innate genius in the creative world of art and literature, the first thing that comes to mind is a word magician – the great poet of Urdu and Persian, Mirza Ghalib.
The biography, philosophy and lifestyle of this great poet are full of simplicity. As a poet he has passed away – the era has left the seat of excellence for him long ago but in personal life Mirza Ghalib was a deadly swindler, reckless, reckless and in some cases very responsible for his people. He was very proud of his talent, self-absorbed, arrogant, but he had no particular focus on life and livelihood. Last life is spent in extreme misery and poverty. He did not get the status he deserved while alive. He became famous after his death. Mirza Ghalib is, therefore, at the same time the genius of narcissism, arrogance, unbridled individuality, creativity and the hard rock of life, he is the best word magician.
Mirza Ghalib was born in Agra on 27 December 1797. His real name is Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan. Ghalib is his pseudonym. Earlier he used to write under the pseudonym ‘Asad’. The word ‘Asad’ means lion and the word ‘Ghalib’ means the greatest, the conqueror. As the name suggests, he was loud, brash and the best of the creators. Although he studied logic, astronomy, medicine, metaphysics or metaphysics, his special inclination was towards language and literature.
Although he was the greatest poet of Urdu language, Ghalib was passionate about Persian language and his command of the language was enviable. Ghalib was born in the midst of colonial rule when Ghalib’s father Mirza Abdullah Beg Khan and uncle Mirza Nasirullah Beg Khan were both killed as soldiers on the battlefield. At that time, Ghalib was only a child.
Ghalib married Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Elahi Bakhsh Khan, in 1810 at the age of 13. Mirza Ghalib’s younger brother was mentally retarded. The younger brother never deprived the younger brother of the government allowance he received from the Mughals, despite his mental retardation, sending half of it to the younger brother. Later, when the royalty came down a lot, he brought his brother to him. Mirza Nowsha alias Ghalib was in debt to many people from Delhi market to Oligli.
Ghalib had to face various satirical criticisms due to the incomprehensibility of his poetry in poetry gatherings or Mushayera. But the arrogant poet Ghalib dismissed these criticisms and said – “I am not poor for praise, I am not fond of awards, I do not care if my poems have no meaning.” His pride in the excellence of his poetry was so great that he thought few people were capable of judging his poetry. However, sometimes the arrows of criticism also pierced him sharply. Ghalib uttered it in deep despair.
Ya Rab, o na samjhe hai na samzhenggi meri baat/de aur dil unko jo na de mujhko jawan aur.”
That is, O God, he does not understand me, does not understand my words / give him a different hadeeth, or give me a different one manner of speech.
Ghalib’s contribution to Urdu and Persian literature was not only poetry, sher or ghazal. He gave birth to a special style in prose literature especially in letter writing. His Dastambu Roznamcha or Diary is a masterpiece of his prose literature which is also a historical document of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and its brutal suppression by the British even today. Ghalib was not only famous for poetry.
Mirza Ghalib’s writings had a keen sense of humor. Once upon hearing the news of the death of a third party wife of a friend, he wrote a letter to the friend
“God! God! Ye ek boh hey yo tin-tin dafah is qaed se chut chuka hai aur ek ham hai, keh agle panchas barasse yo phansika fanda g’le me’ para hai to na fandahi tuta hai, na dum hi nikalta hai.”
That is: God! God! Among us there are people who are lucky enough to be released from the prison of marriage thrice. And I am one, who has been imprisoned in this prison for the past 50 years, like a noose that is stuck around my neck. I don’t break the rope, I don’t die.
The last Mughal emperor was Bahadur Shah Zafar, himself a high-ranking Shayer. He gave Mirza Ghalib the status of Sabha Kabir. Emperor Bahadur Shah Jafar Ghalib was awarded the title of ‘Nazm-ud-Daullah, Dabir-ul-Mulk, Nizam-i-Jang, i.e. the star of the empire, the best poet of the country, the proud hero of war) in 1850.
Not only gave the title, Mirza also accepted Ghalib as his ‘Murshid’. ‘Murshid’ means philosopher or master or ‘spiritual guide’. This amazing artist never worked for money. His livelihood was supported by state patronage or by borrowing or donations from friends. But the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 brought the worst disaster in his life. The allowances and perquisites he used to get during the Mughal era were canceled by the British authorities. As a result, Mirza Ghalib had to face severe financial crisis.
Ghalib died on 15 February 1869 in extreme financial poverty and distress and was buried in the family graveyard near Nizamuddin Auliya’s shrine in Delhi. If I ever get a chance to visit India again, I wish to visit Nizamuddin Auliya’s shrine as well as Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan Ghalib’s grave.
