Mirza Ghalib | A Biographical Scenario

Guest Contribution: This one is from a friend, Rohit, who writes regularly and is a celebrity on MouthShut. There have been several articles on films at Sensible Garbage but not many on books. Hope you folks like the change here and get inquisitive to know more about Ghalib.

Penned by Gulzar, this biographical book is based on the life and times of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. One might argue that it is actually a detailed narration of the TV Serial which was made by Gulzar.

I won’t disagree entirely but one has to actually read (and not go through) this book to find out what a genius Gulzar sahib is. Do read the first few pages wherein Gulzar has poured his heart out on Ghalib sahib.The life of Ghalib sahib was tragic to say the least. His wife gave birth to 5 children, none survived. He adopted a kid and even that kid passed away. He was indebted to all the money lenders in Delhi. He was fond of gambling and wine. The book also mentions his love for mangoes. His estate was taken over by the East India Company and till his death, he couldn’t get compensation in lieu of that.

Amidst all this, the reader comes across the circumstances under which some of the finest Ghazals were penned by him. In fact, he used to tie a knot in a cloth whenever he came out with a couplet and when he reached home, he used to pen his couplets while untying them. Gem a of a mind eh! His life was plagued by utter disrespect shown to him when he moved to dilli, by the then ‘royal’ poet named Zauq who ensured that Ghalib doesn’t get an audience and used Ghalib’s habits to sabotage his work. We are also introduced to a singer/dancer called Nawabjaan who was so enamored by Ghalib’s creations that she earned the wrath of an angrezi captain who used to frequent her kotha. She died, waiting to see Ghalib for one last time.

Ghalib was very clear not to borrow any money from friends. In fact he remarked to one of his friends (Bansidhar) “There are so many money lenders in the city, why put them out of business?”

Ghalib was also very vocal about the ‘divide and rule’ policies of English. So much so, that he didn’t hesitate to give his piece of mind to the same general who was supposed to decide about Ghalib’s pension. From Delhi, he traveled to Lucknow and Calcutta in a hope of getting some money from the government but had to come back dejected to Dilli and spend his last days there. He was decreed against and had to make 2 trips to Jail as well. When someone asked him about his days in the jail, he remarked that he had to take 5 lashes daily! When queried further, he smiled and revealed that he had to hear 5 couplets of the hawaldaar daily as he wanted to be a poet too!

Ghalib wrote about each and every phase of life and his works have always been a reflection of the turbulent times he lived in. Some may say he was a spoiled human being like Zauq who once remarked:

Hoga Koi Aisa Bhi , Ki Ghalib Ko Na Jaane
Shair Tau Woh Achaa Hai , Par Badnaam Bahut Hai

The fact remains, he was one of THE greatest poet then, and he remains so

Hain Aur bhi duniya mein, sukhanwar bahut achchey
Kehtey hain ki Ghalib ka hai, andaz-e-bayan aur..

This is just a petty write up and if you feel there is something wrong with the book, the fault is entirely mine.

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Gulal | The Music Review | Anurag Kashyap’s next Movie

Dev D.’s soundtrack gave me sleepless nights; not that it scored a new high in the purity of music but for the fact that it broke the genre barrier. It got onto me and a lot of other people – its mediocrity were its biggest virtue and it won hearts as well as heads. The movie may have had extreme reactions and opinions – the music surely stood out for reasons that are not very common. There was something about it – which is hard to explain and appreciate but you could for sure sense it if you poured yourself into it.

I wasn’t aware the next from the maverick maniac would come up so soon. So I was pleasantly surprised to know that OST for Gulal was out. Interestingly, Gulal is as original as it gets!

Again the music is not mainstream – which probably is the highpoint. Gulal is an experiment which unfortunately does not happen very often. It is Anurag Kashyap’s attempt to bring Poetry to Cinema. Before we go further, let’s get it right – it’s not your everyday dose of contemporary music. It is honest to what it is supposed to be.

Some research reveals – Gulal is a tribute to the song Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai in the movie Pyasa by the poet and lyricist Sahir Ludhyanwi. Campus Politics is used as the vehicle to drive the story. It has been under production for many years now and the director has had a tough time struggling with the Censor Board.

Talking of the music, Lyrics take the centre stage. The movie has heavy influence of the Chaayawaad era of Hindi Poetry. Apparently the works of Suryakant Tripathi “Nirala”, Sumitranandan Pant, Mahadevi Verma and Jaishankar Prasad seems to the motivation behind. The mood is “Veer Ras” or the poetry meant for the battlefield.

I know you are surprised to read all of this in a music review. But I warned you – this is not your everyday dose of music. The music director Piyush Mishra simply weaves magic around his own words and uses the lesser heard voices in Bollywood that score very high in terms of their singing talent. For some reason I think it’s as much his movie as it is Anurag’s. He has acted, given music and written the lyrics for the same.

I know I am expected to talk about the eight tracks (not 18 this time!). But I want you to go out and explore. I am sure I have made it clear beyond doubt that if you enjoy variety in your music – if you like chewing the lyrics of the music that you hear – and if you understand Hindi (read “Bhavaarth”) this is the soundtrack you should not miss. I am sure by now people who want to hear this would have been excited. For the rest, there would always be a lot of pop music- that too just around the corner. Would be happy to see your comments on the Soundtrack! :)

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Poetic Excuse

Ever been lambasted for not spending enough time at home? Are you tagged as a perpetual party pooper with your last minute withdrawals citing some "urgent" work that needs "immediate" attention? Well, guys I found just the right way to say sorry in such circumstances. Traditionally, men have resorted to accusing 'Work' as the culprit behind their inability to spend quality time with family and friends. Everyone knows that it could just be an excuse but there is hardly a better alternative. Now, with recession hitting hard and people going out of employment, the 'Work' excuse doesn't pass the muster. It's time for innovation and I found this wonderful poetry from Gulzar as just the perfect foil to soften the "Don't give me that WORK excuse" looks. Here's the poem:

Mujhe kharchi mein poora ek din, har roz milta hai.
Magar har roz koi chheen leta hai
Jhapat leta hai, unti se.

Kabhi kheese se gir padta hai to girne ki aahat bhi nahin hoti,
Khare din ko bhi khota samajh ke bhool jaata hoon mein.
Girebaan se pakad kar maangne wale bhi milte hain -
"Teri guzri huee pushton ka karza hai, tujhe kishtein chukani hai"

Zabardasti koi girvi rakh leta hai, ye keh kar -
"Abhi 2-4 lamhe kharch karne ke liye rakh le.
Bakaya umra ke khaate mein likh dete hain
Jab hoga, hisaab hoga"

Badi hasrat hai poora ek din ik baar main apne liye rakh loon.
Tumhare saath poora ek din bas kharch karne ki tamnna hai !!

If you read, you will find that Gulzar cleverly veils the reason behind the inability to spend time by accusing "koi" for forcefully stealing the time.

I know that I have shut all doors of forgiveness on myself in future by letting the secret out, you will appreciate my contribution to serve the larger cause of the society. I hope it helps you guys :-P

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