Delhi in 18 Hours - Part 1

I was in Delhi two days ago. Having missed the entire tourist experience when I was in the city 10 years ago, I figured I'd use my 18 hour long stop-over in the city (en route to Amritsar from Lucknow) to take in the sights. Being the Mirza Ghalib fan that I am, I decided that his mazaar, along with Nizamuddin Auliya's dargah and the tomb of Aamir Khusrao were on the top of my list. After a quick breakfast of wonderful sandwiches and cold coffee in Jangpura Extension, a trip to the ever-wonderful and oh-so-NRI Khan Market (where I saw some gorgeous Jamini Roy paintings), I hailed an auto and went to Nizamuddin with a friend.

We went through the narrow alleyways and happened on the Ghalib Academy. I'd been looking for it, but had decided I'd wander around and hope to find it, rather than actually ask someone for directions. We went in and I was immediately shocked with how nonchalant everyone was. It was as if they didn't care at all about Mirza-sahab (which they probably didn't), and were just there to earn some money.

Hue mar ke hum jo rusvaa hue kyon na garq-e-darya,
Na kabhi janaaza uthtaa, na kahin mazaar hota.

Immediately upon entering the Ghalib Academy, I was greeted by a stack of books - arranged helter-skelter of course - on a wide variety of subjects. A book of ghazals by Qateel Shifai caught my eye, and I started going through the book, in the hope of finding the words to a beautiful ghazal sang by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Hum apni shaam ko jab nazar-e-jaam karte hain,
Adab se hum ko sitaarein salaam karte hain.

As I was flipping through the book, a random guy came up to me and asked me what I was looking for. I told him that I was looking for a Qateel ghazal. He responded that he had no idea what I was talking about and that I should buy the Kulliat-e-Iqbal. My entire exchange with him weirded me out. He tried forcing me to buy an English translation, to which I responded that I knew Urdu and how to read the language. He either didn't believe me, or really wanted me to buy the English version, and kept on repeating that I should buy it. To which I, in a frustrated manner, responded that I already had the Urdu Kulliat-e-Iqbal and wasn't going to buy the English version. I then demanded to see the other books, and was taken first to the library (which was full of old Muslim men, who stared in shock when a girl walked into the library) and then to the little museum on the top floor.

The museum was interesting enough. There were some curios from Ghalib's lifetime, paintings of famous poets, paintings of Ghalib, some of his letters, stuff like that. It also looked as if it was kept shut most of the time. It was disappointing to say the list. Annoyed, I got out of there as soon as I could, and went looking for his mazaar.

NB: I was in Delhi on the 13/14th of July.

Ghalib-Love

Hum hain mushtaaq, aur woh bezaar

Ya Ilaahi yeh maajaraa kya hai??

Dwindling Agnosticism

Echoing adhaans in Sultanahmet

Complete peace in the Blue Mosque

Tears at Maulana's grave

An intense longing

ishrat-e-qatra hai darya mein fana'a ho jaana

Oh the Innocent Heart..

Mirza-greatness once again. Butchered translation follows..

Dil-e-naadaan tujhe hua kya hai;

Aakhir is dard ki davaa kya hai.

Oh Innocent Heart, what has happened to you?

*Sigh* what's the medicine for this pain?

*Raises hand high like an eager schoolgirl*

I KNOW

I KNOW

more music...

more tear-inducing, leg-moving, foot-tapping music

Mirza-Saab - Dil Se...

A simple one this time - however just as beautiful as the rest. This one was popularized in the movie Dil Se...(an absolutely brilliant SRK movie) in the song Satrangi Re (one of my all-time favourite A.R Rahman songs).

Ishq par zor nahiin, hai yeh woh aatish Ghalib;
Jo lagaaye na lage, aur bujhaaye na bane.

Oh The Brilliance

Another gem from Mirza Ghalib...

Mere marne ki du’a maange voh but parh kar namaaz,

Kis taraf jaa kar karoon main sajda-e-shukraana aaj

I refuse to translate this into verse. Essentially, the poet is saying that his lover (remember the ghazal lover is always fickle and constantly leads on the poet) has asked for his death during prayer, and he's wondering which direction he should carry-out his sajda-e-shukraana (his bow of thanks) - towards Mecca (as is usual in Muslim prayer) or towards his 'lover'.

Much better in Urdu - but you knew that...

Disgraced Death

another spark of brilliance from Mirza-sahib

hue mar ke hum jo rusvaa, hue kyon na Garq-e-dariya

na kabhi janaazah uThtaa, na kahin mazaar hota

When I died, I became disgraced

So why was I not drowned in the ocean?

Had this happened

my funeral bier would not have been lifted

nor would my mausoleum have been erected

Blasphemy?

This particular sher has often been seen as blasphemous. I love it - not the fact that it's blasphemous (although, to tell you the truth - blasphemy is quite exciting - it challenges the opinions of some), but the entire imagery of the verse. I wish Mirza saab were still alive. Then I'd sit at his feet, pour him some sharaab every so often, and watch him tie knots in cloth. And buy him mangoes.

Imaan mujhe roke hai, jo kheenche hai kufr
Ka'aba mere peeche hai, kaleesa mere aage
- From Baazeecha-e-atfal


That which restrains me is faith - what pulls me is blasphemy
The Ka'aba is behind me, and the Church stands before me

Naqsh Fariyaadi

I'm quite surprised that I didn't start this section earlier. Being the Mirza Ghalib lover that I am, I should have thought of this a long time ago. Anyway, thus starts a humble offering to the best Urdu poet that ever lived - Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. I'll present various shers in Urdu and will give a translation of it as well. Note that Urdu poetry - especially that by Mirza Ghalib - is much better in the original Urdu. Translations in English always lose the flavour and the brilliance of the Urdu original. Here goes...

This is one of my favourites for its sheer brilliance in imagery

Hotaa hai nihaaN gard mein sehraa mere hote,
Ghistaa hai jabeeN Khaak peh daryaa mere aage.
- from Baazeecha-e-atfaal (-aa mere aage)


The desert conceals itself in dust when I am before it,
The ocean rubs its forehead on the sand when I am before it.


That's it for now...(you should know the rest)