MIRZA GHALIB'S POETRY, ART AND PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

Urdu poetry gained immense popularity in the eighteenth century when Urdu replaced Persian as the major language of the Indian sub-continent. It is during this time that Urdu language emerged out of an interaction between Persian and Khadi Boli which was being used between Delhi and Agra. Urdu became a means of literary expression by the end of the seventeenth century. During the eighteenth century Urdu flourished well but it was in the nineteenth century that Urdu came to its perfection in the works of Mir, Sauda, Zauq, Momin and Ghalib. Among these poets it was Ghalib in particular whose work had a huge impact and led a drastic revolution in Urdu poetry. Ghalib is a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. He is considered, in South Asia, to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. Ghalib today remains popular not only in India but also amongst various communities across the globe. Many of his well-known 'Ghazals' have been sung and recorded by numerous performers in India and Pakistan. Poetry was his passion and his work revolves around wanting to create the perfect form and structure. He is one of the founders of the modern Urdu short lyric known as the “Ghazal”. Although he wrote in several genres, his Ghazals have been generally been the best received of his works. He received little recognition in his lifetime, but with the passage of time he has been acknowledged as an absolute master of his art! His poetry has an irrresistable charm and beauty. It has wit, irony and a wealth of human experience. His diction is sweet and simple but pregnant with meaning that it lends itself to multiple interpretations! This is the hallmark of a true genius. Adept at expressing highly subtle and complex thoughts and emotions within the space of two lines, Ghalib's poetry has the rare virtue of appealing directly to the heart as well as providing much food for thought. He was a poet whose sole aim was to give aesthetic satisfaction. Unlike Allama Iqbal and many Sufi and Bhakti poets, he was not a poet with a message. Reading his poetry is a journey whose destination is not already known. Besides the Ghazal (ode), he wrote with a facile pen: Marsiya (elegy), Qaseedah (encomium), Tehniyat-namah (epithalamium) and Epistles. He also wrote poetry that was sometimes lyrical, sometimes argumentative.