Hot waves were coming from Bukhari from one side and cold waves slapped me face from the other side and I was like dancing my legs on the chair in between. In front of me was lying that green colour “big book” on which was written “Sharah Deewan-e-Ghalib”. Big I said because I was then the student of class 6th, I guess it was 2006. I had recently finished listening to Jagjit Singh’s path breaking album Ghalib, so Ghalib was like making rounds in my subconscious. Now this book was lying in front of me, I couldn’t resist but to get it issued from the librarian and bring it to my home for my study. It was a very harsh winter and I thank that harshness for it gave me a chance to study as much as I could from Deewan-e-Ghalib. Even today, if you open this book by Saleem Yusuf Cheshti, you will see that the opening pages deal with Wahdat-ul-Wajood (pantheism) and since I shared mystical tendencies with my ancestors this book caught my concentration as a child. I still remember the beautiful and profound couplets Saleem sahab has quoted here and there. Within a year I managed to get my own Deewan-e-Ghalib and it wasn’t an easy task given the economy and my childhood for I never knew where to look for such books. But finally, I got a one with Dark green cover, poor printing, but amazing attraction that captivated me for all my life. I started reading Ghalib seriously. Meanwhile I came in contact with my urdu teacher Rouf Rahat sir to whom I say “Banaya jiss ki murawwat ne nukta daa mujko”, though I am no nukta daan. In his company I got to explore further subtler aspects of Ghalib. The academic journey continued, I opted for science stream but never let Ghalib come down my nerves. My fascination with Ghalib started with simple Ghazal “Hazaru khwahishai…” , but this fascination, in its process of unfolding led me to the point where Ghalib exclaimed “Hai khwab mai hanooz Jo jaagay hai khwab mai”. The very opening couplet “Naqshi faryadi hai kiski…” was to become my life blood. I read him, tried to live him, found him a voice from the beyond “pata hu uss se daad”…. It is undisputed that Ghalib is the sublime manifestation of poetic ingenuity. He remains a perennial mystery, a perpetual inspiration and an eternal poet. I recall my encounter with Dr Abdul Haq (if I remember the name clearly) on the sidelines of Youm-i-Iqbal at kashmir University in 2013. He suggested me to stick to Iqbal and forget Ghalib and I was like raged to listen to such a miscalculated statement. I reminded him what Iqbal says about Ghalib in his Bang for Dara and elsewhere. I maintain that poets like Ghalib don’t need our acceptance and appraisal, but if we are fortunate enough we can lit our lamp from their lights .
Amir Suhail Wani is a freelance columnist with bachelors in Electrical Engineering and a student of comparative studies with special interests in Iqbaliyat & mystic thought.
