How to read Ghalib

Attended a talk today by the Columbia Professor Frances Pritchett। The talk was titled 'How to read Ghalib'. Her claim to fame is that she has commented on each of the 1459 (if I remember correctly) shers that Ghalib wrote in his entire life and that shes now going for a second round. She tried explaining why the West is more smitten by Ghalib than any other Urdu Ustaad. The talk was more about how the language researchers should go about understanding Ghalib. She also explained a few of Ghalib's sher in this regard. I could hardly understand a few (until she translated them to English) due to my Urdu Illiteracy :).

जो खुदी को देखूं तो एक भीड़ नज़र आए
लोगों मे मैं नहीं मुझमे लोग नज़र आए

कहते हैं दुनिया मैं होना नहीं काफ़ी
वो होकर तो दिखाएं जो रहे कुछ बाकी

'अमन' ज़िंदगी से एक सवाल पूछे
तेरी मुझसे रंजिशी क्या है

Lead India Anthem

Arvind is very impressed by the 'Lead India' campaign. So am I.

http://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2008/03/tum-chalo-i-had-to-blog-this.html

Not to forget this amazingly inspiring music video which flagged this campaign. Awesome lyrics (Gulzar Sahab! Shukriya), awesome music, awesome rendition.

Arvind especially liked the use of the words फलक and उफक and motivated me to use them in my next post. Here are some lines in the same mood.

रौन्दे आज फलक को ऐ दोस्त चल क़दमों तले
मचाएं शोर के उफक के भी कान सुने
उठायें हाथ के कब तक यूँ खामोश रहे
लगाएं जोर के पत्थर को भी पानी करें
हम हिंद, हमारी ख़ाक में वो जज्बें रहे
के सूरज की गरम धूप को भी सोना कहें

Mute Poetry

So, the semester finally got over and I have started feeling alive. Yesterday, I was taking a leisurely stroll at the Bookstore by the University when I noticed a book titled 'Poetry of the English Language'. I don't know why but it made me a little uncomfortable. It seemed like poetry being forcibly caged to the confines of a language. I flipped through the pages. Quite interesting pieces they were. Someone thinks of a brilliant thought and you need to know English to relish that. What a pity! (Well, yah u can translate stuff into other languages, but we want to taste the original) What if there could be some media which would transcend all these earthly barriers(like language), a media which would be universal and deep...(as deep as your sixth sense :-) )

MUTE POETRY

Lets write words
which know no language.
Words which are mute.
Let them not be English
not Hindi either.
Language is a limitation.
Lets be free.

Lets write words
which can't be seen.
Words which are blind
And which can be seen
even by the blind.
Vision is a limitation.
Lets be free.

Lets write words
which can't be heard.
Words which are deaf
And can be heard
even by the deaf.
Sound is a limitation.
Lets be free.

Lets write words
which can't be touched.
Words which are numb
And can be touched
even by the numb.
Touch is a limitation.
Lets be free.

Lets write words
which can't be written.
Words which have no script.
And which can be written
without any hands.
Writing is a limitation.
Lets be free.

Lets write words
which have no form,
no body but a soul.
And which can be felt
beyond the five senses,
by our soul.
Our senses are our limitation.
Lets be free.

confessions of an amateur writer..

to let loose the things
caged inside my heart
i crave to write them out
but only if words allow me to
be faithful and correct
cause i dont want to be taken wrong
or if that be the problem
the fear to be understood wrong
the desire to not just be true in intent
but be seen so as well..

For I'll be only what I write
for that is only what they'll see
and these are the only words I have
to speak my mind that tells only me
in gestures only, which I cant see.

I look no more, I see no more
I think no more, I feel no more
for when i do, I want to write
of things which myself am not sure
because they look different
at different sites and times.
My heart plays hide and seek
and though I only get to hide it
I myself fail to seek.