Letter #46 Mirza Ghalib, Ameer Minai & Dagh Dehlvi

Old words can be re-narrated in new words: all that was needed was empathy, a power and ability to embrace and to feel the warmth of the embrace. ― Shamsur Rahman Faruqi

Dear Friend,

Last night, I was driving back home with my siblings in the midst of a heavy rain. Surprisingly, my sister, who isn't particularly into literature, uttered a line that instantly brought forth echoes of Mirza Ghalib's Ghazal:

"Na Tha Kuch To Khuda Tha Kuch Na Hota To Khuda Hota."

At that moment, the three of us in the car were transported back to the poetic landscape of the 19th century in the Indian subcontinent. It felt as though we were right there with Ghalib, ready to exclaim "waah waah" just as we would have when he said:

"Duboyā mujh ko hone ne na hotā maiñ to kyā hotā."

We then delved into Ameer Minai's work, particularly one of his most beautiful poems i.e. “Hum loTte hain wo so rahe hain”, which was also featured as a song in Mira Nair's "A Suitable Boy." I realized that this song never fails to captivate me, no matter how many times I listen to it.

Once again, it felt as though we were right there with Ameer Minai, ready to exclaim "waah waah" just as we would have when he recited:

ham loTte haiñ vo so rahe haiñ

kyā nāz-o-niyāz ho rahe haiñ

kyā rañg jahāñ meñ ho rahe haiñ

do hañste haiñ chaar ro rahe haiñ

duniyā se alag jo ho rahe haiñ

takiyoñ meñ maze se so rahe haiñ

This is us, this is us," my brother exclaimed, drawing a humorous comparison to Minai's poem and my brother's bad habit of staying up late in bed.

We returned to the present moment when one of us pointed out the beautiful light shining over the Qutub Minar, the traffic on the road, and the car honking, while both of them started discussing life. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but think about Dagh Dehlvi.

I’ll write again, my friend.

Yours,

Bohemian Dialogue