Diwali, Ghalib and Optimistic Nihilism.

Diwali happened. The annual festival of light. We have been decorating our home and celebrating this festival since the last 9 years, after I got married. Not from a religious standpoint. We just love the warm and fuzzy feeling that all the lights, flower rangolis and candles generate. Have to credit my wife for doing the lionesses share of the work alongside her office work while I take the lions share of the delightful sweet dishes she makes.

Before getting married I have never celebrated Diwali. For that matter, growing up in an atheist household, we had never celebrated any pujas or celebrations as such. There were no idols or even pictures of goddesses peeping out from the wall calendar in our house. My dad had the sacred thread on him but he once used it to secure the mosquito net to the wall in an emergency and it stayed there.

Kali Puja was what was predominant in the eastern region of India and it coincided with Diwali. When the rest of the country worshiped Laksmi and Ganesha the eastern part of India dedicated the day to Kali. So Diwali was fascinating to me when I moved to Delhi. Interestingly the word comes from Sanskrit word 'Dīpāvali' which means row of light. 'Dīpā' means light and 'āvali' means row.

This Diwali I saw an interesting post on the wall of a friend. It was clip from Gulzar's serial Ghalib. Gulzar had written and produced this series in 1988 and it was aired on Doordarshan National. If you have not seen it, this is a definite must see. In this particular clip Ghalib talks about how sweets does not have religion. In humor, he start a discussion to ascertain the religions of various other sweets.

I thought i was familiar with the highlights of Ghalibs work because I had seen the series, read some of his works transliterated in English and have been to his last house in Gali Qasim Jan, Ballimaran, Old Delhi. I was so wrong. I wish I knew urdu and could read the original. Till then will satisfy my hunger with the transliterations.

Found out a writing by Dilawar Figar - titled 'Ghaalib ko bura kyun kaho'. He describes why Ghalib is the greatest - among many lines - these two lines touched me.

Pahu?ch gayā hai vo us manzil-e-tafakkur par

jahā? dimā?h bhī dil kī tarah dhadaktā hai

Roughly translated it means - He has reached that peak / zenith in his spiritual journey / quest /craft that even his mind / brain beats like a heart. Wow! What a beautiful thing to say.

Rediscovering him now is sweet because I have matured and can understand a lot of what he wrote in his ghazals and every couplet tastes much better. It is as if i am tasting it for the first time. Fresh and succulent.

I am sensing an optimistic nihilism in some of his lines. What is attracting me more is his philosophical works where he has delved deeper into existential crisis. Life is tough and more so if you are a sensitive soul.

Leaving you with some couplets that i am tripping over.

Ae bure waqt zara adab se pesh aa kyuki waqt nahi lagta waqt badalne me

Roughly translated - Bad times! Please present yourself with dignity because it does not take a lot of time for times to change.

Na thā kuchh to ?hudā thā kuchh na hotā to ?hudā hotā

Duboyā mujh ko hone ne na hotā mai? to kyā hotā

Roughly translated - When i had nothing, there was God. If i had nothing there still would have been God. I am ruined / destroyed because of my desire to be. if 'I' was not there how would it have been?

What is your favorite Ghalib couplet?