Mirza Ghalib

Several years ago, I watched the Hindi film "Mirza Ghalib" on Doordarshan. The songs in the movie were so melodious, that I remember memorizing them all. Talat Mahmood, one of my favorite singers, was the heavenly voice of Ghalib himself. The female accompaniment was the singer Suraiya, who usually sang with a nasal voice, but in the playback for this movie, sings in a voice that is not unlike that of Lata Mangeshkar. The most beautiful song in the whole movie is the mellow "Dil-e-nadaan, tujhe hua kya hai". I knew that the lyrics of the song were from a ghazal that Ghalib himself had written. However, it was not until today, over thirteen years later, that I find that Ghalib's beautiful ghazal was cut in short for the film's soundtrack. The ghazal in its entirety is a masterpiece! Here it is:

Dil-e-nadaan tujhe hua kya hai
Aakhir is dard ki dawa kya hai
Hum hain mushtaq aur woh bezaar hain
Ya Ilahi yeh maajra kya hai
Main bhi mun main zabaan rakhtaa hoon
Kaash poocho ke mada'a kya hai
Jab ke tujh bin nahin koi maujood
Phir yeh hungama aih Khuda kya hai
Yeh pari chehra log kaise hain
Ghamza-o-a'ashoora o ada kya hai
Shikan-e-zulf-e-ambari kya hai
Nigaah-e-chashme-surama sa kya hai
Sabza-o-gul kahan se aaye hain
Abr kya cheez hai, Hawa kya hai
Hum ko unse wafa ki hai ummeed
Jo nahin jaante wafa kya hai
Haan bhala kar tera bhala hoga
Aur darwesh ki sada kya hai
Jaan tum par nisaar karta hooon
Main nahin jaanta dua kya hai
Main ne maana ke kuch nahin Ghalib
Muft haath aaye to bura kya hai?


The other ghazal, equally beautiful, but also ruthlessly chopped for the film, is the ethereal "Phir mujhe deeda-e-tar yaad aaya". Here is Ghalib's version:

Phir mujhe deeda-e-tar yaad aaya
Dil jigar tashna-e-fariyaad aaya
Dam liya tha na qayaamat ne hanoz
Phir tera waqt-e-safar yaad aaya
Saadgi haay tamanna, yaanee
Phir woh nai-rang-e-nazar yaad aaya
Uzr-e-waamaandagee 'ei hasrat-e-dil
Naala karta tha jigar yaad aaya
Zindagi yoon bhi guzar hi jaati
Kyon tera raahguzar yaad aaya?
Kya hee rizwaan se ladaayee hogi
Ghar tera khuld mein gar yaad aaya
Aah woh jurat-e-fariyaad kahaan
Dil se tang aake jigar yaad aaya
Phir tere kooche ko jaata hai khayaal
Dil-e-gumgashta magar yaad aaya
Koi veeraani-si-veeraani hai
Dasht ko dekh ke ghar yaad aaya
Maine Majnoon pe ladakpan mein 'Asad'
Sang uthaaya tha ki sar yaad aaya!