There are many poets of class in the world but the way of expression of a poet of Mirza Ghalib's stature is quite obviously in a class of its own. Urdu poetry without Ghalib is like a body without a soul. To confine the work of this legend within a span of an album is impossible to say the least.
Ghalib was born in 1793, in the North Indian city of Agra, to parents of Turkish aristocratic ancestry. Having lost his father and uncle at an early age, Ghalib grew in an environment free of oppressive dominance otherwise characteristic of a patriarchal set up.
At around 1810, two events of great significance occurred in the life of this distinguished personality, which deeply influenced his poetic style in particular and writing in general. One of these was his marriage to a girl from a very affluent family of nobles, at the age of thirteen. The marriage resulted in Ghalib moving from Agra to Delhi. It is believed that this was actually the time he started producing the true poetic gems he till date is acclaimed for. The six-seven years spent in Delhi were most productive in terms of his contribution to Urdu literature. The history of Persian and Urdu literature never has and in all probability never will witness the evolution of a poet of this caliber. Accused of being hopelessly hedonistic with an intense attachment for all things material in life, one has to admit that Ghalib, despite several character glitches, has been Urdu's most prolific writer. (He wrote as many as two hundred and thirty five ghazals that included 1,818 verses).
Needless to add, his contribution to the evolution of the ghazal as a rich medium of poetic expression remains unsurpassed. Truly this is a collection of poetry from one of the most renowned poets ever to be born on the Indian soil, Mirza Ghalib. Undoubtedly this album is indeed a collector's item.
CD: $7.95
