This is from an album Portrait of a Genius , a Ghalib cenetenary presentation. I wanted to share with you all the enormous pleasure that I received from this album. I hope youll also find it useful and enjoyable. Corrections/additions/comments welcome. Printed notes on the cover were given by Ali Sardar Jafri for this release. The album contains eight ghazals interpersed with prose. The prose as well as the ghazals, are of course by Ghalib.

PORTRAIT OF A GENIUS - The prose and poetry of Ghalib
*****************************************************

Some excerpts from the printed notes by Sardar Ali Jafri:

"Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) who has been compared
with Goethe is one of the most beloved and endearing of Indian
poets."

"Ghalib was endowed with a rare intellect, transcendental vision
and an outstanding and ingenious artistry."

"Of an astonishingly catholic bent of mind, Ghalib did not
differentiate between Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews. He
never said his prayers, did not fast during the month of Ramzan
and continued his love for drinking to the end of his days."

"He loved good food, good wine, good music and pretty faces.
Whenever he was in possesion of some of these, he fancied
himself to be happier than kings."

"Ghalibs popularity is due to the fact that apart from other
qualities his poetic mood and temper is that of a modern man...
Ghalibs greatness lies in th fact that he not only encompassed
the inner turmoil of his age, but also created new urges, inner
agitations and demands. Breaking through the bonds of time his
poetry reaches out into the past and in the future."

*****************

And now some words of the Genius himself - the prose was
compiled and narrated for this album by none other than Kaifi
Azmi in his sonorous voice. The narrations are interpersed
between the eight marvellous ghazals which were rendered by
Mohammed Rafi and Begum Akhtar under the baton of Khayyam:

****************
"mai.n ne shaayarii khud nahii.n ikhatiyaar kii, balake
shaayarii ne khud mujhe majabuur kiyaa ke mai.n us ko apanaa fan
qarraar duu.n."
zikar us pariivash kaa... (Rafi)


"mughal bachche bhi ghazab hote hai.n. jis par marte hai.n,
usko maar rakhte hai.n. mai.n bhii mughal bachchaa huu.n. umr
bhar me.n ek ba.Dii sitampeshaa do.nganii ko mai.n ne bhii maar
rakkhaa hai. us kaa maranaa umr bhar na bhuuluu.n gaa."
ye naa thii hamaarii qismat...(Begum Akhtar)


"tamaam umr me.n ek din sharaab na pii ho to kaafir. ek din
namaaz pa.Dii ho to gunaahgaar. pachaas baras aalame ra.ng-o-buu
kii sair ke tarah tarah ke muaamalaat, mehar-o-muhabbat darpesh
aaye, baaqii ye kuuchaa chhuuT gayaa. is fan se mai.n bedaane
mehaz ho gayaa huu.n. lekin ab bhii kabhii kabhii vo adaaye.n
yaad aatii hai.n."
muddat huii hai...(Rafi)


"mushaayaraa yahaa.n shahar me.n kahii.n nahii.n hotaa. qile me.n
shazaadgaane taimuuriyaa jamaa ho kar kuchh ghazal khaanii kar
lete hai.n. mai.n bhii kabhii is mefil me.n jaataa huu.n, kabhii
nahii.n jaataa. ye sohabat khud kuchh cha.nd rozaa hai, is ko
damaam kahaa.n. kyaa maluum ki ab ke naa ho aur ab ke ho, to
aya.ndaa na ho."
ae taazaa vaaridaan-e-bisaat-e-hawa-e-dil...(Rafi)


"11 mayii 1857 ko mairaTh chhaavanii se kuchh baGhii sipaahii
bhaag kar dehlii aaye. shahar panaah ke muhaafzo.n ne, jo
unhii.n ke hampesha aur bhaaii band the aur qudartan un se ham
dardii rakhate the, shahar ke darvaaze khaul diye. bahut se
lashakar, sardaaro.n ke baGair, tayyaar ho gaye. bahut sii
fauje.n afasaro.n baGair la.Daaii ke liye uTh kha.Diihu.nii."
qad-o-gaisuu...(Rafi)

"mai.n, banii aadam ke musalmman ho yaa hinduu yaa nasaraanii,
aziiz rakhataa huu.n aur apanaa bhaaii gintaa huu.n. duusara
maane ya na maane, a.ngarezo.n ke qaum me.n, jo un ruu-siyaah
kaalo.n ke haatho.n qatal huye, un me.n koii meraa ummiidvaar
thaa aur koii meraa shafiiq, koii meraa daust thaa aur koii
meraa shaaGird. hindustaaniyo.n me.n kuchh daust, kuchh aziiz,
kuchh shaaGird, kuchh maashuuq. sog, vo sab ke sab khaak me.n
mil gaye."
sab kahaa.n kuchh...(Begum Akhtar)

"18 sitambar ko delhii aur qile par a.nGarezo.n kaa qabazaa ho
gayaa. goro.n ne, shahar me.n daakhil hote hii, begunaaho.n aur
benavaaho.n ko qatal karnaa shuruu kiyaa. haaye, itane yaar mare
ke ab jo mai.n maruu.n gaa to meraa koii rone vaalaa bhii na
hogaa. bichha.De huye, qiyaamat hii ko jamaa ho.n to ho.n,
vahaa.n kyaa khaak jamaa ho.nge, sunnii alag, shiyaa alag, nahav
judaa, bad-judaa."
bas ke dushvaar hai...(Rafi)

"5 aktuubar ko cha.nd gore, chhat se chhalaa.ng lagaa ke, mere
ghar me.n utare. mujh ko, mere dono.n bachcho.n, do tii.n
mulaazimiin aur kuchh naik kardaar pa.Dosiyo.n ko, karnal Brown
ke saamane le chale. raaste me.n puuchhaa, tum musalmaan ho,
mai.n ne kahaa aadhaa musalmaan huu.n. usne puuchhaa aadhaa
musalmaan kaisaa. mai.n ne kahaa sharaab piitaa huu.n suuar
nahii.n khaataa."
nukataa chii.n hai...(Rafi)

"dehlii kii hastii munahasir kayii ha.ngaamo.n par hai. qilaa,
chaa.ndanii chauk, har roz majamaa jaamaa masjid, har hafte sair
jamunaa ke pul kii, har saal melaa phuul vaalo.n kaa - ye
paa.nch baate.n ab nahii.n, phir dillii kahaa.n."
bazeechaa-e-itfaal hai...(Rafi)