DMSUNDERLINES: Ghalib Part - 11 : Dadasaheb Sanadi
In the very beginning, the narrator gives a funny example of an actor/politician who was continuously listening to a particular song on a loop from Mumbai to Kolhapur. The driver, who was driving his car got down at Pune and preferred to reach Kolhapur by bus asking his boss to drive himself which he did so; but did not give up listening to the song he was listening to since he left Mumbai. Certain things /Songs take hold of you early in the morning and they remain with you all day. The Gazal picked up by the narrator for this part has played the same magic with the narrator. The ‘sher’ is:
Ghar, Jab Bana Liya Tere Dar Par, Kahe Bagair
Janega Ab Bhi Tu Na Ghar Mera, Kahe Bagair
This ‘sher’ is related to a typical condition in matters of love. The question is posed, Can love happen often? The narrator denies this and says’ Perhaps not’. However, some situations and conditions are considered as an expression of true love, which is not so. In the Hindi Language love had different words- Pyar, Ishq, and Mohabbat. The word ‘kahe bagair’ in this ‘sher’, according to the narrator is an expression of ultimate love. One need not say/tell anything in true love. Communication happens without any words, graced with silence. It is the language of eyes and silence. Many times the meaning gets lost in words and nectar is found in silence. The narrator comments sarcastically about how the people try to be ‘scented’ by applying artificial scents. He says, our body has its own fragrance. A child understands the fragrance of a mother. One searches for reasons to be away from the person, when not in love; on the contrary, when in love one finds excuses to be with the beloved. This sher is interpreted in the modern context as well. How the politicians make use of love for their petty games. As a society, one needs to evolve. Go beyond caste and religion and find solace only in love, which is boundless and universal…