ASAD - 66

Originally posted on rec.music.indian.misc in 1997

Radeef

Let us start with a Radeef that has minimal or absolutely no influence on the character of the GHazal. GHalib was particularly fond of such types of Radeef. Most of his GHazals have very liberal Radeef. Words which allow maximum freedom to his thoughts. Doesn't this sound quite logical ? You see, I may have a point when I say all this about Radeef.

The Radeef here is "nahiN aati". So all we can guess is, that the Shers will have some kind of negation expressed. That's hardly any incluence.

No difficult words this time ! In spite of a sher by GHalib :-).

aage aati thi haal-e-dil pe haNsi,
ab kisi baat par nahiN aati
- GHalib

Certainly, this Radeef doesn't lend any character to the GHazal.

It's sung by Begum Akhtar, the music may be by Khayyam. There is Lata version also, music by Hridaynath.

I had a hard time convincing a group of my friends that there is indeed something good in this Sher. In fact I couldn't convince them. "What's this ?" exclaimed one. "Is this any poetry ? First he could laugh, now he cannot. So what ?? Secondly, it sounds like plain prose. Not poetry." Another said that, just because it's by GHalib, I am praising it. I disagreed.

The poets usually cry about "haal-e-dil". Sometimes they go a step further and laugh about it. GHalib is going another step and saying that he can't even do that now. The only reason he had to laugh about, was his own condition. Now even that is not possible. Great !! The state of numbness ( OR the feeling of "all is lost" ) is expressed so nicely and simply here !

What do you think ?

- Abhay
ASAD _also_ stands for "A Sher A Day" !