A professor during one of his lectures on classical texts expressed distaste over random songs being labelled as ghazals like Aise Kyun by Rekha Bharadwaj from the Netflix series Mismatched. While his incredulous expression and explanation conveyed the sentiments alright, that acted as food for thought for yours truly and a self awarded ghazal connoisseur. This article explores the technical aspects of the genre ghazal for a modern listener who is an enthusiast but unaware of the terms through which it is appreciated.
A ghazal is a poem similar to the Petrarchan sonnet in form that originated in Arabia and gained finesse in the Indian subcontinent under the Islamic rule. The closest similarity of its structure is to the Petrarchan sonnet and while some modern writers title their ghazals, it has historically been untitled; sonnets and ghazals are known by their first line. Ghazal means “conversation with the beloved” and it’s like a monologue in verse addressed to the beloved, another popular theory is that the name is derived from the gazelle reputed for its beauty. It is different from other forms like nazm and rubai as a ghazal is meant to be recited preferably sung to an audience; the three can be called different states of matter with the same molecules arranged in dissimilar forms. The Sher is the building block or molecule, it means a simple rhyming couplet that makes sense independently. The plural of sher is ashar and if it follows a pattern then it can be called a ghazal or nazm or rubai. It has the phonetically similar word shayari meaning poetry in general which can be used to denote any of these.
If it is a two sher ashar then it is a rubai or a quatrain. A ghazal can be no less than five couplets and is usually sung unlike nazm which is recited. A ghazal has beher which is the element of musicality absent in nazm though both follow wazan or a metre. Every sher can have a different theme in a ghazal but has to be of the same theme in a nazm. Ghazal gained more fame with writers like Ghalib, Mir and Zauq while Nazm had fewer doyers like Iqbal and Faiz. A ghazal has specific elements like Radif, Qafiya and Takhallus which are unique to the genre. The Radif is the refrain which is repeated at the end of each couplet, it can be one or more words but has to be the same throughout the ghazal. The Qafiya is the word preceding the Radif which is different but rhyming in each sher. Takhallus means pen name and is a part of the last sher of the ghazal, it was originally a way of claiming the creation by the author because if someone eliminated or replaced the name then the metre of the ghazal would change. Here is one shortest structured ghazal by Badayuni for illustrating these.
Ae mohabbat tere anjaam pe rona aaya
Jaane kyun aaj tere naam pe rona aaya
Yoon to har shaam umeedon mein guzar jaati hai
Aaj kuchh baat hai jo shaam pe rona aaya
Kabhi taqdeer ka matam kabhi duniya ka gila
Manzil-e-ishq mein har gaam pe rona aaya
Mujh pe hi khatm hua silsila-e-nauhagari
Is qadar gardish-e-ayyam pe rona aaya
Jab hua zikr zamaane mein mohabbat ka
'Shakeel' mujh ko apne dil-e-naakaam pe rona aaya
The phrase “pe rona aaya” is the Radif or refrain while naam, shaam, gaam, ayyam and naakaam are the qafiya words and Shakeel is the takhallus. The first sher of a ghazal is called Matla and is recited with the intention of provoking a reaction in the audience, the ethics of participation requires one to say Irshad as to show attention and willingness to listen. The last sher is called Maqta which concludes the poet’s thoughts and has the takhallus or pen name. The first half of the sher is called Misra-e-oola and the second half is Misra-e-sani.
Ghazals are written on various themes predominantly love, longing, isolation, regret and heartbreak but not limited to it. The genre cannot be dismissed as a choice of heartbroken people as it is capable of expressing a wide variety of emotions. It also does not need to be peppered with a lot of ostentatious Urdu words as it can be written in many languages, German philosopher Goethe and Spanish poet Lorca experimented with it. Agha Shahid Ali, writer of Call me Ishamel made a significant contribution to making the ghazal popular over the world and published Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English. This anthology includes English ghazals by writers of various nationalities with themes ranging from women’s rights to protest against tyranny. English ghazals follow the same rules but modern writers of ghazals sometimes skip the formality of takhallus as plagiarism is easily detectable these days. Here is a part of a ghazal by Agha Shahid Ali on the theme of exile, desolation and destruction lamenting the condition of the city.
The throat of the rearview and sliding down it
the Street of Farewell’s now unrolled in real time.
I heard the incessant dissolving of silk—
I felt my heart growing so old in real time.
Her heart must be ash where her body lies burned.
What hope lets your hands rake the cold in real time?
Now Friend, the Belovèd has stolen your words—
Read slowly: The plot will unfold in real time.
The last second sher is a close rendition of Ghalib’s sher from the ghazal Har Baat par Kehte ho tum,
Jala hai jism jahan dil bhi jal gaya hoga
Kuredte ho jo ab raakh justaju kya hai
The recent cross cultural popularity of ghazal and the growing acceptance of English as a medium for it is resuscitating the genre. New poets are negotiating the thematic and linguistic boundaries of this time-honoured format while invigorating its relevance in contemporary literary discourse. The fusion reinforces the enduring power of the ghazal as a vehicle for emotional expression and cultural dialogue. New ones will enrich the tapestry of global poetry while nourishing its historical roots while the traditional ones continue to be an elegant melody charming the hearts of listeners for years to come.