Mirza Ghalib: Grandeur lost in transition

Shahjahanabad, home to most of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty, was described as the “soul of the world” by one of its most famous residents, pre-eminent Urdu and Persian poet Mirza Ghalib. The poet, who lived during the dying years of the Mughal empire in the 19th century, tasted a succession of glory and disaster in his life, much like that of the city he loved, lived and died in.

Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan, known to posterity by his nom de plume Ghalib, was born in Agra on December 27th, 1797 to parents with Turkish aristocratic ancestry. After marriage at the age of 13 to Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh, he moved to Delhi and decided to settle here.

Although an important courtier in the court of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II, a poet of great merit himself, Ghalib’s livelihood was mostly dependent on either royal patronage of the Mughals, credit or the generosity of his friends. He never owned a house and always rented one or accepted the use of one from a patron. His life never really took root even in his favourite city and remained always curiously unfinished.

His last home in Old Delhi, or Shahjahanabad, is located in between the narrow lanes of Ballimaran. After decades of lying in a state of absolute decay, Ghalib’s last home has been transformed into a museum now.

The museum, which looks like a deconstructed Mughal haveli, is rather difficult to find. As one enters Ballimaran, better known as the wholesale market for leather shoes and bangles, small pockets of crowded and unmanaged lanes make the visit an onerous task. There is no parking area nearby, so the best bet is Metro and a pair of good shoes. Or, it might be better to buy one from Ballimaran’s shopkeepers who stalk you in hope of making a sale. In fact, buy one anyway just to get rid of them.

Old Delhi has never been a poster for good management and cleanliness and a visit here will show you exactly why. It’s not for lack of trying, it’s sheer ignorance on the part of the government, which has lost interest in its own historical gems.

Once you reach the haveli that houses the museum (entrance is free of charge by the way), you are welcomed by a simpleton security guard, who will show you around with as much gusto as he can muster.

However, the museum, a good effort, leaves you wanting more — A room-by-room sneak peek into his bedtime routine, things or places in the house where he went for inspiration or every day marital bickering that he must have indulged in is now lost in this one-floor, two-room brief.

Although a great initiative, the essence of the poet, who composed verses of lustful love, piquant ironies and bawdy humour, seems lost in this slick museum.

The upper floors of his haveli have been rented out for the obvious reasons. Like a necessary evil, the tenants continue to live in a place, which once was home to one of the greatest Urdu poets just because we, as a country, have failed in respecting our artists.

The large compound of the haveli with columns and bricks seen as a nod to Mirza Ghalib’s lifestyle and the architecture during the Mughal era. The walls are adorned with huge portraits of the poet and his wife, their clothes and his couplets. Besides his books, the museum also houses many of hand-written poems.

Donning an emerald green kurta with diamond-like structures near the neck and an off-white pyjama, is a life-size statue of Ghalib with a hookah in his hand. Sculpted by well-known artist Bhagwan Rampure, it was commissioned by poet and Hindi film lyricist Gulzar. Chausar and shatranj sets, which were his lifelines, were also kept on display with a few utensils from his times. A glass box, containing two of his memoirs, gives the entire setting a relatively realistic look.

Portraits of Ustaad Zauq, Abu Zafar, Momin, and other noted contemporaries of Ghalib can also be seen in the museum.

Undoubtedly, the haveli gives visitors a bird’s eye view of Ghalib’s life in general, but it seems inadequate especially if we compare it with the skilfully preserved Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-upon-Avon. Managed by Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the house recreates a picture of family life at the time of Shakespeare, which is missing in Ballimaran.

For decades, the haveli housed shops until the Delhi government in 1999 acquired a portion of it and renovated it, bringing back its old world Mughal magnificence & splendour. It was given a special touch with the use of Mughal Lakhori bricks, sandstone and a wooden entrance gate to recreate the 19th century atmosphere.

The Archaeological Survey of India declared it a heritage site after the Delhi government took it over to rebuild it as a permanent memorial museum housing objects related to the poet and his times.

Tomorrow: State of Ghalib Institute