Tag Archives: Mirza-Ghalib

The Gatekeeper of Ghalib’s Grave

In fact Ghalib’s grave, far from being reviled or shamed as the lover’s in the verse was, is rather an honored place of visit in Delhi. The grave is next to the Ghalib Institute (or the Ghalib Academy, one of the two) only a stone’s throw from Nizamuddin Dargah. I went there at night and the resplendence of the dargah didn’t quite make it to Ghalib, so the surroundings were rather dark. There is a small fenced compound just off the side of the gully, at one end of which is a small structure, a hut almost, of stone. At first I did not even notice the broad, in English, Hindi and Urdu, that proclaimed this to be the grave. When I did see it, I noticed that the only entry into the compound was gated and padlocked. It was past 8:30pm and I assumed this meant that the site was closed for the day. Continue reading

Posted in Culture & Heritage | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ghalib: Ode to Benaras

It is sad that our ancestors, not in a very distant past, were much more respectful of other religions. Mirza Ghalib at his time wrote glowingly about Benaras during a visit to the Hindu holy city. Continue reading

Posted in Culture & Heritage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

My Travels to Delhi

Delhi’s present day chaos cannot belittle its grand past, which created a civilisation and shaped the contours of Indo-Muslim identity Continue reading

Posted in Culture & Heritage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Have You Ever Wondered Why Drinking Is Haram In Islam?

Well, now you know why. The Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission has asked the state police to explain why they have kept in custody a man who claimed while drunk that he’s a Pakistani. Shafaque Ahmed Siddiqui, a tailor, has … Continue reading

Posted in Humor/Satire, India | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment