Some call me poetry, others say I am music. And there are those that describe me as both. Whichever way, my name is Ghazal, and I have existed for years. I have been recorded through albums, presented in films and played at musical get-togethers. Normally, I am sung in Urdu or Hindi, but there have been attempts to present me in other languages.
I have clearly had a glorious past, and many admire me even today. But as for my future, I am not sure myself. My biggest worry is that the younger generation is not really aware of my beauty, primarily because they are more exposed to Bollywood, modern technology and shopping mall entertainment. That’s why I am writing this: to entice newer audiences with my charm. Not only those in their teens and 20s, but also older people who have missed me.
Who am I? In one sentence, I am a musical style which focuses on poetry. From the purist perspective, I am written in the form of rhyming couplets, sher s. The first couplet is the matla ; here both lines rhyme. In subsequent sher s, only the second line may rhyme with the matla , and there may not be a connection between one sher and another.
At a concert, some of my cousins also make an appearance. The most popular one is Nazm, free poetry. Then, there are Rubayee, a four-line format, and Geet, a simple love song. It would be obvious that these styles require a special skill. My backbone is thus the poet, who conceptualises my form, structure and what I want to say. My body is the composition, which defines my basic melody, and often attracts listeners. And my heart and soul express themselves through the singer’s voice.
Without the combination of good poetry, melody and presentation, I am nowhere; it’s extremely important for listeners to understand me in my totality.
Hence, here’s a simple appreciation guide.
Rhyming requires an art, and for this, poets use terms called kaafiya and radeef . To take this, let’s take the matla of Ghulam Ali’s presentation of poet Hasrat Mohani’s ‘ Chupke chupke raat din aansoon bahaana yaad hai / hum ko ab tak aashiqui ka woh zamaana yaad hai ’. Here, ‘ bahaana ’ and ‘ zamaana ’ are the kaafiya and ‘ yaad hai ’ the radeef .
The other characteristic is the last sher , the maqta . Traditionally, the poet uses his own name or title, his takhallus , in the couplet. But this norm has become less popular in recent years.
From this basic structure, it will be easier to understand and appreciate me. Yet, newcomers may have questions. One is whether there’s a need for prior knowledge of chaste Urdu. I would say that while the older ghazals use deep language, translations are easily available online. Secondly, since I am composed in raags, does one need to understand classical music? My answer to this is ‘no’, simply because words, tune and voice play the main role. Finally, do I always talk about depressing subjects? Well, the topics may vary from pathos and love to politics and at times even humour.
It only takes a basic desire to understand me. Once that comes in, I often become an addiction. I can promise your one thing. I have as much meaning as great writers like William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Just give me a chance.
The author is a freelance music writer
