One of the safest ways to enter into the core of Ghalib's poetry is a careful study of his imagery, of the symbols he uses, the way he changes them compared to the classical Persian and Urdu poets, and thus by careful comparison, to understand his special features and his greatness. Such a method will help us also as far as possible, to answer the question, how far oriental poetry in general, and Ghalib's poetry in particular, reflects his very personal experiences, and in how far it is just an elaboration of inherited forms and images which should not be taken into consideration when discussing his personal viewpoints or his letters though sometimes playfully expressing a passing mood inform us rather correctly about his thoughts and feelings. It seems that from a verbal analysis of some of his poems, we may be able to catch at least a glimpse of the way how his creative imagination worked, and how the main strands of his thought are woven together into a highly artistic fabric.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kunwar Rajinder Singh Rana
Kunwar Rajinder Singh Rana, B.A., B.Sc. (Engg.) (B.H.U.), F.I.E.. (India) was born at Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) in 1932. He had schooling in Urdu and continued learning Urdu till graduation under the tutelage of his learned father and teacher. He owes much admiration of Ghalib through Divan-E-Ghalib which was sharpened by great Urdu ghazal singers, namely Kundal Lal Saigal, Surayya, Begum Akhatar, Mallika Pukhraj, Noorjahan and Jagjit Singh in particular and many others in general.He graduated from the Prince of Wales College, Jammu and then did his Engineering from Banaras Hindu University, where he came in contact with poets like Firaq Gorakhpuri and many other Urdu stalwarts.After a career in the Engineering, Service as Chief Engineer (J&K) Government. Vice Chairman, Jammu Development Authority and as also the administrator of Jammu Municipal Corporation, He has won J&K Government “Gold Medal” for excellence the highest state award.He was member of All India IRC Specifications and Standards Committee and member committee, appointed by H.E. The President of India to check soil erosion and afforestation of Thein Dam, represented the country in International Symposium on Landslides in J&K and Kingdom of Nepal. Then, suddenly, he decided to take up this work-have rendered a few Ghalib couplets into English, “largely amuse my Urdu-loving friends. Doing this book was an opportunity to get back to my Urdu, I always admired.”
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