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Random Thoughts
These words reflect the irony that unintended
consequences of one's actions unpredictably and
unintentionally become a benefit or burden to
unrelated individuals and we are all insignificant
minor trivia destined to buffeted by uncontrollable
forces into Brownian movements with unpredictable and
often undesirable consequences, totally unintended. It
is best exemplified by a line from the same Ghazal
that says "Mere surkh lahu se naa jaane kitne haathon
men mehdi lagi" in a philosophical hope that a
gruesome and tragic sacrifice may end up giving joy
and means of celebration to others.
is the most eloquent poetry of the state of our lives, in which by prayer and entreaty we obtain a short existence, half frittered away in anticipation and the rest in waiting. "Waiting for Godot" and Sartre's concept of hell in "No Exit" couldn't have put it better. His genius goes even one better. We hope for a loving union with our beloved (a metaphor of our hopes and dreams) during our lives, but in his maqtaa, he transcends ultimately. "Itnaa hai badnasib Zafar, do gaz zameen bhi na mili koye yaar men". "Not only were my dreams unfulfilled in life, but even in death, I couldn't get the expected fortune to be buried with my beloved and not even in the same street or address, a reflection of his exile in Rangoon, away from his native India." Finally his peace and resigned acceptance of fate and
fortune are revealed in his last masterpiece. "Naa
men kisiki aankh kaa noor hun, naa kisike dil kaa
surur. Jo kisiko kaam naa aa sake, men wo ik
mushte-gubaar hun". I am the light of no one's eye and Another poem about unselfishness is a Gujarati poem by R. V. Pathak, "Taari dhaak suni koi naa aave to eklo jaane re". Alone we come into this world and alone we leave, both times with empty hands, and much we think and crave for during life is vanity, an equally perishable and even more foolish unreality than our ephemeral existence. –
Gaurang Bhatt, MD |
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It is rare for
any powerful Emperor to have the time, intellect and knowledge, to reflect
on the human condition. Marcus Aurelius and Ashoka stand out as rare
geniuses, un-intoxicated by power and wealth, capable of turning their
thoughts and lives towards philosophy and ethics. Zafar deserves a
meritorious mention for having channeled his frustrations and failures
into some of the most poignant pieces of poetry, to match the deep truths
and analysis of human existence, like Shakespeare's works. The last Moghul
Emperor was mostly a figurehead, denuded of true glory and power and bet
his all on the wrong color at the casino of the Indian mutiny of 1857. He
died a prisoner in Rangoon, blind and emasculated. He saw the need of
every human to be loved and appreciated and the frustrating results of
many human efforts. Like Buddha, he knew the inevitability of the pain of
existence and less philosophically, without seeking a way out,
accommodated to the reality of pathos with resignation without reprisals,
blame or anger. While his resignation and submission may be consistent
with the fatalistic vision of Islam and submission to the will of the
Almighty, his poetry is most touching and eloquent about the laments and
pathos of human existence.