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The Midnight Ghazal of Aminabad
In the quiet bylanes of Lucknow, an evening gathering of poets listens to verses that refuse to surrender to the noise of the modern avenue.
The Midnight Ghazal of Aminabad
By Pooja Hegde
"A ghazal is not merely poetry; it is a treaty between what the heart endured and what the tongue was permitted to speak."
Under the dim sodium streetlamps behind the old Prakash Kulfi alley in Aminabad, four generations of listeners gather around a wooden bench.
Here, poetry is not evaluated in likes or clicks. It is measured in the sharpness of the intake of breath after the second line of a couplet.
चंद अश'आर (Selected Couplets)
कुछ इस तरह से उसने मुझे अलविदा कहा,> जैसे किसी ने धूप में साया गिरा दिया।
रफ़्तार के शहर में कोई रुकता नहीं मगर,> इक मोड़ पर चराग़ ने किस्सा सुना दिया।
काग़ज़ पे जो लिखा था वो महफ़ूज़ रह गया,> दिल में जो था वो वक्त ने आहिस्ता धो दिया।
When the tea vendor pours the last round of strong ginger tea into earthen cups, the conversation turns from verse to the passing of seasons.
In Lucknow, midnight does not mark the end of the day; it marks the beginning of honesty.