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Friday, January 26, 2007

The 123 Tag

As the Gaizabonts pointed out "we haven’t done tags in a long time," and put this my way. I'll first go along with the tag, since it requires immediacy and then will explain the intricacies.

There was a loud murmur in the crowd and Zauq sat with a complacent look on his face counting the beads of his pearl necklace.
"Is it true, Mirza Nausha?" the king emperor wanted to know.
"Yes, huzoor," Mirza Ghalib admitted, "It's true - it is the first verse of the concluding couplet of my new ghazal."
Zauq let the necklace go from his hand. The expression on his face was reduced to one of curiosity.
[From Mirza Ghalib - A Biographical Scenario by Gulzar]

Ten sentences:

Why is it that great abilities come piggybacking on equal egos? It is the mastery of ability over the ego that defines greatness and Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib possessed that. His spontaneous wit got him out of numerous cornered situations which he got himself in. Great that he was, was acknowledged in his lifetime, albeit a little late. But hailed he was, after his demise. Heard about him since childhood, only now that I'm getting to him better.

Ye masail-e tasawuff ye tera bayaan Ghalib
Tujhe hum wali samajhte jo na baadaa-khwaar hota

(Ah Ghalib, the magic of your words and your ways with mystics!
You would have been a saint - if you were not addicted to drink)
And now the reasoning behind the text above:

Pick up the book closest to you. (OK, you can cheat, pick up the book closest to you that you like; but that’s about it - no more cheating). Go to page 123. Go to the end of the fourth sentence (not line). Write the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth sentences in your post. Follow it up with ten words or ten sentences about what that sentence means to you - then and there. Spontaneous!

I didn't cheat (except for the concluding couplet). This book was the closest to my PC as it was the last book that I read. Was planning to write about the Mirza for sometime and this tag coincided.

Go ahead, pick your book.

4 Comments:

San said...

I was wondering when you would get around to posting a Mirza post as promised sometime back.

dwaipayan said...

I read your post and tagged myself. And did it from "Mera Naam Joker"... thought it'd be something different, but the analysis was of that old emotions only. but it was supposed to be spontaneous.

Anonymous said...

Mr. T: Wonderful @ the 10 sentences. the first two, however, are a thought has been playing in my head since yesterday. Delicious food for thought!

Anonymous said...

"Bana hai shah ka musahib
fira hai itrata"......I hope apart from reading u hv also watched it in Gulzar's serial on Doordarshan.
Nasir as Ghalib and late Shafi inaamdar as Zauq...ultimate!!
-vandy