The Haveli of Mirza Ghalib

The haveli that saw the end of an era was till the other day used as a coal depot. One wonders if Mirza Ghalib could write from his grave what would he have said of the place where he wrote the greatest verses ever written and the where later on myriad of other activities took place. Fortunately, today a effort has been made to restore the place and the haveli is attracting ardent fans and sundry visitors.

by ANUPMA JAIN

I live in Old Delhi so I used to walk of Chandni Chowk‘s alley and that always makes my memories of the place. So one of my off day I walked down in Gali Qasim Jaan, near the Ballimaran to have a look at famous house of Ghalib.

The haveli was the home of the great 19th centuary poet Mirza Ghalib, who spent his last phase of his life there. Interestingly, he lived here as a tenant. After his death, the building has undergone many as inappropriate addition, alternation, extension, even demolition. In recent times the building has been put to varied uses, including as a coal deport. The special features of the Haveli were highlighted like the Mughal Lakhori bricks, sandstone flooring, wooden entrance gate and chhajja in the courtyard.

The Haveli has been since considerably renovated and was used lately as shops till December 1999 when Delhi Government acquired a portion of the Haveli and set up a memorial museum dedicated to the great poet. The conservation works carried out aim to restore the historical character of the building and provide a glimpse of the spirit of Ghalib‘s time. In this endeavor, the attempt was not to completely restore or mechanically conserve. It was inaugurated and open to public for on 27th December 2000, the birth anniversary of Mirza Ghalib.

The acquired portion of the Haveli has been restored to its original splendor. Originally the Haveli consisted of arched corridors on three sides enclosing an open courtyard.

The museum houses various important things related to the great poet, which gives an insight into the life of this Urdu poet. It contains the letters of Ghalib written in his own hand. These are both in Urdu as well as English. There is also a photograph of the poet, which is considered as his last photograph. Besides you can also find chronology of events, selected couplets from his works, books and some personal belongings of the poet. The museum also has a life-like replica of the poet in a realistic setting with a hookah in his hand.

This place is starting to gain in importance as it becomes a heritage building. Everyday many admirers of the great poet come here and visit this haveli. Wooden entrance gate welcomes the visitors. Needless to say that one cannot help but recall the amazing reach and verstality of his poetry. From the depiction of love, extolling the beauty of his beloved, the pain of infidelity to pithy and witty comments about the vagaries of fate and the irony of life, his range is mind boggling. A mere visit to the place not only transports a visitor to a bygone eara but also gives an unparalleled experience.

A person has been deputed to stay here to look after this haveli. I come back with a feel of era of Ghalib time.

Hai aur bhi duniya mein sukhanwar bahut achhe

kehte hain ghalib ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur

“Poochhte hai woh ki Ghalib kaun hai,

koi batlao ki ham batlain kya “