POST 19 (retro post): What is a gazal?
गजल क्या है?
This could and should have been one of the earliest posts ,to explain what is a gazal. It actually the missing post 19.
The Gazal is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. Ghazals often deal with topics of spiritual and romantic love and may be understood as a poetic expression of both pain of loss or separation from the beloved and the beauty of love in spite of that pain.
( Reproduced with thanks from the Wikipedia)
According to British English, it is a noun and is an Arabic love poem with a recurring rhyme and limited stanzas.
According to Urdu Hindi dictionary, published by Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, gazal is explained as follows:
प्रेमिका से वार्तालाप, उर्दू फ़ारसी कविता का एक विशेष प्रकार, जिसमें प्राय: 5 से 11 शेर होते हैं। सारे शेर एक ही रदीफ़ और काफ़िए में होते हैं और हर शेर का मजमून अलग होता है। पहला शेर मतला कहलाता है जिसके दौनों मिसरे सानुप्रास ( Rhyme) होते हैं और अन्तिम शेर मक्ता होता है जिस में शायर अपना उपनाम लाता है।
रदीफ़ is the word that follows the final alliteration in the stanza. क़ाफ़िया means rhyme. In Hindi it is called तुक. For example in the sher “अच्छे बुरे का हाल खुले क्या नक़ाब में ? Here नक़ाब is the क़ाफ़िया and में is the रदीफ़.
Please listen to Jagjit Singh who is explaining , what in his concept is a gazal.
This is a rare recording where Jagjit Singh has explained what is a gazal. It was recorded in 1990. The gazal ‘Dil he to hai na sango khist….’ had appeared as POST 50.
And here Javed Akhtar explains, according to him what is a gazal?
This is a lecture about what is a gazal. It is very well researched and explained in rather difficult Urdu but deserves your attention.
An analysis of all the above establishes a few basics:
- Gazal could be a dialogue between lovers. Even God is a lover in several gazals.
2. A gazal generally has between 5 and 11 shers.
3. The first sher is the matla while the last sher is called makta, wherein the poet introduces his pen name.
4 Matla has both lines in rhyme. Other shers may have no direct relationship with the matla and may deal with an entirely difficult concept.
I hope this adds to your listening pleasure!
Have a safe August. Happy Independence Day!
