A small restored part of Ghalib’s haveli holds a museum which contains details about the poet like the food he ate and clothes he wore. Divya Kaushik took a walk around this part of Delhi 6
Braving the heat with a glass of extra sweetened shikanji bought from a street vendor, sitting on a raised platform before a row of shoe shops at Ballimaran, three foreigners walked past the traffic and carts selling seasonal goodies. They were on their way to a popular address, Ghalib’s Haveli, Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran.
It now contains a museum that was restored and worked upon a year ago by Showcraft Productions. This attracts tourists, students and youngsters. The trio we followed, were engrossed in clicking pictures of the haveli. From its grand wooden doorway to Ghalib’s poetic world and the people in the neighbourhood, everything was new to them.
People who visit read the verses. And now there’s an English translation available, along with Urdu and Hindi.
The Indian Council of Cultural Research (ICCR) had proposed that a part of the haveli be converted to a museum. The mandate for restoration was given by ICCR to Showcraft Productions.
“Most of the paintings, manuscripts and so on, were recreated on the basis of material collected from Ghalib Institute. We had limited space. And the focus was on famous poetry, verses and information about the poet,” informed Mohita Gattani, director of Showcraft.
The museum is broadly divided in three sections. One part close to the entrance, has details like where the poet was born. With information about his houses in Rampur and Moradabad.
Apart from pictures, there are clothes supposedly worn by Ghalib and his wife Umrao Begum. The clothes in a glass case were created taking a clue from details found in books and other material pertaining to Ghalib.
“The wooden panels, which take inspiration from Muslim architectural patterns were created for a different look. You will notice the picture frames have borders that resemble inlay in old monuments. The idea was to make them visitor-friendly. Prints of paintings have been used here, because we didn’t want the originals to get spoilt.”
Mohita added, “To most foreign tourists the translation is an important feature. The other is the lightning. lED lights have mostly been used, as per ASI regulations. lights, lamps and chandeliers highlight the information and poetry on the walls,” added Mohita.
The other section is the courtyard, which used to be an open space. But since there’s a residential area on the top floor, garbage used to accumulate in the courtyard. One courtyard wall is covered by a huge picture of Ghalib sitting leisurely. The courtyard gives a feel of a mehfil, with a royal chandelier hanging from the roof. On one wall you find Ghalib’s famous lines: “Dilapidated with plantation are the walls of my house Ghalib/they say what a scene, but for me it’s no more than a forest glib.”
The courtyard leads to the other section which has a music system that plays songs by various artists, “all of which were by Ghalib.” In the afternoon, the sound system was off. But we were told that it plays as a background music in the museum in the mornings and evenings–the peak visiting hours.
You find stamps on Ghalib. And the inner panel has antique utensils. Nobody is sure if Ghalib really used those. The other part of the same section has more poetry: “Yeh na thi hamari kismet ke visaal-e-yaar hota, agar aur jeete rehte yahi intezaar hota.” (To meet beloved friends was not in my fate/ had I lived ever longer it would be more a wait.) And “Ban ke dushwaar hai har kaam ka asaan hona, aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahi insaan hona.” (How difficult it is for a task to be simplified, load of work has not let me live like a man).
On the other wall, there was information about Ghalib’s favourite food: fried kebabs, dal murabba, roasted mutton, shammi kebab, besan karhi phulkian. And gram pulse chutney, pickles, vinegar, sohan halwa, mangoes, mishri (after meals). Plus some ground almonds with mishri and hookah! The list of his hobbies includes kite flying, chausar, pachcheesi and chess.
After examining the information, we decided to move on. But the foreign visitors were still lingering.