The Witty Being: Mirza Ghalib's Humor and Quick Repartee
In the history of Urdu literature, Mirza Ghalib is the only figure whose tales of wit, cheerful disposition, and quick repartee are as widely known today as his poetry. According to Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali, Ghalib was not a very talkative person, but whatever word left his tongue was never devoid of charm and humor. Wit was so deeply infused in his nature that if he were called a 'Haiwan-e-Zarif' a witty being instead of a human or 'Haiwan-e-Natiq' a rational being, it would not be unjustified at all.
Countless incidents of Ghalib's quick repartee are preserved in the pages of history. Once, after the month of Ramadan had passed, he presented himself at the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar in the Red Fort. The Emperor smiled and asked, 'Mirza, how many fasts did you keep?' Ghalib, with utmost spontaneity, folded his hands and replied, 'My Lord and Guide! I did not keep one.' The double meaning—whether he missed only one fast, or didn't keep a single one—and the playfulness hidden in this single sentence were uniquely Ghalib's hallmark.
His wit adapted brilliantly to the occasion. One day, he went to visit Nawab Mustafa Khan. The covered entrance outside the house was extremely dark. Seeing the Nawab standing there, Ghalib immediately recited this Persian hemistich: 'Ki aab-e-chashma-e-haiwan daroon-e-tareekist' The water of life is found only in darkness. But when he reached the drawing room, which was bathed in sunlight, he spontaneously exclaimed: 'In khana tamam aaftab ast' This entire house is the sun.
Ghalib was also very informal and frank with his friends and students. One day, during the intense heat of Ramadan, he was playing Chaupar with a friend in his narrow, dark room. Maulana Azurda arrived and sarcastically remarked, 'We had read in the Hadith that Satan remains imprisoned during Ramadan, but today I am having doubts about it.' Ghalib instantly replied, 'Respected sir! The Hadith is absolutely correct, but you should know that this very room is the place where Satan is imprisoned.'
Similarly, in a gathering, when Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq expressed a preference for Mirza Sauda over Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib took a jab at Zauq, saying, 'I always considered you a Miri a follower of Mir, but now I realize you are Saudai a follower of Sauda, which also means insane.' These spontaneous and cheerful remarks by Ghalib were the life of his gatherings, and if all his witticisms were compiled, they could form a voluminous book.
