Mirza Ghalib's Haveli - a forgotten treasure

The Haveli was gifted to Mirza Ghalib by a hakim (traditional physician ) who was an ardent fan of his poetry. After the death of Ghalib in 1869, the hakim used to sit there every evening, not allowing anyone to enter the building.

New Delhi: In the abandoned lanes of Gali Qasim Jan in Chandni Chowk's Balli Maran lays a dilapidated unexplored treasure, Mirza Ghalib's Haveli. Most of the people who come for a visit to the Haveli have a hard time finding it as it is comparatively small and doesn’t look like a place where the couplets and ghazals of one the celebrated Urdu and Persian poets of India have been preserved as it is disguised in one of the busiest lanes of Delhi.

Mirza Asad Ullah Khan 'Ghalib' was born in the Kalan Mahal area of Agra in 1797. He moved to Delhi where his poetic talent blossomed and found new expression. His rich contribution to Urdu 'adab' continues to inspire poets till day.

People come from far and wide to have the glimpse of the Haveli, however, amid pandemic are met with disappointment. Since the pandemic started, the Haveli has been closed and remains closed even as most of the historical monuments are opened for the public.

READ:Delhi: 100 missing children traced in 2020

The security guard of the Haveli while talking with ETV Bharat said that the Haveli is closed since March. A large number of people come on a daily basis for the visit. However, on Ghalib's birth anniversary the number of visitors increased.

Ghalib's Haveli is divided in two parts. In the first part, Ghalib's couplets have been framed and some items attached to them have been kept, while the second part holds Ghalib's Diwan, where a statue of Ghalib has been installed by Gulzar. However, a large part of this mansion has encroached where dusty two-wheelers being are parked which reminds of one the famous couplets of Ghalib, Hum Ne Mana Ki Taghaful Na Karoge Lekin; Khaak Ho Jayenge Hum Tumko Khabar Hone Tak (I agree that you will not remain indifferent but I will be dust by the time you become aware of me).