MIRZA GHALIB KI HAVELI
Mirza Ghalib lived through turbulent times in New Delhi, and while his benefactor and the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar didn't survive India's first war of independence in 1857 (he was exiled to Rangoon in present-day Myanmar), Ghalib did. Ghalib spent many years of his life in this rather humble haveli, but this wasn't the only place he lived in. In fact he also considered Rampur as the dominion of Urdu language and spent many years there as well under the patronage of the Nawab of Rampur. He also lived in Agra and Varanasi
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HISTORY
Ghalib lived in this Haveli for a long period of his life after he came from Agra. While staying at this Haveli, he wrote his Urdu and Persian ‘diwans’.Many a year after Ghalib's death the place housed shops inside it until the year of 1999 after which the govt. acquired a portion of it and renovated it. It was given a special touch with the use of Mughal Lakhori bricks, sandstone & a wooden entrance gate to recreate the 19th century period
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My visit to Ghalib ki Haveli
So when I visited the recently renovated and opened-to-public Ghalib ki Haveli in Ballimaraan, Old Delhi, there was so much running in my head. On one hand was a man whose words have stayed relevant even 150 years after his death, and then the context in which he lived - the weakened Mughal empire, increasingly aggressive British East India Company, the rivalry in the court with Zouk - poet laureate in the Mughal court, and a completely different social fabric of Delhi.
In two days I visited twice and each time the place left a unique impression on me. The haveli is located in the supposedly narrow lane, Gali Qasim Jaan, but it's no longer a narrow by-lane, nor is it very charming. In fact Old Delhi is still full of charming lanes and by-lanes where you can spend hours simply walking and chatting up with the locals, but this lane is not one of them. But this lane is still important, after all Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan once lived here, and that in itself is a reason to visit.
Ghalib also penned a few lines about his house in Delhi and these are also some of my favourite lines. He manages to so vividly recreate a bygone era and transports you to a world that doesn't exist anymore, but somehow still does in the minds and the hearts of the readers.
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SOURCE
Ghalib was a man with only a modest income, and most probably his house reflected that as well. This is seen in the renovated house as well - things are bare minimum and decorations almost non-existent. As you enter, on the right hand side there is a small museum with a Ghalib bust and a few stories on the walls. Straight ahead if you climb the steps there is a photocopying shop, and if you walk ahead to your left you will come to the renovated haveli.
Just as I would have liked, the walls are filled with some of Ghalib's most well-known poems, and a few representative household articles are places in the niches on the walls. Only a few people walk in and those who are often Ghalib fans and spend some good amount of time reading and re-reading his words.*********************************************************************
PRACTICAAL INFORMATION
Opening hours: 11 AM to 6 PM, lunch break 01.30 - 02.00 PM (closed on Mondays)
Entry fee: Free
HOW TO REACH: It's impossible to give directions, use this map instead or just ask the locals when you reach Ballimaran. Or even better, take an auto-rickshaw and it will directly take you there. Having said that, walking and finding the place has it's own charm.
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