8/8/2019 Ghalib Was a Great Mango Connoisseur
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Ghalib was a great mango connoisseur
Altalf Hussain Hali, an ardent admirer of Mirza Ghalib and
himself a poet of no mean achievement
once had a very hot debate with the latter's friend Nawab
Mustafa Khan Shefta on the topic thatGhalib was the sole Indian
poet who had tasted the maximum varieties of mangoes.
Shefta maintained that it wasn't so but with his stunning memory
and deep study of Ghalib's life, Haliwas the winner in proving that
Ghalib had in fact tasted most of the 4,000 varieties of
mangoesgrown in India. This might be a funny incident but the truth
is that Ghalib was the one who lovedeating mangoes in sweltering
summers more than composing his couplets.
The varieties of mangoes that Ghalib mentioned in 63 letters
written to his friends are - Malda, Fasli,Chausa, Zard Aaloo,
Jahangir, Dasehri, Rehmat-e-Khas, Sarauli, Malghoba, Aziz
Pasand,Mahmood Samar, Sultan-us-Samar, Ram Kela, Bombay Green,
Ratol, Safeda Mallihabadi, Dil
Pasand, Husan Aara, Nazuk Pasand, Kishan Bhog, Neelam, Khudadad,
Hamlet, Tota Pari, Nishati,Zafrani, Sinduri, Khatta Meetha, Barah
Masi, Langra, Alfonso, Fajri Samar Bahisht, Gulabakhsh,Bishop,
Xavier, Rumani and Badami. Ghalib had tasted all these.
His love for mangoes was in fact more than that of wine or even
poetry when the season of theheavenly, juicy fruit came in the
months of June and July.
Quoting Ghalib regarding mangoes, Hali mentions in his
Yadgar-e-Ghalib that the poet was alsovery well versed with the
history of mangoes.
Ghalib wrote to a friend, Maulvi Sadruddin Azurda about the
history of mangoes: 'The mango hasbeen cultivated in India for over
4,000 years and is so much a part of the Indian heritage and
culturethat it is almost an object of veneration in Hindu
households. Down through the centuries, emperorshave pledged their
devotion to the mango!
'The records of Hieun Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who
visited India during Harshavardhan'sreign in the 6th century B.C.,
contains references to the attentive cultivation of the mango in
thecountry. The Mughal emperors also evinced keen interest in the
mango's systematic cultivation andemperor Akbar is credited with
having planted genetically superior mangoes in an orchard known
asLakh Bakhsh, north of Agra.
'Small wonder that our best varieties of mangoes bear names such
as Jahangir andHimayun-ud-Din. Even Bahadur Shah Zafar, had a mango
garden known as Hayat Bakhsh in thegardens of the Red Fort in which
some of the most delicious and juicy varieties were grown.'
Mango is such a fruit that the accounts of it qualities are
there since Vedic times. In fact there is avery interesting
incident quoted in Persian by Ghalib's friend Yusuf Mirza that
traces the history ofmango to the Vedic times.
It says that god once witnessed a contest between the two
celestial brothers - Ganesh andSubramaniya popularly known as
Kartikeya. Their parents Shiva and Parvati announced that the
one to race round the world and emerge the first would receive a
wonderful gift.
While Subramaniya set off on this arduous race, Ganesh, the
shrewd and calculating one, did some
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8/8/2019 Ghalib Was a Great Mango Connoisseur
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clever thinking. He circled around his parents, suggesting that
they were world to him, and won thefabulous prize - a luscious
mango!
Even Sufi poet Amir Khusro had praised the mango in his Persian
poetry and called itFakhr-e-Gulshan.
According to Ghalib it is a remarkable fruit in the sense that
it can be cut with a knife, sucked like icecream or crushed for its
juice. It gives more joy in comparison with other fruits if it is
cut and eaten.He called such a mango as Qalmi Aam. Even great poets
like Nazir Akbarabadi and Iqbal too havewritten gloriously about
mangoes.
Ghalib wrote to his friends as far as Calcutta, Bombay and
Madras for sending him the mangoesand he was really fortunate
enough that they obliged him by sending the tokris (baskets) of the
fruit.
To a friend living in Calcutta, Mir Sarfaraz Hussain, he wrote
as many as 15 letters requesting him tosend him Bengal's famous
Gulbakhsh mangoes. Finally Sarfaraz Hussain sent him two
baskets.
During May, 1857, when the Sepoy Mutiny was at its peak, Ghalib
went to a friend of his in Meerut,who was a Subedar by family
tradition and owned many mango orchards in Meerut and
Saharnpur.
Once during the afternoon, Ghalib felt the urge to eat mangoes.
That was not the time for the fruit toget ripened as most of the
varieties in northern India ripe in the sweltering heat of June.
WhileGhalib was just gazing at the kachcha aam (unripe mangoes), a
British soldier saw Ghalib andwithout ado arrested him.
In fact that area was densely populated by Muslims who revolted
against the British. The poet wastaken to the Meerut Kotwali after
arrest. In those days Hindus and Muslims used to wear almostsimilar
clothes.
When he reached the police station, the military governor
Colonel Burn asked Ghalib: 'Are you aMuslim?'
Ghalib was witty and his friend confirmed his presence of mind
was par excellence. He replied: ' Iam only a half-Muslim.'
'What exactly do you mean by that? Be clear,' said Col.
Burn.
'By that I mean Sir, that I take liquor but I do not touch
pork!'
Hearing this, Col. Burn burst out laughing and let him off
advising him not to mix up with the rioters.
Shefta narrated that in one gathering there were Maulana
Fazl-e-Haq, Ghalib and other friends andthey discussed about
mangoes.
When everyone had had one's say, Haq asked for Ghalib's
comments. And he said: 'In my opinion,
there are only two necessary requirements concerning mangoes.
Firstly, they should be sweet andsecondly, they should be
plentiful!'
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