The Marathi Ghazal

Baji J. Ram Rao
09:18 +0530 Fri. 27-Dec-2019

I had no idea, there could be Marathi Ghazals.

On Thu. 26-Dec-2019, guided by our teacher, the very melodious Mrs. Aparna Aparajit, we explored the Ghazal:
“भोगले जे दुःख त्याला, सुख म्हणावे लागले
एवढे मी भोगिले की, मज, हसावे लागले”
by Asha Bhosle, lyrics: Suresh Bhat; music: Shridhar Phadke;

Musically, this Ghazal is in a मिश्र भैरवी राग; with the रुपक ताल (Time signature: 7 crotchets per measure).

About the Ghazal form

The Ghazal is a form of amatory poem or ode, tracing origin to 7th century Arabic poetry.
It is a poetic expression of the beauty of love despite the pain of loss or separation.

Typically a Ghazal has 5 to 15 independent rhyming couplets called शेर(sher) or बैत(bayt).
The best sher in the Ghazal is called the शाह-ए-बैत (lit. King of Bayts)
The couplets are thematically linked albeit abstractly, but more strictly, in poetic form.

The repeating rhyming words in the sher of a Ghazal, are called the क़ाफ़िया(Qaafiya).
The second line of all the couplets (bayts or shers) must end with the same word(s). This repetition of common words is the रदीफ़(Radif) of the Ghazal.

Our example Marathi Ghazal

Our example Marathi Ghazal has
lines that end in म्हणावे लागले, हसावे लागले, भिजावे लागले, पुसावे लागले, आठवावे लागले, गुणगुणावे लागले,…
Here the Qaafiyaa is the following pattern of words: म्हणावे, हसावे, भिजावे, पुसावे, आठवावे, गुणगुणावे,… The Radif is लागले.

The first sher in a ghazal is called the मतला(matlaa).
Both lines of the मतला must contain the क़ाफ़िया and रदीफ़.

About the Ghazal Samrat

Suresh Bhat(1932-2003) popularized Ghazals in Marathi and became known as ग़ज़ल सम्राट (Emperor of ghazals) for his exposition of the Ghazal form of poetry and adapting it to the Marathi language.

Here is his Ghazal:

भोगले जे दुःख त्याला सुख म्हणावे लागले
एवढे मी भोगिले की मज हसावे लागले

ठेविले आजन्म डोळे आपुले मी कोरडे
पण दुजांच्या आसवांनी मज भिजावे लागले

लोक भेटायास आले काढत्या पायासवेे
अन अखेरी कुशल माझे मज पुसावे लागले

गवसला नाहीच मजला चेहरा माझा कधीे
मी कशी होते मलाही आठवावे लागले

एकदा केव्हातरी मी वचन कवितेला दिलेे
राखरांगोळीस माझ्या गुणगुणावे लागले