Kāġhaz Ki Kashtī: A Tribute to the Inimitable Jagjit Singh
Khwateen o hazraat (ladies and gentlemen), how fortunate you are. You were born in Hindustan, and in your virasat (heritage) you received not merely a language but a living, breathing tehzeeb (culture), zaban-e-Urdu (the Urdu language), or better still, Hindustani. And with it came that exquisite inheritance of adab (literature), sher o shairi (poetry). Such is this adab that one can only marvel at this khushnaseebi (good fortune), that countless poets have adorned the husn-e-ghazal (beauty of the ghazal), and will continue to do so for ages to come. Thus was created this luminous khazana (treasure) of ghazals, and among those who carried it to the hearts of people with unmatched grace, the name that rises above all is Jagjit Singh. What is a ghazal? It is as if a husn-e-be-misaal (peerless beauty) has gently shaken her rain-kissed tresses, and in that fleeting moment the air is filled with a lateef (delicate) freshness, a roohani kaifiyat (spiritual mood). Like droplets slipping...