Of Grave Concern

THE legacy of two great medieval poets is being buried under mounds of modern Indian waste. Rivulets of human excreta and piles of rotting garbage decorate the mazaar (grave) of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s court poet. The remains of Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Zauq, who taught poetry to the last Mughal emperor, lie unsung and unnoticed below a public lavatory in Chinnord Basti, Nabi Karim in Old Delhi. Local residents say about 10,000 people use the lavatories every day. Amidst the dirt roads and crowded bylanes, the stink of a neglected heritage rises thickly in the damp air. Grey effluent gushes alongside the dense hovels, dogs scatter blood-stained clothes over the cracked paths and green slime oozes from the walls of the surrounding structures.

If Zauq had been alive, perhaps he would have modified his famous verse Kaun jaaye Zauq Dilli ki galiyan chhor kar, (who would leave the beloved alleys of Delhi?) which he sang to his emperor and pupil. Bahadur Shah Zafar, moved to tears, conferred on him the title of Khaqan-i-hind (Nightingale of India). Little did he know that his beloved teacher would finally find his resting place under countless layers of filth.

In August, noted environmentalist M.C. Mehta filed a public interest petition against the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the culture department of the Ministry of Human Resource Development regarding the condition of Zauq’s grave. A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice Faizanuddin passed an order saying that an expert committee should be set up to locate the exact historical spot of the grave.

Prominent among the members of the expert committe is Firoz Bakht Ahmed, grandson of Maulana Azad and teacher at Delhi’s Modern School, who says that the ASI now has conclusive proof that the grave, which was probably destroyed by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) in the 1960s, when the lavatory was built, once lay precisely in that area. When contacted, the NDMC denied any knowledge of the controversy. Urdu scholar Dr Khaliq Anjum says that it is indeed a terrible shame that the mazaar should be in this condition. "These monuments should live, they should attract people, not be used as latrines."

"But the human element of the case has to be taken care of," Bakht says. When the final order is passed on October 29, the Supreme Court will probably pass an order directing the lavatories to be demolished. "But alternative lavatories should be constructed so that the residents are not inconvenienced," he says. The ASI hopes to build a national memorial for the poet, and has already acquired 725 sq yards for the purpose.

The case of Zauq’s grave illustrates an important dilemma about the preservation of historical monuments. For instance, a group of lawyers have filed a similar case on the condition of Mirza Ghalib’s mazaar in Nizamuddin. However, the case has resulted in a number of traditional craftsmen and traders, who have for generations operated alongside the mazaar, being thrown out of business. Ghalib’s grave continues to be in a pitiable condition, but because of the case, the surrounding shops have been cleared and the area cleaned up. However Asif Latif, a local shopowner is very bitter. "So many of these poor flower-sellers and hat-makers have been pushed to bankruptcy because the police keeps destroying their wares. Is the memorial to these dead people of greater importance than the daily livelihoods of those who are alive?" Latif asks.

O.P. Jain, director of the Sanskriti Trust, says that the preservation of monuments should be given first priority. "In any civilised country, cities are built around monuments, but here, cities are randomly constructed on top of the legacies of the past."

According to Ahmed, the land around Ghalib’s mazaar is occupied illegally. "Open meat shops and illegal structures crowd the area. Thus Ghalib’s grave must be kept under lock and key, but the truth is that nobody has the right to lock up a dargah." "If in my fate you decreed so much pain," wrote Ghalib, "Oh God, you should have given me more hearts." The desolation of the mazaars of Zauq and Ghalib is a cruel reminder of how little regard MTV India has for the great poets of Mughal India.