The Ghat of The Only World

The lesson ‘The Ghat of the Only World’, speaks volumes about friendship and the fulfilment of the promise to a dying friend. This story is written by Amitav Ghosh in honour of his friend and great Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali. For 14 months, Shahid suffered from a brain tumour which later succumbed to death, but there was never a dull moment with him. Casually, he once told Amitav to write about him after he had passed away. In essence, he wanted to be remembered through the words of a writer. As a tribute to a good friend and a great writer, this lesson is about the fulfilment of a promise.

The Ghat of The Only World: Summary

Agha Shahid Ali was a Kashmiri living in the US. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was undergoing treatment for over 14 months. Though he never let it spoil his mood and was always enthusiastic and fun to be around. Shahid and Amitav, both, had studied at Delhi University together but had never met before.

During 1998 and 1999, they had several conversations, thanks to the common friends that had helped them meet. However, they were no more than acquaintances at that time. Only after they had moved to Brooklyn, US, did they become friends. After experiencing a sudden blackout in February’ 2000, Shahid had moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn to live near his sister, Sameetah. The narrator of the story lived eight blocks away from her. 

They became friends. Shahid mentioned his death that was near due to the malignant brain tumour to the narrator, Amitav. He was dead serious while he talked about his approaching death, and then he mentioned his wish of having the narrator write something about him. Though puzzled, the narrator promised Shahid that he would try his best. 

From that day onwards, he started to note down all his conversations with Shahid because he knew that to be able to write about Shahid, he must have a record of the poet’s words and their conversations. Shahid’s 1997 collection told the author a lot about him and his love for Kashmir through his poem ‘The Country Without a Post Office’. The narrator was impressed with the way he wrote. 

Once Shahid shifted to Brooklyn, they met often and discussed their likes of Rogan Josh and the love for old Mumbai films. They discussed their indifference to cricket and love for Kishore Kumar’s evergreen songs. Shahid loved to organise parties and get meals prepared for all. His apartment was a big and spacious one on the seventh floor. Many people visited his apartment, and he loved it whenever someone came to the door. He would clap his hands and express his happiness. 

He was a strong and positive person. On 21st  May, he visited the hospital again after several unsuccessful operations. Although lucid, he didn’t have that capacity in his steps to walk on his own. He refused to use the wheelchair and demanded to walk. However, he couldn’t. The everpresent positive energy beamed as he spoke delightfully to the hospital assistant and asked where he hailed from. He was not a fanatic but a person who expressed himself through food and poetry. 

Shahid expressed his sorrow for the Kashmiri Pandits who left and expressed his joy of Bengali food through his writings. His comments were equally sharp and smart. Once he was travelling back from Spain, and at the airport, he was asked whether he was carrying something that could be harmful to people, to which he replied that he was carrying his heart. He was a true poet who found energy in everything around him.

As a teacher, he was quite popular. He taught at several colleges. Following 1975, he lived in America with his siblings, but his parents were still in Srinagar. He saw the political violence of Kashmir, and it had a great impact on his writings. He wanted to bring attention to the all-embracing nature of Kashmiris to everyone around the country. He always mentioned the small temple in his room that his mom helped him set up whenever someone talked about religious intolerance. 

On 4th May, he was informed by his doctors that Chemotherapy and other medications weren’t working. He expressed his thought of moving back to Kashmir and lying at peace there. Due to logistical and other reasons, he changed his mind. He died peacefully in his sleep on 8th December at 2 p.m. and was laid at rest in Northampton.

Character Sketch of Shahid Ali

Through the summary of the lesson ‘The Ghat of The Only World’, one can learn that Shahid Ali was a bosom friend of Amitav Ghosh, who is the narrator of this story.It gives us insight into the character of the famous Kashmiri Poet whose heart always resonated with the sufferings of his native land. A very emotional and expressive poet, Shahid presented a range of brilliant imagery of his life and the beauty of Kashmir. Although he appreciated Amitav calling him the national poet of Kashmir, he strongly rejected the possibility of associating nationalism to his poetry. 

Now let us understand his character with the help of the lesson ‘The Ghat of the Only World’.

• Shahid was intellectual and expressive about his thoughts regarding everything that he encountered
• He was a young man and a great teacher, adored by many because of his poetic nature
• He had magic in his words and a fun personality
• He was always positive and created the same energy for others
• He was fond of Begum Akhtar, her music, and had a never-give-up attitude

Things to Remember 

Shahid was a famous poet and great life enthusiast. He loved expressing his feelings towards his love for Kashmir through his works. He had a versatile personality and always had a positive outlook on life. He believed in secularism, and his writings portrayed his thoughts quite well. Even though he was battling a brain tumour, he never let himself get depressed.

Shahid talked about his approaching death with ease as if he was coming to terms with it. This overwhelmed the author of the story, Amitav . He felt uncomfortable and tried to console Shahid. Shahid just laughed and told him that he would want Amitav to write something about him when he has left the world.

Diaspora is the dispersion of people from their homeland. Through this story, we get a snippet of how a lot of people have gone to the west to settle. Even though Shahid lived in the US, he spiritually lived and breathed his paradise, i.e., Kashmir. Through their hearts, they keep that connection to their motherlands forever.

Conclusion

This lesson is a great example of what friendships and fulfilled promises are. It portrays a character sketch of Agha Shahid Ali through the viewpoint of the narrator, Amitav Ghosh. He praises Shahid for his never-give-up attitude on life, his love for his paradise Kashmir, his admiration for South Asian people and cuisine. Amitav praises Shahid’s thoughts on religion and politics. Through his eyes, we can experience the life of a great poet who was battling cancer but was as carefree and fun as a butterfly to be around as ever. This lesson is a tribute to a great poet who was a great optimist of life.