THE GHAT OF THE ONLY WORLD

Justify the title 'The Ghat of the only world '? Ghat symbolises the ultimate journey. On reaching mellow fruitfulness, Ali dreamt he was at the Ghat of the only world – the world of the gone. He was to bid adieu to the world of living. Having gone past pangs of life he was cradling “in supreme consolation”, that is, “I love to think that I’ll meet my mother in the afterlife, if there is an afterlife.”
How do Shahid and the writer react to the knowledge that Shahid is going to die? “Oh dear! I cant see a thing...I hope this doesn't mean that I am dying,” The fear of death was very vividly visible in Shahid's tone of voice and usage of words. He got scared when he felt for the first time that he was dying. When his occasional memory lapses became more serious with passage of time, the realisation of death drawing nearer becomes stronger. When he was in a conversation with Amitav Ghosh, he said in a clear ringing voice- “When it happens, I hope you will write something for me.” The writer could think of nothing to say on such a topic. At last, he had to promise, “I'll do the best I can.” From that day, the writer started keeping a record of all the conversations and meetings he had with Shahid. This record helped him to fulfill his promise.
The character sketch of Agha Shahid Ali in the lesson the Ghat of the only world written by Aithav Ghosh. In the beginning of Amitav Ghosh's account of his friend Agha Shahid Ali, we encounter a young man who was fast approaching his death. He had been under treatment for cancer for some fourteen months but he could still stand on his feet and spoke lucidly albeit with occasional lapses of memory. He possessed a superior intellect, an irresistible charm, a certain frankness and candour of manner. He did not take his illness too seriously and would often make light of his failings. A powerful personality, his voice was like none other, at once lyrical and fiercely disciplined, engaged and yet inwardly deep. Agha Shahid Ali specialised in the most trivial exchanges, speaking about food, half-forgotten figures from the past, a convivial and enthusiastic man who loved entertaining in company in spite of his failing health. Shahid had the magician's ability to transform the mundane into the magical, he was a man who loved life and all its attendant paraphernalia. Even in his darkest moments, he could make other people laugh. Shahid never lost track of the progress of the evening's meal. He could tell from the smell alone what the exact stage in the preparation of Rogan Josh. He set great store on the authenticity and exactitude of food preparation and would not tolerate any deviation from traditional methods. He pitied those who took shortcuts in life. he had a special passion for the food of his region as a Kashmiri Pandit. He used to have a recurrent dream in which all the Pandits had vanished from the valley of Kashmir and their food had become extinct. It was a nightmare that haunted him and he returned to it continuously in his conversations and poetry. He was a man given to enjoying life and experiencing everything that came his way. Shahid was fond of Begum Akhtar's music, an abiding presence in his life. He was also an experienced practitioner of repartee and had several interesting anecdotes to share. Agha Shahid Ali could be the life and soul of any gathering, a figure of poignancy and pathos who never stopped living life even when life gave up on him.
What impressions of Shahid do you gather from the piece? As the text is a very brief description of Agha Shahid Ali, we can never judge his character completely. However, it can be said from the text that, even after he realised that he was dying, Shahid remained an extremely lucid person and didn't lack enthusiasm of life. Just like any other normal man, he was afraid of dying. He ignored reassurances given by people and lived his life fully till his last breath. He was a man who wanted to stay alive in people's memories not through spoken recitatives of friendship but of written word. Even when he reached a very serious stage of his illness, Shahid did not let his illness impede the progress of the friendship between him and the author. He had the extra-ordinary ability to transmute the mundane into the magical. He was very fond of company. His social live included festivity at home every day. He could be awarded for his prowess in the kitchen. He was a believer of exactitude and authenticity and thus, could not tolerate any deviation from the traditional methods of cooking. Shahid worked his way through poetry in almost all spheres of his life.