This book can be called a work of absolute hastiness, which like a charm bewitched me. I do not know whether this is instinctive! Nevertheless, I have fallen prey to this fever of being lost in the thoughts of completing this much adored work. In that very manner, this book is engraved in my soul. There is a constant urge to accomplish what I have begun.
This book is a glimpse of her eyes, and it is dedicated to her. This book is a witness of every moment which has passed thinking of her, and I will not exaggerate, but there has not been a single day when I have not thought about her and her eyes have not intoxicated me. There has not been a single day when her ‘no’ has not devastated my being. But I do not hold a grudge against her. You must be thinking why? If I loved her with all my heart and soul, then isn't it her sworn duty to reciprocate the feelings? No, I deplore such principles. I am the one who loves her and that is my predicament and under no circumstances she is obligated to love me back. I had heard somewhere that if a poet falls in love, then his lover becomes immortal. But this time, the tables have turned, and I am the one who is immortal. Please do not mind my beloved readers, but these ghazals have already been presented to her in the court of love. In this book, you will find each and every ghazal of every juncture that a lover crosses. Like, expectation, discontent, failure, meetings, split, and so on. It is not possible that this book has spared a single sentiment, or a stage which a heart in love does not feel. Moreover, I am grateful to all my friends and companions who are the reason behind the completion of this book. But first of all, I would like to thank my guru, Dr. Maneesha Taneja, who is an Assistant-professor at the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of Delhi. After her, I would like to extend my thanks to Mr. Arvind Mishra who has not just left any stone unturned as a father but who is also the chief- sub editor and proof reader of my work and Saurabh Bhai who has been my dearest friend and helped me in the introduction. I would also thank Kunal Bhagat, a teacher in Sainik School, Jharkhand, who applied his skills learnt from a masters in Fine arts in prints from Jamia Millia Islamia and drew the cover photo. Now, if I continue this monumental task of jotting down all the names , I will definitely break my keyboard, and would be compelled to buy a new one; which I am in no state of doing. Nevertheless, I would wholeheartedly thank, Vidheshan Jha, Somveer Chaudhary, Nitesh Dubey, Sanjay Krishna, Harsh Yadav and Ritivik Singh. Each one of them gave me ideas on how do I collect each penny possible to publish this book and of course, they know my shers, by heart. And to each and every person who is related to me, I am deeply thankful. Now, after so many wishes and help, if I am not able to publish this book, it will be utterly unfair. So here it is, I dedicate this to her. I do not know whether I will be able to write again or not. This might be my first and last book, and it is also quite possible that all my passion end here or maybe this is just a humble beginning of my work. It is you, my dear reader, who has to decide, whether my pursuit was successful or not.
Ankit Mishra
Born on 27th November 1992, Ankit Mishra is from Phulpur tehsil of Azamgarh district. His father, Arvind Mishra, is a journalist, and mother Madhu Mishra, a homemaker. At a very young age he had to leave the sweet smell of the village behind because of the impending struggles of his father. In this new journey, he completed his schooling and graduation from Noida and Delhi. Later, he learnt Spanish from Instituto Cervantes, the cultural and arts centre by the Embassy of Spain. To polish up his artistic and language skills more, he obtained a diploma in Spanish from Jamia Millia Islamia and St. Stephen’s College, and in 2017, a masters in the same from the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi.
Since childhood, the inclination towards ghazals, drove him to read sher-o shayri. He read, and truly absorbed the works of great poets like Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Kaifi Azmi, and Majaz Lukhnawi. Slowly, but soon, the affliction of leaving behind his hometown, life’s solitude, bestowed on him a paper and pen. Then, since 2011, they became his true companion. Around this time, he also joined theatre. Under the guidance of Dr. Dinesh Iqbal and Dr. M. K. Raina from Jamia, he had a major transformation in his oral skills. Later, in 2014, he participated in Jashn-e- Bachchpan, organised by National School of Drama. (In this journey, you will often see him scrabble down a ghazal on the smallest of papers) He loves to scribble down his ghazals on the smallest of papers, and savour(s) reciting them with a passionate zeal. Till now, around 50 ghazals and some essays exhibit his hard work and ardour. Nevertheless, he ceaselessly tries to improve his art.
