Editorial

In the name of His Majesty Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Emperor of Hind, the Light of the World, the Pride of the Faith.

Tasleem! Nacheez ko Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib kehtay hai. You all have always known me as an indulgent and whimsical poet. But trust me when I say this that I have experienced a lot of changes in my outlook, my lifestyle, my overall personality. My indulgences are quite well known in Sahib-e-Alam’s realm. I have stopped buying expensive Angrezi sharaab from the British cantonment at Meerut and instead make mocktails at home. I’m also following a healthy diet and have almost given up on non-vegetarian food.

Also, I regularly go for morning and evening walks with Begum or Kalloo Miyaan to Yamuna ghat. The regular drinking parties at the Fort have been taken over by the daily lawn-tennis matches. In fact, spectators are of the view that Sahib-e-Alam and I make a rocking doubles pair. Thanks to modern information that I’m more aware about this world now.

The other day, Kalloo Miyaan, my attendant, found a young man asking for my address at Mir Sahib’s book store in Ballimaran. Kalloo Miyaan showed him into my haveli at Gulli Qasim Jaan. The gentleman introduced himself as Pramathesh—Executive Editor of an English ezine, Fried Eye.

I have been struggling to make both ends meet for a long time, without much avail. People here are always biased against me. No one complains about Ustad Ibrahim Zauq. Or Ustad Bedil? Why? Is my shayari inferior to theirs? I even thought about leaving Delhi for good and seek employment in the court of Nawab Nasiruddin Haidar in Lucknow. But there is a lot of enmity between Delhi and Lucknow, and the Lucknavi people don’t allow Delhiwallas to practice verse in their city. But Pramathesh reposed his faith in me and asked me to handle editorial responsibilities for the February 15 edition. It was an honour I couldn’t refuse. So here I’m, your guest editor for this edition.

Ishq par zor nahin hai yeh woh aatish Ghalib, ki lagaye na lage aur bujhaye na bane. In this issue, FE offers love on your platter. Our star writer Manipadma talks about love in a different way in ‘Another love story’, while Wise Bachelor has a chance encounter with Layla and Majnu in a Delhi restaurant and uncovers some startling facts about iconic relationships. Get to know why TV viewing is harmful for children from Srajan, a schoolboy himself. Pavithra Selvam will tell you how not to transform into a ‘momster’ on Facebook, while Hashan will make you fall in love with the tulip with his story. Noyon’s compilation of 14 most loved romantic tales on celluloid will surely give you goosebumps, while Misscellany this time will literally make you feel a lot with your ‘eyes wide shut’. And Wise Bachelor this time answers your love-related queries in his own unique way.

FE introduces a new section from this edition—The Pursuit of Good Money by Parashar Borkotoky. With this column, you will learn about investments and returns and good financial planning, and hopefully, your spending habits will change for the better.

I have been reading the past issues of this magazine voraciously, and have developed an immense liking for it. The articles are quite interesting and I especially like the ‘poetry’ section. It has given a platform to many up-coming shuwar who have the talent but not enough exposure. I know how difficult it is to publish your work; it took me almost a lifetime to publish my first diwan. After reading Just Once Again, you would agree with me when I say rekhtay ke tum hi ustad nahin ho Ghalib, kehtay hai naye zamane mein koi Jumi B bhi hai.

But there are certain things that I miss in this ezine. I feel there should be a section on music, too. I have always been an aashiq of good music, and Nawab Jaan’s kotha is the only place where I get to hear quality music. I would love to read about music in the pages of FE. Also, my begum complains that she wants to read cooking recipes here.

Hazaaron khwahishein aisi ki har khwahish pe dum nikle…bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle…I wish FE had more pages! It would be fun to read more of it. But for that, we will need more writers. I have heard that FE is looking for new writers. So, if anyone is interested, kindly contact the editors.

I wish FE all luck. I hope someday it will have a national presence.

Hain aur bhi duniya mein magazines bahut acchay

Kehtay hai FE ka hai andaz-e-bayaan aur…

Mohabbat,

Mirza Ghalib
Guest Editor,
Fried Eye

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