character sketch of shahid ali in chapter the the ghat of the only world
Answers
Shaid's Character
Shahid is the central character of the story, ‘The Ghat of the Only World, written by Amitav Ghosh. The author has dedicated this chapter to commemorate Shaid’s greatness as a human being. The author was very much impressed with Shahid’s works: The Country Without a Post Office, had made a powerful impression on him. His writing was lyrical, disciplined, engaged and yet deeply inward. Shahid was immensely fond of life’s all beautiful things, food included. As visitors would approach his door, aroma of rogan josh and haak would greet them. He loved cooking Kashmiri dishes and made them tasty by adding all the spices. He would often give directions to the cook in the kitchen to make the food tastier. Until the end of life, he enjoyed food and its fragrance. Shahid had a sorcerer’s ability to transmute the mundane into magical. Shahid was a very strong man. He had found a way out to keep himself alive in spite of the physical and mental pain of his illness. There was never an evening when there was not a party in his living room. He loved to be surrounded by people and friends. He loved that spirit of festivity as it meant he did not have any time to be depressed. Contrary to general belief of people about the Muslim fanaticism, Shahid and his parents had quite secular ecumenical outlook on life. In his childhood Shahid’s parents not only allowed him to set up a small Hindu temple in his home, but his mother also bought him idols and other needed things to do the Pooja. After Shahid’s passing away, the author felt a void in his life, which could not be filled.
shahid ali
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.