ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Ghalib’s Dastanbuy to map the politico-cultural transitions and transformations in the aftermath of the revolt of 1857. Ghalib’s personal archive serves as the vantage point from which to view the social transformations that Delhi witnessed with the decline of the Mughal Empire and the consequent filling up of the political vacuum by the British administration. The uneasiness, the communal fissures and the loss of the urban milieu of Delhi following the politically and culturally charged transition frequently surfaces in Ghalib’s verses. The private thoughts of the poet lay bare the despair and hopelessness that engulfed Delhi in the aftermath of the revolt of 1857. However, the revolt mainly serves to reveal the peculiar nature of Delhi, which has witnessed many phases of revenge and reconciliation through centuries. The article traces Delhi’s mythical and historical roots, stretching over centuries to contextualise the 1857 revolt within the larger framework of Delhi’s revenge-filled past and the ensuing reconciliatory trends. Delhi’s transition after the revolt of 1857 was not limited to political and cultural levels. It transformed the Persian language and gave birth to the Urdu phenomenon. The study shows, through politico-cultural and linguistic transitions of the 18th and 19th centuries, the continuities and discontinuities informing the urban life of Delhi and how Ghalib’s verses, letters and diary addresses the melancholic experience of the revolt of 1857.