Mani is a poet who captures dreams, desires, and emotions with such grace that each verse resonates like a whisper from the heart.
Featured Ghazal (Meter: 121222 121222)
Had I not fallen in love with you,
My heart would never have been so restless.
Had your gaze not cast its spell,
My thoughts would never be this scattered.
If I were not slain by your hands,
I would never have longed for you.
Without autumn and spring,
Your love would not have been revealed.
I would have removed you from my garden of thoughts, Mani,
If he were not my beloved.
Literary and Thematic Analysis
This ghazal by Dr. Mani is written in the meter 121222 121222 — a rhythm that powerfully conveys grief, longing, and emotional turmoil.
Each couplet presents a hypothetical scenario, using the word “if” to reflect on love, fate, and the emotional consequences of absence or presence. The structure invites the reader into an introspective world of “what could have been,” which adds to its melancholic charm.
1. **Mir Taqi Mir**: His poetry also employs soft pain and imagined longing — “Mir, how naïve you are, falling ill for the very one who caused your pain…” Mani reflects a similar simplicity, but with modern language.
2. **Ghalib**: Frequently uses “if” and “wish” to paint philosophical longings — “Thousands of desires, each worth dying for…” Mani’s ghazal, like Ghalib’s, delves into imaginary complaints but with greater clarity and emotional resonance.
3. **Ahmad Faraz**: Known for gentle sorrow and romantic yearning. Mani echoes that intensity but with a softer and more direct expression.
4. **Nasir Kazmi**: Master of subtle emptiness and quiet sorrow. Mani’s ghazal similarly carries a silent complaint — soft, not loud.
**Conclusion:**
This ghazal finds its place among Mir’s gentle sadness, Ghalib’s philosophical musings, and Faraz’s tender grievances, yet the tone and style remain uniquely Mani’s.
From the Poet
I am Inam ur Rahman “Mani” — a doctor by profession, a poet by soul. For me, poetry is not just the arrangement of words; it is the voice of the soul clothed in verse, reaching out to touch another heart.
In medicine, I learned the language of the body; in poetry, I discovered the voice of the spirit. Both paths lead through pain, through healing, and through understanding. I hope that my poetry touches you like a gentle breeze, a fleeting scent, or a half-remembered dream.
Personal Reflection
Poetry, to me, is like worship. It is an emotion deeper than words. I try to capture a moment in every verse — a moment that lingers in the reader’s heart.
It is my wish that my poetry reconnects you with yourself — that a silence finds words, and a poem becomes something seen not just with eyes, but felt with the soul.
Additional Ghazals
Ghazal 1
I long to love you with all my heart,
To hold you close within my arms.
From your eyes flows a heady wine,
And it’s only that I wish to drink.
I want to look at you forever,
To freeze this moment and never blink.
Though nearness is only a dream,
I long to brush against your soul.
Your gaze is so intoxicating, Mani,
Even my eyelashes wish to hold you.
Ghazal 2
You are the spring where beauty blooms,
The hidden love that my heart consumes.
They say you see my dreams at night,
No wonder you’re restless in light.
I’ve loved you from the deepest deep,
You’re the promise that I long to keep.
It’s you who gave me my desires,
You calm my endless silent fires.
My eyes are always searching, Mani,
You are the wait within my dreams.
