INDIA INFO: India - Ghazal Music by V.A.Ponmelil (Feedback) The
Ghazal is Arabic word which means talking to women. It is a
short poem with a series of couplets. Each couplet is an
independent poem. It rarely has more than a dozen couplets in
the same metre. It deals with the whole spectrum of human
experience with its central concern being love. The Ghazal
originated in Iran in the 10th century and grew from the Persian
Qasida. The Qasida was a panegyric written in praise of the
emperor or his noblemen. A part of the Qasida called the Tashbib
was developed in due course of time into the Ghazal. Because of
its comparative brevity and concentration, with thematic variety
and rich suggestiveness, the Ghazal became the most popular form
of poetry. The ghazal came to India with the advent and
extension of the Muslim influence around 12th century. Even
though it is believed that the Ghazal has begun with Amir Khusro
in Northern India, Deccan in the South was its real home in the
early stages. It was nursed and tra