Word Meanings

1. expatriate- to leave one's native country to live elsewhere

2. innocuous- harmless
3. quizzical- comical
4. malignant- harmful to life
5. mumbled- muttered
6. bereavement- loss by death
7. poignance- pain
8. conviviality – marry making
9. groggier- unsteady
10. gleefully- joyously
11. gregariousness- sociability
12. foyer- the entrance
13. dour- grim
14. prowess- skill
15. intermittent – not regular

The Ghat of the Only World- NCERT BOOK Q and Answers

1. What impressions of Shahid do you gather from the piece?
A. Shahid was a man full of life and spirit. An excellent poet, he wrote amazing pieces. He was known
for his hospitality and everyone loved going to his parties. He was very fond of the company of others.
He had the ability to change the dull and ordinary into bright and remarkable. An excellent scholar as
he was, he was no less good a teacher. He was also very fond of cooking and appreciated authenticity
and precision when it came to food. A few instances imply that he was a man with a good sense of
humour. He was sensitive towards the political environment. He was deeply connected to his roots
and thus, wanted to take his last few breaths in Kashmir.
2. How do Shahid and the writer react to the knowledge that Shahid is going to die?
A. The fact that Shahid’s malignant tumour was going to consume him, affected both of them quite
differently. Shahid was content and calm upon hearing it. The fact that his disease was taking its toll
on him did not keep him away from living life like it was a celebration. He was full of life and was
joyful. He wanted Amitav to write about him after he died whereas, on the other hand, the author
tried to delay the acknowledgement of the fact that his dear friend’s end was near. Nor did he accept
to write about him at first because of his lack of ability to respond in such a situation. Shahid knew
Amitav would try making all excuses to keep himself away from writing after something tragic and
thus, he put them all away while he was alive.
 
3. Look up the dictionary for the meaning of the word ‘diaspora’. What do you understand of the
Indian diaspora from this piece?
A. Diaspora means the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland to another
country. The chapter, ‘The Ghat of the Only World’ describes many Indians living in the United States,
away from their motherland. Shahid lived in Manhattan and later shifted to Brooklyn. His sister taught
at the Pratt Institute in America. Amitav Ghosh lived a few blocks away. Though the narrator and
Shahid lived in the United States, they loved Indians and Indian things like Rogan Josh, Begum Akhtar,
and Kishore Kumar. Shahid had a passionate love for Kashmir, so he wanted to go back to Kashmir to
die.
Extra Qs and Answers Short Answer Type
Q 1. When and why did Shahid mention his death to the writer?
Ans. The first time that Shahid mentioned his approaching death was on 25 April 2001 although he
had been under treatment for a malignant brain tumour for about fourteen months. He was going
through his engagement book when suddenly he said that he couldn’t see anything. Then after a
pause, he added that he hoped this didn’t mean that he was dying.
Q 2. What was the strange request that Shahid made to the writer?
Ans. After Shahid broached the subject of death for the first time with the writer, he did not know
how to respond. The writer tried to reassure him that he would be well but Shahid interrupted him
and in an inquiring tone said that he hoped after his death, he would write something about him.
Q 3. How did the writer realize that Shahid was serious about his writing about his death?
Ans. When the writer tried reassuring him, Shahid ignored his reassurances. When he began to laugh
the writer realised that he was very serious about what he had said. He wanted the writer to
remember him not through the spoken words of memory and friendship, but through the written
word.
Q 4. Why did he want the writer to write something?
Ans. Perhaps, Shahid knew all too well that for those writers for whom things become real only in the
process of writing, there is an inherent struggle to deal with loss and sorrow. He knew that the
writer’s nature would have led him to search for reasons to avoid writing about his death.
Q 5. Where was Shahid staying during his illness?
Ans. Earlier Shahid was staying a few miles away, in Manhattan. But after the tests revealed that he
had a malignant brain tumor, he decided to move to Brooklyn, to be close to his youngest sister,
Sameetah, who was teaching at the Pratt Institute, a few blocks away from the street where the
writer lived.
Q 6. ‘Shahid, I will: I’ll do the best I can.’ What best did the writer want to do?
Ans. The writer would have had various excuses for not writing about Shahid. He would have said that
he was not a poet, their friendship was recent, or that many others knew him much better and would
be writing from greater understanding and knowledge. Shahid seemed to have guessed this and
insisted. that he wrote about him. The writer promised to try his best in doing justice to the memory
of Shahid in his piece of writing.
Q 7. What did the writer do to fulfill his promise to Shahid?
Ans. The writer, from the day he was committed to writing an article, picked up his pen, noted the
date, and wrote down everything he remembered of each conversation after that day. This he
continued to do for the next few months. This record made it possible for him to fulfill the pledge he
made that day.
Q 8. What did Amitav Ghosh think of Shahid, the poet?
Ans. Amitav Ghosh was introduced to Shahid’s work long before he met him. His 1997 collection, The
Country Without a Post Office, had made a powerful impression on him. His voice was like none that
had ever heard before. It was at once lyrical and fiercely disciplined, engaged and yet deeply inward.
He knew of no one else who would even conceive of publishing a line like.- ‘Mad heart, be brave.’
Q 9. ‘….his illness did not impede the progress of our friendship.’ Why does the writer feel so?
Ans. The writer got to know Shahid only after he moved to Brooklyn the next year, as he, too, lived in
the same neighbourhood. Then they began to meet sometimes for meals and quickly discovered that
they had a great deal in common. By this time of course Shahid’s condition was already serious, but
despite that their friendship grew rapidly.
Q 10. What were the interests that Shahid and Amitav shared?
Ans. They had many a common friends, in India, America, and elsewhere, they shared a love for
roganjosh, Roshanara Begum and Kishore Kumar; a mutual indifference to cricket and an equal
attachment to old Bombay films.
Q 11. How did Shahid occupy himself, when he was not writing?
Ans. Shahid was a very sociable person. There was never an evening when there wasn’t a party in his
living room. He loved having many people around in his apartment. He loved serving them good food.
He loved the spirit of festivity. This he said, meant he didn’t ‘have time to be depressed’.
Q 12. Shahid was legendary for his prowess in the kitchen. Justify.
Ans. Shahid was never so preoccupied to overlook the progress of the evening’s meal. Even the
number of guests didn’t matter. He would cut short his conversation to shout directions to whoever
was in the kitchen. Even when his eyesight was failing, he could tell from the smell alone, exactly
which stage the Rogan josh had reached. And when things went exactly as they should, he would sniff
the air and appreciate. He would spend days planning and preparation of a dinner party.
Q 13. What was the impact of James Merrill on Shahid’s poetry?
Ans. James Merrill, the poet, completely changed the direction of Shahid’s poetry. After coming in
contact with him, Shahid began to try out strict, metrical patterns and verse forms. No one had a
greater influence on Shahid’s poetry than James Merrill. In the poem in which he most openly
anticipated his death, ‘I • Dream I Am At the Ghat of the Only World,’ he awarded the envoy to
Merrill.
Q 14. How did Shahid justify his passion for the food of his region?
Ans. Shahid had a special passion for the food of his region, particularly ‘Kashmiri food in the Pandit
style. This was very important to him because of a persistent dream, in which all the Pandits had
vanished from the valley of Kashmir and their food had become extinct. This was a nightmare that
haunted him in his conversation and his poetry.
Q 15. What did he admire in Begum Akhtar? What merit did he have in common with her?
Ans. Apart from her music, Shahid admired her sharpness in repartee. He, too, was a witty man. On
one occasion, at Barcelona airport, he was asked what he did for a living. He said he was a poet. The
guard, a woman, asked him again what he was doing in Spain. Writing poetry, he replied. Finally, the
frustrated woman asked if he was carrying anything that could be dangerous to the other passengers.
To this Shahid said: ‘Only my heart.
Q 16. Comment on Shahid as a teacher.
Ans. Shahid was teaching at Manhattan’s Baruch College. The narrator had the privilege to watch him
perform in a classroom. It was evident from the moment they walked in that the students adored
him. They had printed a magazine and dedicated the issue to him. Shahid for his part was not in the
least subdued by the sadness of the occasion. From beginning to end, he was a sparkling diva.
Q 17. How did Shahid’s upbringing help him imbibe an ecumenical outlook?
Ans. Shahid’s vision was always inclined towards a broader and universal outlook. He credited this to
his parents. In his childhood, he had the desire to create a small Hindu temple in his room in Srinagar.
Initially, he was hesitant to tell his parents, but when he did they responded with an enthusiasm equal
to his own. His mother bought him murtis and other accessories and he diligently did pujas at this
shrine.
Q 18. What was Shahid’s last wish? Why?
Ans. On May 4, Shahid had gone to the hospital for a scan. Shahid told the writer that the doctors had
given him a year or less. He said that he would like to go back to Kashmir to die. He wanted to go to
Kashmir because of the feudal system existing there, which would be a lot of support. Moreover, his
father was there too. He didn’t want his siblings to have to make the journey afterward like they had
to with his mother.
Q 19. What does Amitav Ghosh say about his end?
Ans. The last time the writer saw Shahid was on 27 October, at his brother’s house in Amherst. He
was able to converse only intermittently and there were moments when they talked as they had in
the past. He had made his peace with his approaching death. There was no trace of any anguish or
conflict and he was surrounded by the love of his family and friends, he was calm, contented, and at
peace. He loved the idea of meeting his mother in the afterlife.
Long Answer Type
Q 1. Describe in detail Agha Shahid Ali’s attitude towards his approaching death.
Ans. The first time Shahid spoke to the narrator about his approaching death was on 25 April 2001. It
was during a routine telephonic conversation that the writer heard him flipping through his
engagement book and then suddenly he said that he could not see a thing. After a brief pause, he
added that he hoped that this didn’t mean that he was dying. He had been under treatment for
cancer for some fourteen months, but was active and perfectly logical, except for intermittent lapses
of memory.
He had never before touched the subject of death. His voice sounded joyous but the subject of
conversation was grim. When the writer tried to tell him that he would be fine, he interrupted him
and told him that he hoped Amitav would write something about him after his death.
Later, when the doctors lost hope, Shahid said that he would like to go back to Kashmir to die. He
wanted to go to Kashmir because of the feudal system existing there, as there would be a lot of
support. Moreover, his father was there too. He didn’t want his siblings to have to make the journey
afterward like they had to with his mother. A day before his death, there was no trace of anguish or
conflict and he was surrounded by the love of his family and friends, he was calm, contented, and at
peace.
Q 2. How did the writer decide to write a piece on Shahid after his death?
Ans. When for the first time Shahid expressed his desire that Amitav writes something about him after
his death, Amitav was shocked into silence and a long moment passed before he could bring himself
to try to reassure him. But Shahid ignored his reassurances. He began to laugh and it was then that
the writer realized that he was very serious. He understood that Shahid was trusting him with a
specific responsibility.
Shahid knew all too well that for writers things become real only in the process of writing, but there is
a natural battle in dealing with death. He knew that Amitav’s instincts would lead him to search for
reasons to avoid writing about his death, so he repeated ‘You must write about me.’ The writer could
think of nothing to say so he promised to put in his best efforts.
Q 3. How did the bond of friendship grow between the writer and Shahid?
Ans. The writer, in 1998, quoted a line from Shahid’s ‘The Country Without a Post Office in an article
that mentioned Kashmir. Then the only fact that the writer knew about him was that he was from
Srinagar and had studied in Delhi. The writer had been at Delhi University at about the same time but
they had never met. Later, some common friends introduced them. In 1998 and 1999 they had
several conversations on the phone and even met a couple of times.
But they barely knew each other until he moved to Brooklyn the next. year. Then, being in the same
neighborhood, they met for occasional meals and discovered that they had a great deal in common.
By this time Shahid’s condition was already serious, yet their friendship flourished. They had common
friends, shared a love of rogan josh, Roshanara Begum, and Kishore Kumar had a mutual indifference
to cricket and an equal attachment to old Bombay films.
Q 4. Why does the writer feel that ‘Shahid had a sorcerer’s ability to transmute the mundane into
the magical?
Ans. The writer quotes an episode when Shahid was to be got back from the hospital after a surgical
procedure that was meant to ease the pressure on his brain. His head was shaved and the shape of
the tumor was visible upon his bare scalp, its edges outlined by metal sutures. When it was time to
leave the ward a blue-uniformed hospital escort arrived with a wheelchair. Shahid said that he was
strong enough to walk out of the hospital.
But he was weak and dizzy and could take no more than a few steps. Iqbal got back into the
wheelchair while the rest of them held him upright. At that moment, leaning against the depressing
hospital wall, a kind of delight flooded Shahid. When the hospital orderly returned with the
wheelchair Shahid gave him a broad smile and asked where he was from. The man said he was from
Ecuador. Shahid clapped his hands gleefully together and said loudly ‘I always wanted to learn
Spanish. Just to read Lorca.’ Shahid could metamorphose a dull moment into a delightful one.
Q 5. Shahid placed great store on authenticity and exactitude in cooking. Comment.
Ans. Shahid placed great store on authenticity and exactitude in cooking and did not like the variation
from conventional methods and recipes. He pitied people who took shortcuts. The aroma of Rogan
josh and Hale would invade even the elevator. No matter how many people there were, Shahid was
never so preoccupied as to lose track of the progress of the evening’s meal. From time to time he
would interrupt himself to shout directions to whoever was in the kitchen.
Even when his eyesight was failing, he could tell from the smell alone, exactly which stage the Rogan
josh had reached. And when things went exactly as they should, he would sniff the air and appreciate
the cooking. He had a special passion for ‘Kashmiri food in the Pandit style’ because of a recurrent
dream, in which all the Pandits had vanished from the valley of Kashmir and their food had become
extinct. He also loved Bengali food.
Q 6. The steady deterioration of the political situation in Kashmir the violence and counter-violence
had a powerful effect on Shahid. Comment.
Ans. Shahid traveled frequently between the United States and India and hence was irregular but a
first-hand witness to the growing violence that gripped the region from the late 1980s onwards. The
continuous decline of the political situation in Kashmir had a great effect on him. It became one of the
fundamental subjects of his work and it was in the writing of Kashmir that he created his finest work.
Distressed about Kashmir’s destiny, Shahid firmly refused to accept the role of victim. This would also
have given him a great deal of popularity but Shahid never had any doubt about his mission. Although
respectful of religion, he believed in the separation of politics and religious practice.