In my previous post about rediscovering Ghalib through metal and rap, I mentioned sharing his work in my creativity class. What I didn’t share was the remarkable ripple effect this had. Every week, students take turns writing reflections on our class discussions and activities – an opportunity to process and personalize what we’re learning together. Poorva Kulkarni, a student with a deep interest in Indian classical dance and music, took this exploration in an unexpected direction.

Inspired by “Sukhan” – a classic Urdu Poetry and Ghazal program – and our class discussion of Ghalib’s philosophical depth, Poorva asked an important question: “What if…?”

What if, Ghalib attended our class on creativity and abstraction? What would his reflections on the class look like?

What emerged was “Aaina-e-Khayal: A Reflection on the Gathering of Minds” – a piece that reimagines Ghalib contemplating modern concepts like AI and personal creativity, while maintaining the classical ghazal form. When she shared it with me, I was struck by how it bridged time, bringing Ghalib’s poetic sensibility into dialogue with contemporary questions.

Here is the poem that Poorva shared.

NOTE: The image, poem and translation are by Poorva, I have not edited them in any way.

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Aaina-e-Khayal: A Reflection on the Gathering of Minds

Poorva Kulkarni (with help from ChatGPT)

Har ek lau-e-hunar par ek naya naqsh tha,
Raah-e-mani mein har soch ek pareshan sa sawal tha.

Upon each page of art, a new design was drawn,
In the realm of meaning, every thought is a question torn.

Jo shuru hua ek ibtida se, “Catalyst” ki shaan thi,
Zindagi ke jazbaton ko tajziya karne ki ek pehchaan thi.
Ek tasveer-e-haal, ek soch ka aabroo,
Har shakhs ki kahani mein ek roshni ka noor tha guroo.

The day began with a spark, a “Catalyst” in its grace,
Unraveling life’s moments, each story found its place.
A portrait of the present, a glimpse of the past,
In every voice that spoke, a light was cast.

Garmiyon ki goonj thi un guftaguon mein,
Jahan har ek sawal ek chhupi hui dastaan ka nishan tha.
Abstraction aur haqiqat ke darmiyan,
Ghalib bhi hairaan ke mushahida kis hisaab se bayan tha!

Echoes of passion filled the air,
Where questions wandered, unaware.
Between abstraction and the real,
Ghalib still wonders—what makes sight reveal?

AI ka ek rang, ek naya safar,
Kya ye faqat harf hain, ya khud ek guftagu ka hunar?
Yeh “What if…” ki goonj, ek naya dariya ka sailab,
Tajurbaat ki lehrein, jo har shakhs ki soch ka intikhab.

Then came the whispers of AI’s tide,
A mere machine, or wisdom’s guide?
The “What if…” echoed, bold and free,
As minds unraveled possibility.

Kahaniyan sunai gayi, khud se mulaqat hui,
Har ek tajziya se ek nayi soch ki shuruat hui.
Jab “Personal Creativity” ki baat chali,
Toh har ek andesha ek naye irade ki baat chali.

Stories were told, reflections grew,
Each thought a seed, each doubt anew.
And as “Personal Creativity” took the stage,
A journey began beyond the page.

Aur jab shab-e-bazm ka pardah gira,
Toh sirf yaadon ka ek aaina rah gaya.
Sawal ab bhi baqi hain, jo aage barhne ki manzil ka ishara hain,
Yeh raah-e-ilm hai, jisme har manzar ek naya sitara hai. 

And when the curtain slowly fell,
Only memories remained to tell.
Yet questions linger, paths extend,
For learning’s road knows no end.

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After I received the poem from Poorva (as part of her reflection on what we are doing in class) I decided to turn it into a classical ghazal using suno.com. There was something powerful about using AI to create a traditional rendering of a poem that itself was about AI and creativity – a perfect loop of old and new.

My attempt at creating a classical ghazal using suno.com might be a bit like watching a dog walk on its hind legs: it’s not that it’s done particularly well, but you’re surprised to find it done at all. And that’s okay. Like my metal and rap versions of Ghalib, this is another playful exploration, using AI to engage with classical forms in new ways. Sometimes the value lies not in creating masterpieces but in the willingness to experiment, to play, to see what happens when we combine unexpected elements.

What I must appreciate is that Poorva, as a student, took a creative risk here – turning a class reflection into an imaginative dialogue across centuries – and that’s exactly the kind of innovative thinking we hope to nurture. After all, isn’t that what creativity is about?