Presentation on the lesson "The Ghat of the Only World" by Amitav Ghosh from the English syllabus of CBSE Class 11

1. ENGLISH SEMINAR
The Ghat of
the Only World

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amitav Ghosh is a renowned Indian
author known for his compelling
storytelling and his ability to merge
history, culture, and personal narratives in
his works. Born in Kolkata, India, Ghosh
has crafted a diverse body of work that
spans various genres, including fiction,
non-fiction, and historical fiction. Ghosh's
works have garnered critical acclaim and a
dedicated global readership. His
contributions to contemporary literature
have earned him numerous awards and
accolades, solidifying his place as one of
the most celebrated authors of our time.

3. AGHA SHAHID ALI
Shahid is the central character of
the story. He was a Kashmiri poet
and a friend of Amitav Ghosh. He
loved expressing his feelings
towards his love for Kashmir
through his works. He had a
versatile personality and always
had a positive outlook on life. He
believed in secularism, and his
writings portrayed his thoughts
quite well. Even though he was
battling a brain tumour, he never
let himself get depressed.

4. THEME OF THE LESSON
The lesson ‘The Ghat of the Only World’, offers us great
insight about friendship and the fulfilment of the promise
to a dying friend. This story is written by Amitav Ghosh in
honour of his friend and great Kashmiri poet Agha
Shahid Ali. For 14 months, Shahid suffered from a brain
tumour which later succumbed to death, but there was
never a dull moment with him. He once told Amitav to
write about him after he had passed away. In essence,
he wanted to be remembered through the words of a
writer. This lesson is about the fulfillment of a promise
and is an homage to a brilliant writer and dear friend.

5. SUMMARY
Agha Shahid Ali was a Kashmiri living in the US. He was
diagnosed with a brain tumour and was undergoing treatment
for over 14 months. Though he never let it spoil his mood and
was always enthusiastic and fun to be around. Shahid and
Amitav, both, had studied at Delhi University together but had
never met before.
During 1998 and 1999, they had several conversations, thanks
to the common friends that had helped them meet. However,
they were no more than acquaintances at that time. Only after
they had moved to Brooklyn, US, did they become friends.
After experiencing a sudden blackout in February’ 2000,
Shahid had moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn to live near his
sister, Sameetah. The narrator of the story lived eight blocks
away from her.

6. SUMMARY
They became friends. Shahid mentions his death that was
near due to a malignant brain tumor to the narrator,
Amitav. He was dead serious while he talked about his
approaching death, and then he mentioned his wish to
have the narrator write something about him. Though
puzzled, the narrator promised Shahid that he would try
his best. From that day onwards, he started to note down
all his conversations with Shahid because he knew that to
be able to write about Shahid, he must have a record of
the poet’s words and their discussions. Shahid’s 1997
collection told the author a lot about him and his love for
Kashmir through his poem ‘The Country Without a Post
Office’. The narrator was impressed with the way he
wrote.

7. SUMMARY
Shahid expressed his sorrow for the Kashmiri
Pandits who left and expressed his joy of
Bengali food through his writings. His
comments were equally sharp and smart. Once
he was travelling back from Spain, and at the
airport, he was asked whether he was carrying
something that could be harmful to people, to
which he replied that he was carrying his heart.
He was a true poet who found energy in
everything around him.

8. SUMMARY
As a teacher, he was quite popular. He taught
at several colleges. Following 1975, he lived in
America with his siblings, but his parents were
still in Srinagar. He saw the political violence of
Kashmir, and it had a great impact on his
writings. He wanted to bring attention to the
all-embracing nature of Kashmiris to everyone
around the country. He always mentioned the
small temple in his room that his mom helped
him set up whenever someone talked about
religious intolerance.

9. SUMMARY
On 4th May, he was informed by his
doctors that Chemotherapy and other
medications weren’t working. He
expressed his thought of moving back
to Kashmir and lying at peace there.
Due to logistical and other reasons, he
changed his mind. He died peacefully in
his sleep on 8th December at 2 p.m. and
was laid at rest in Northampton.

10. (1) Why do you think the lesson is called “The
Ghat of the Only World” ?
(2) Why did Shahid wanted to be remembered
through words ?
(3) What common interests did the author and
Shahid have?
QUESTIONS

11. (1) The word ‘Ghat’ in Hindi means ‘bank’ of a river; in the
title of the chapter, it signifies the edge of life, where
Shahid was struggling for life. Owing to his malignant tumor,
he was about to leave this world and start a mysterious
journey into the unknown world that exists after death.
Since the word ‘Ghat’ refers to the brink of our world,
which is the only world known to us, the title is justified.
ANSWERS

12. (2) Shahid wanted himself to be remembered through written
words, not just spoken words. To writers to whom things became
real only in the process of writing, there is an inbuilt resistance
to dealing with loss and bereavement. Amitav would have avoided
writing about Shahid; thus, Shahid specifically requested that
Amitav write about him. Shahid knew Amitav was also a literary
man like him; he knew only Amitav would do the justice of writing
an authentic account of him.
ANSWERS

13. (3) Love for poetry and literature bound the narrator to Shahid.
His work, "The Country Without a Post Office," made a deep
impression on the narrator. They had common friends in Delhi as
well as in America. Their love for Rogan Josh, Roshanara Begam,
and Kishore Kumar further cemented their friendship. Both of
them were fond of Bombay films and had a mutual indifference
towards cricket.
ANSWERS

14. THANK YOU !!!