For those who have joined now, let me say few words about this Ghalib series. 

Dear Friends, Ghalib, his Ghazals, his poems, his genius, and his wits have always fascinated many many Urdu lovers including myself. I have read Ghalib over and over again and have read books explaining his art of poetry and the meaning behind it. I thought to share with you what I understand about Ghalib. As and when possible I shall email you explanation of Ghalib’s one She'r. Those who want to receive my previous five installments; I shall email them for asking. My email address is asgharf@roadrunner.com

This is my 1st  installment. Here is the first She'r of first Ghazal of Ghalib’s Deevan (Collection of his Poetic work). Please note that this is not the very first She'r that Ghalib ever wrote. Urdu poetry books are arranged in descending order based on the last alphabet of rhyming verse, starting with Urdu’s first alphabet Alef. Please know that this is my own, Asghar Vasanwala’s, work and not a forwarding of someone else’s work as some you thought. Please forward this to your friends. Also please send me your comments/complements; I will appreciate that. 

Here is his First She'r in Urdu, Gujarati & Roman script. 

Naqsh faryadi hal kiski shokhi-e-tehrir ka Kaghazi hal payrahan her peykar-e-tasveer ka
 Who these pictures complain about? I see those pictures wearing Paper-shirts!
Naqsh = print, impression      shokhi-e-tehnr = mischievous writing 
Kaghazi perahan = Shirt made out of paper      Payker= body

Almost all Urdu poem-books (Deevan) begin with Hamd (praise of God) followed by Na’at (Praise of Prophet). Ghalib always avoided beaten paths and walked on a different trail. His Deevan doesn’t start with Hamd!  Yet he wants to recognize the supremacy of almighty God. However he doesn’t shower praise on God. He brings out God’s Shokhi (a mischief with a twist)

To understand above She'r, we have to picture courts of his time. The courts had certain dress codes to identify who is who. To distinguish between a plaintiff and a defendant, the plaintiff was required to wear a shirt made of paper (Kaghazi Peyrahan). In the view of this practice, Ghalib punches a pun/fun at God
Painters and impressionists of his time drew their work on paper.  That means that a picture that the painter drew was wearing Paper, hence the painter’s subject was like a plaintiff in a court begging for justice. So Ghalib is asking a rhetorical question: Who these pictures are accusing? It should be understood that our earth is a slate called Loh-e-jahan; every thing on it is as if written by God. Ghalib tacitly challenges God: Oh God you claim that you are Rahman & Rahim the most bountiful and the most merciful; if it was so why every one is a plaintiff in your court complaining about you? The genius and mastery of Ghalib is in complaining against God without mentioning God’s name. If he had mentioned name of God, then he would have been accused of blasphemy.

Ponder the choice of his words: Naqsh (imprint), Tehrir( writing), Kaghaz (Paper), Peykar (Subject- Body) Tasveer (picture) are all related to art of painting. Ghalib almost always uses a set of related words.

 The more you ponder over it, the more you would enjoy it.