Last updated on July 24th, 2023 at 05:19 pm
Mirza Beg Asadullah Khan, better known as Mirza Ghalib, was a 19th-century Urdu and Persian poet from the Indian Subcontinent during the Mughal and British eras. He was popularly known by his pen names, Ghalib and Asad. Najm-ud-Daula was his honorific. He is quite well known amongst Urdu-speaking people in India and one of the most popular poets in Pakistan.
The already declining Mughal Empire was eclipsed and displaced by the British East India Company Rule and finally deposed following the defeat of the Indian Rebellion of 1857; these are described in his work. He wrote in Urdu and Persian.
Although his Urdu Divan is at least five times longer than his Persian Divan, his fame rests on his poetry in Urdu. Today, Ghalib is one of the most popular poets not only in Pakistan but also in the Urdu-speaking community of India and amongst South Asians all around the world.
Some Enthralling facts about Persian Poet Mirza Ghalib:-
Ghalib was born into a family of Mughals who, after the Seljuk kings fell, moved to Samarkand.
At the age of eleven, Ghalib started composing poetry. At home, his first language was Urdu, but Persian and Turkish were also spoken.
A newly converted Muslim tourist from Iran (Abdus Samad, originally named Hormuzd, a Zoroastrian) came to Agra when Ghalib was 14 years old. For two years, he stayed at Ghalib’s home and taught him Persian, Arabic, philosophy, and logic.
The first complete English translation of Ghalib’s ghazals was Love Sonnets of Ghalib published by Rupa & Co. in India and Ferozsons in Pakistan and written by Sarfaraz K. Niazi. It includes complete Roman transliteration, explication, and an extensive lexicon.
One of Ghalib’s ambitions in life was to become a highly-ranked teacher in the royal Mughal Court. If he were to take this position, not only would it prove his artistic mastership, but it would also provide him with a salary of 400 rupees a month. Ghalib was paid a salary of 50 rupees a month to write histories on the history of the House of Taimur before becoming the official poet laureate of the court.
He never worked for a livelihood, instead living off royal patronage from the Mughal Emperors, credit, or the generosity of his friends. He became famous posthumously. He had remarked during his lifetime that he would be recognized by later generations. Despite his many attempts, Ghalib could never get the full pension restored after the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British Raj.
