Mirza Ghalib

He was born Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, on December 27, 1797, in Kala Mahal, Agra, to Mirza Abdullah Baig Khan and Izzat-ut-Nisa Begum. His birthplace now stands as the ‘Indrabhan Girls' Inter College.’ The room where he was born has been conserved.

He was a descendant of an Aibak Turk family, who, following the downfall of the Seljuk kings, had relocated to Samarkand, one of the oldest cities of Central Asia that is part of modern-day Uzbekistan. His mother was an ethnic Kashmiri.

During the rule of the Ahmad Shah Bahadur, the 15th Mughal emperor, Ghalib’s paternal grandfather, Mirza Qoqan Baig Khan, who was serving as a Saljuq Turk, migrated from Samarkand to India. He worked in Lahore, Jaipur, and Delhi, before settling in Agra. Mirza Qoqan Baig Khan was given the sub-district of Pahasu, located in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh in India.

He was awarded the title of “Dabir-ul-Mulk” by Emperor Bahadur Shah II in 1850. Bahadur Shah II also conferred him with the titles of “Najm-ud-daula” and “Mirza Nosha,” with the latter leading him to add “Mirza” as his first name. Such bestowal by the emperor signified Ghalib’s inclusion in the nobility of the regal court.

Emperor Bahadur Shah II was himself a noted Urdu poet, whose court was graced by other skilled Urdu writers, such as Mumin, Dagh, and Zauq, of whom Zaug was Ghalib’s closest rival. In 1854, Bahadur Shah II inducted Ghalib as his poet tutor. Ghalib soon became one of his noted courtiers. The emperor’s eldest son, Prince Fakhr-ud Din Mirza, also came under the tutelage of Ghalib.

Ghalib also served as the royal historian of the Mughal court and led his life either on the patronage of the emperor or on the magnanimity and borrowings from friends. With the downfall of the Mughal Empire and the emergence of the British Raj, Ghalib strived in pleading with every possible authority of the government formed by the British. He is also said to have travelled to Calcutta to get his full pension restored. Thus, penury and hardship continued to be an incessant part of his life.

He lived in a house in Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, in Old Delhi. The house, which is now called ‘Ghalib ki Haveli,’ has been declared a heritage site by the ‘Archaeological Survey of India.’ Also known as the 'Ghalib Memorial,' the house holds a permanent exhibition of the poet that offers a glimpse of the poet’s lifestyle and of the rich architecture of the Mughal era.

This literary master began composing when he was just 11 years old. Initially, he used the pseudonym ‘Asad’ and then adopted the name ‘Ghalib.’ He is also known to have written as ‘Asad Ullah Khan.’

He used to hold his Persian compositions in high regard. However, his Urdu “ghazals” have earned him more recognition among the newer generations.

The purview of “ghazals,” which till such time had been predominantly restricted to the expression of heartbreak in love, was expanded by Ghalib. He included different subjects in his “ghazals,” such as the enigmatic aspects of life and philosophy among others. However, in most of his verses, he maintained the tradition of keeping the gender of the adored unspecified.

Many Urdu scholars elucidated Ghalib’s “ghazal” compilations. The first such work was by poet, translator, and scholar of languages Ali Haider Nazm Tabatabai from Hyderabad.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi wrote the first complete English translation of the “ghazals” of Ghalib, which included a full Roman transliteration, an elucidation, and an extended lexicon. The book was titled ‘Love Sonnets of Ghalib’ and was published in India by ‘Rupa & Co.’ and in Pakistan by ‘Ferozsons.’

He was a dedicated Muslim, who believed in seeking God instead of following religious practices. Through his literary work, particularly his poetry, he showed reverence for the Muhammad. Some of his works that illustrate his respect for the Muhammad include ‘Abr-i gauharbar’ (The Jewel-carrying Cloud) and a “qasida” of 101 verses.

He abhorred the practices of some “Ulema,” who, in Ghalib’s poems, reflect hypocrisy and prejudices. Ghalib also wrote against some “maulavis” (clerics) and criticized them for their lack of knowledge and for their imperious confidence.

Once, when the Indian rebellion of 1857 was in full swing, soldiers had dragged Ghalib to Colonel Burn for interrogation. This was on October 5, 1857, in Delhi. Bewildered by the Central-Asian Turk-style headdress he was wearing, the colonel asked, "Well? You Muslim?" Ghalib answered "Half?" The colonel asked again, "What does that mean?" Ghalib replied, "I drink wine, but I don't eat pork."

His take on Hindustan is palpable from the poem ‘Chiragh-i-Dair’ (The Lamp of Temple), which he wrote on his trip to Benares, in the spring of 1827, and where he mused about the Indian subcontinent.