A Life in Years
Tauqeet-e-Ghalib
aaj ik aur baras biit gayā us ke baġhair
jis ke hote hue hote the zamāne mere
Tauqeet-e-Ghalib
27 December
Asadullah Beg Khan is born at Agra to Abdullah Beg Khan and Izzat-un-nissa Begum.
Ghalib starts writing under the pen name 'Asad'.
9 August
Ghalib aged 13, is married to Umrao Begum, aged 11, of Delhi.
‘Asad’ takes the nom de plume 'Ghalib'
28 April
First hearing of the pension case.
27 January
Ghalib's appeal for pension is rejected.
First edition of Urdu diwan is published in Delhi
October
First edition of the persian Diwan, Maikhana-e-Arzu is published by Matba Dar-us-salam.
25 May
Ghalib is arrested for facilitating gambling at his house.
4 July
Bahadur Shah Zafar employs Ghalib on an income of 600 rupees to write the history of Taimur Dynasty.
Death of Umrao Begum's nephew, Zainul Abedin 'Arif, who was very dear to Ghalib.
First edition of Qadir Nama is published.
5 February
Ghalib becomes Ustad of Yusuf Ali Khan Rampur.
November
Dastambo, a brief first person account of the events of 1857 in Persian.
27 October
First collection of Urdu Letters, Ood-e-Hindi, is published.
15 February
Death of Ghalib. He is buried in family graveyard of Loharus near the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Here are some divergent shades of Mirza Ghalib’s multifaceted personality
Here are some divergent shades of Mirza Ghalib’s multifaceted personality
Mirza Ghalib is one of the greatest poets witnessed in the history of Urdu Poetry. He has been the inspiration to Urdu poets across generations. Though difficult in their structure, his couplets are often quoted by the masses in their day-to-day life. This is one of those couplets - ‘maut ka ek din muayyan hai; nind kyun raat bhar nahin aati.’
Mirza Ghalib had a strong command over Persian. His initial work was written in Persian and was inspired by acclaimed Persian poet Bedil Dehalvi. Ghalib remembers him through this couplet- ‘tarz-e-be-dil mein rekhta kahna; asadullah khan qayamat hai’. He also wrote a critique of prevalent Persian dictionary ‘Burhan-e-Qate’ under the title ‘Qate-e-Burhan’.
Mirza was a mentor to countless poets. ‘Shefta’, ‘Hali’, ‘Meer Mehdi Majrooh’ are just a few of the long list of his distinguished disciples. He also mentored ‘Dagh’ Dehlavi after the death of Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq.
Interestingly, most of Ghalib's letters have survived. His distinct writing style and language lends credence to the letters. Primarily addressed to his friends, the letters encapsulate intricacies of Ghalib's life and times. The collection of Ghalib's letter is published into two volumes, 'Ood-e-Hindi' and 'Urdu-e-Moalla'
Watch this exclusive video on Mirza Ghalib
Read interesting articles to explore his world
Read interesting articles to explore his world
Ballimaran, a locality in Purani Dilli is alternatively mentioned by Ghalib as ‘Billimaaron’ in his letter to ‘Tafta’. Although there is no historical reference, a common theory is that there lived a community called Sahansi or Sansi, who used to eat meat of dogs and cats. This is how the neighbourhood was named ‘Billimaran’, a neighbourhood of ‘cat killers’.
Read MoreHere I would like to specially mention a ghazal that was actually composed by Maulvi Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil and deluded even the most prolific scholars of Ghalib. In 1937, Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim Khalil, the headmaster of Model School, Bhopal composed a Ghazal and published it in the school magazine, ‘Gauhar-e-Taleem.’ The ghazal was published under the heading “April-Fool”
Read MoreInteresting videos on Mirza Ghalib
Unconventional 'Ghalib' with Farhat Ehsas
Great Urdu poet occupying a place of pride in world literature. Also one of the most quotable poets having shers for almost all situations of life.
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