Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan known for his Urdu Ghazals was born on the 27th of December 1797 in Agra during the Mughal Era. He also goes by the name Mirza Ghalib. Ghalib is stated as one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language but is still unknown to many today.
Family: Ghalib was married to Umrao Begum at the age of 13. He had 7 children, unfortunately none of them survived beyond 15 months. Later, he adopted his wife’s nephew who succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 35. Ghalib’s relationship with his wife is a mystery and is less spoken about. It is said she is a pious and God fearing woman. Ghalib, on the other hand, was proud to be called a rake.
Titles: In 1850, Ghalib was given the title of Dabir-ul-Mulk and Najm-ud-daula by the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II. Ghalib also received the title of Mirza Nosha from the Emperor. In 1854, Ghalib was appointed as the poet tutor to the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar’s eldest son Prince Fakhr-ud Din Mirza. Ghalib was also appointed as the royal historian for the Mughal Court.
Education: Ghalib’s mother tongue is Urdu followed by Persian and Turkish as his second and third. He received an education in Persian and Arabic at a very young age. A tourist from Iran, Abdus Samad (also called Hormuzd) visited Agra. He stayed at Ghalib’s house for two years and taught him Persian, Arabic, Philosophy and Logic. Ghalib started writing poetry at the age of 11.
Works: Ghalib is a gifted poet and a letter writer. His letters gave foundation to informal and easy Urdu. The rare Kulliyat-e-Ghalib, an anthology of Persian poetry contains 11,337 verses by Ghalib. It is said Ghalib was more inclined towards the Persian language than Urdu. It is said the study of Ghalib would be incomplete without Persian poetry. In one of his letters, Ghalib describes his marriage as the second imprisonment after the initial confinement that is life itself. His poems and Ghazals are translated and recited in many languages.
قید حیات و بند غم ، اصل میں دونوں ایک ہیںموت سے پہلے آدمی غم سے نجات پائے کیوں؟
Translation: The prison of life and the bondage of grief are one and the same before the onset of death, why should man expect to be free of grief?
Career: Being a member of the declining Mughal nobility Ghalib never worked for a livelihood. He either lived on the royal patronage of the Mughal Emperor, credit or the generosity of his friends. It is stated he himself remarked once he would be recognized by later generations. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, Ghalib lost his pension. Despite his many attempts the British Empire never restored his pension.
Being in the Mughal Emperor’s company did not guarantee Ghalib a lavish lifestyle. It is said he once had a debt of Rs. 40,000. Despite these hardships, Ghalib drank French wine every single day. He also loved to eat Bhuna Gosht (a type of fried lamb curry) and Sohan halwa (a type of sweet.) Ghalib had a weakness for drinking and gambling. These two vices stuck with him throughout his life. It is also said Ghalib never owned a house and never bought a book in his lifetime.
It is said associating Ghalib’s name with a poem written by somebody else infuriated him.
Galib Museum: Ghalib passed away on the 15th of February, 1869. Ghalib’s house Gali Qasim Jaan also known as Ghalib ki Haveli in Delhi is now a permanent Ghalib exhibition.
A few of Ghalib’s famous Urdu works translated into English:
1. aah ko chāhiye ik umr asar hote tak
kaun jiitā hai tirī zulf ke sar hote tak
A prayer needs a lifetime, an answer to obtain,
who can live until the time that you decide to deign.
2. bāzīcha-e-atfāl hai duniyā mire aage
hotā hai shab-o-roz tamāshā mire aage
Just like a child’s playground this world appears to me,
every single night and day, this spectacle I see.
3. bas-ki dushvār hai har kaam kā āsāñ honā
aadmī ko bhī mayassar nahīñ insāñ honā
It is difficult that every goal be easily complete.
For a man, too, to be human, is no easy feat.
4. dard minnat–kash-e-davā na huā
maiñ na achchhā huā burā na huā
My pain did not seek favors from any opiate,
I don’t mind the fact that I did not recuperate.
5. hazāroñ ḳhvāhisheñ aisī ki har ḳhvāhish pe dam nikle
bahut nikle mire armān lekin phir bhī kam nikle
I have a thousand yearnings, each one afflicts me so,
many were fulfilled for sure, not enough although.
