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Mir Taqi Mir—18th-century Urdu poet— and his love for Delhi

The Urdu poet of the 18th century wrote ghazals that inspired certain classic Bollywood hits.

Mir Taqi Mir—18th-century Urdu poet— and his love for Delhi

New Delhi: Mir Taqi Mir, generally referred to as Khuda-e-Sukhan or the ‘God of Poetry’, is known for his irreverent poems and classic ghazals that later formed the basis of many hits in Bollywood. For instance, his poem ‘Dikhayee Diye Yun’ was turned into a song for the movie Bazaar (2018).

ThePrint takes a look at the life of this Urdu poet, his love for Delhi and his reflection on religion on his death anniversary.

A tough childhood of Mir Taqi Mir

Mir Taqi Mir was born in Agra’s Akbarabad in 1722 and in his early years was profoundly influenced by his father and uncle, both dervishes (members of a Sufi fraternity). They also introduced him to other dervishes, fakirs, and holy people, helping him develop a distinctive spiritual outlook, writes S.R. Sharma’s in his book Life,Times and Poetry of Mir.

Mir Taqi Mir was on his own after the death of his uncle and father, about the age of 10.

Shortly afterwards, he moved to Delhi, where, Sharma writes, he wrote about the large-scale destruction of the city by invaders such as the Afghans, Marathas and Rohillas.

According to the Urdu scholar Javed Manzar, “Life was not easy for Mir.”

Subsequently, Mir Taqi Mir was invited to join Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula’s court and transferred to Lucknow in 1782. Though well-respected by the Nawab, local poets did not like Mir. Manzar mentions how the poet once called “insects” to his contemporaries.

Mir Taqi Mir settled with his wife, daughter and two sons in Lucknow, one of whom became a poet “although not of the repute of his father.” He died on September 21, 1810, and was buried in Sathati, a small village.

Tryst with Delhi and a controversy

Despite its “ragged state,” Mir Taqi Mir was passionately in love with Delhi, writes Urdu evangelist Saif Mahmood in his novel. Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets.

This can be seen in his lines —

Where only ruined walls and doorways stand

Sikhs, Marathas, thieves, pickpockets, beggars, kings all prey on us

Happy he is who has no wealth, this is the one true wealth today…”

He wrote a ‘shehr-e-ashob’ as well an elegy that mourns the demise of the grandeur of Delhi after invaders looted and ransacked it. In one line, Mir Taqi Mir says, “At every step there was once a home here”.

Mir approaches other men with a tone of homoeroticism in many of his poems as well. Sample the couplet —

Your face with the down on it, is our Quran

What if we kiss it, it is our faith.

Finding him inebriated, I pulled him into my arms last night

He said “So you too have become intoxicated tonight.

It would be strange if an angel could hold its own

The fairy-faced boys of Delhi are far ahead of them.”

He reflected on religion’s hypocrisy. He writes in one ghazal, “The sheikh who is standing naked today in the mosque was in the tavern last night.”

Critics and poets have been criticising Mir’s works for years for being too outspoken. “Whether it is beards or poetic rivalry, Mir Taqi Mir always has something to say. And when he speaks, it is with a flair and a passion that is unrivalled,” Madhavi Menon, author and Professor of English at Ashoka University, tells ThePrint.

A master of Urdu, admired by Ghalib

Mir Taqi Mir, unlike other 18th century poets who wrote in Persian, wrote in Urdu. While some call him “Urdu ghazal’s undisputed master,” others mention his dominance over Mirza Ghalib. But Ghalib himself was known to praise Mir, praising him and calling him the “master of Urdu” in much of his poetry.

On 21 September 1810, Mir Taqi Mir died of a laxative overdose in Lucknow, leaving behind a legacy of socio-political commentary on love, human connection, and the soul of man.

An Urdu scholar, Aslam Farrukhi, once said, “He [Mir] teaches us to love ourselves, humanity and the environment.”

From some news agency

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