Nukta is a generic term for the diacritic mark in several Brahmic scripts, like Devanagari that is used to represent sounds from other languages by being applied to an existing character. The word nukta, originates from the Arabic word nuqta (نقطة).

External links

An Introduction to Indic scripts

Category:Brahmic diacritics

Name	Urdu poet of Mughal era Mirza Assadullah Khan Ghalib
Color	#B0C4DE
Caption	Mirza Ghalib
Pseudonym	Asad, Ghalib
Birthdate	December 27, 1797
Birthplace	Agra, Maratha Confederacy
Deathdate	February 15, 1869
Deathplace	Delhi, Punjab, British India
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	Indian
Period	Mughal era
Genre	Ghazal
Subject	Love, Philosophy
Influences	Meer Taqi Meer, Abdul-Qader Bedil, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi
Influenced	Urdu poetry, Maulana Hali, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, Faiz

Dabeer-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-daulah Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan (Urdu/Persian: ), pen-name Ghalib (Urdu/Persian: , ġhālib means dominant) and (former pen-name) Asad' (Urdu/Persian: , asad means lion) (27 December 1797 — 15 February 1869), was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from the Indian subcontinent during British colonial rule. During his lifetime the Mughals were eclipsed and displaced by the British and finally deposed following the defeat of the Indian rebellion of 1857, events that he wrote of. Most notably, he wrote several ghazals during his life, which have since been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people. He is considered, in South Asia, to be the one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. Ghalib today remains popular amongst Urdu speakers not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world.

Family and early life

Mirza Ghalib was born in Agra into a family descended from Aibak Turks who moved to Samarkand after the downfall of the Seljuk kings. His paternal grandfather, Mirza Qoqan Baig Khan was a Saljuq Turk who had immigrated to India from Samarkand سمرقند (now in Uzbekistan) during the reign of Ahmad Shah (1748–54). He worked at Lahore, Delhi and Jaipur, was awarded the subdistrict of Pahasu (Bulandshahr, UP) and finally settled in Agra, UP, India. He had 4 sons and 3 daughters. Mirza Abdullah Baig Khan and Mirza Nasrullah Baig Khan were two of his sons. Mirza Abdullah Baig Khan (Ghalibs father) got married to Izzat-ut-Nisa Begum, and then lived at the house of his father in law. He was employed first by the Nawab of Lucknow and then the Nizam of Hyderabad, Deccan. He died in a battle in 1803 in Alwar and was buried at Rajgarh (Alwar, Rajasthan). Then Ghalib was a little over 5 years of age. He was raised first by his Uncle Mirza Nasrullah Baig Khan.

Mirza Nasrullah Baig Khan (Ghalibs uncle) started taking care of the three orphaned children. He was the governor of Agra under the Marathas. The British appointed him an officer of 400 cavalrymen,fixed his salary at Rs.1700.00 month, and awarded him 2 parganas in Mathura (UP, India). When he died in 1806, the British took away the parganas and fixed his pension as Rs. 10,000 per year, linked to the state of Firozepur Jhirka (Mewat, Haryana). The Nawab of Ferozepur Jhirka reduced the pension to Rs. 3000 per year. Ghalibs share was Rs. 62.50 / month. Ghalib was married at age 13 to Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh (brother of the Nawab of Ferozepur Jhirka). He soon moved to Delhi, along with his younger brother, Mirza Yousuf Khan, who had developed schizophrenia at a young age and later died in Delhi during the chaos of 1857.

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Translation: :The prison of life and the bondage of grief are one and the same :Before the onset of death, how can man expect to be free of grief?

Royal titles

In 1850, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II revived upon Mirza Ghalib the title of "Dabeer-ul-Mulk". The Emperor also added to it the additional title of Najm-ud-daulah. The conferment of these titles was symbolic of Mirza Ghalib’s incorporation into the nobility of Delhi. He also received the title of 'Mirza Nosha' by the emperor, thus adding Mirza as his first name. He was also an important courtier of the royal court of the Emperor. As the Emperor was himself a poet, Mirza Ghalib was appointed as his poet tutor in 1854. He was also appointed as tutor of Prince Fakhr-ud Din Mirza, eldest son of Bahadur Shah II,(d. 10 July 1856). He was also appointed by the Emperor as the royal historian of Mughal Court.

Although Ghalib himself was far prouder of his poetic achievements in Persian, he is today more famous for his Urdu ghazals. Numerous elucidations of Ghalib's ghazal compilations have been written by Urdu scholars. The first such elucidation or Sharh was written by Ali Haider Nazm Tabatabai of Hyderabad during the rule of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. Before Ghalib, the ghazal was primarily an expression of anguished love; but Ghalib expressed philosophy, the travails and mysteries of life and wrote ghazals on many other subjects, vastly expanding the scope of the ghazal. This work is considered his paramount contribution to Urdu poetry and literature.

In keeping with the conventions of the classical ghazal, in most of Ghalib's verses, the identity and the gender of the beloved is indeterminate. The critic/poet/writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqui explains that the convention of having the "idea" of a lover or beloved instead of an actual lover/beloved freed the poet-protagonist-lover from the demands of realism. Love poetry in Urdu from the last quarter of the seventeenth century onwards consists mostly of "poems about love" and not "love poems" in the Western sense of the term.

The first complete English translation of Ghalib's ghazals was written by Sarfaraz K. Niazi and published by Rupa & Co in India and Ferozsons in Pakistan. The title of this book is Love Sonnets of Ghalib and it contains complete Roman transliteration, explication and an extensive lexicon.

His letters

poem in Nastaliq]] Mirza Ghalib was a gifted letter writer. Not only Urdu poetry but the prose is also indebted to Mirza Ghalib. His letters gave foundation to easy and popular Urdu. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He made his letters "talk" by using words and sentences as if he were conversing with the reader. According to him "sau kos se ba-zaban-e-qalam baatein kiya karo aur hijr mein visaal ke maze liya karo" [ from hundred of miles talk with the tongue of the pen and enjoy the joy of meeting even when you are separated] His letters were very informal, some times he would just write the name of the person and start the letter. He himself was very humorous and also made his letter very interesting. He said "main koshish karta hoon keh koi aisi baat likhoon jo parhay khoosh ho jaaye" [ I want to write the lines that whoever reads those should enjoy it] When the third wife of one of his friends died, he wrote... Some scholar says that Ghalib would have the same place in Urdu literature if only on the basis of his letters.They have been translated into English by Ralph Russell, The Oxford Ghalib.

Ghalib was a chronicler of this turbulent period.One by one, Ghalib saw the bazaars – Khas Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Kharam-ka Bazaar, disappear, whole mohallas (localities) and katras (lanes) vanish. The havelis (mansions) of his friends were razed to the ground. Ghalib wrote that Delhi had become a desert. Water was scarce. Delhi was now “ a military camp”. It was the end of the feudal elite to which Ghalib had belonged. He wrote:

“An ocean of blood churns around me- Alas! Were these all!
The future will show
What more remains for me to see”.

His pen name

His original Takhallus (pen-name) was Asad, drawn from his given name, Asadullah Khan. At some point early in his poetic career he also decided to adopt the takhallus 'Ghalib' (meaning all conquering, superior, most excellent).

Popular legend has it that he changed his pen name to 'Ghalib' when he came across this sher (couplet) by another poet who used the takhallus (pen name) 'Asad':

The legend says that upon hearing this couplet, Ghalib ruefully exclaimed, "whoever authored this couplet does indeed deserve the Lord's rahmat (mercy) (for having composed such a deplorable specimen of Urdu poetry). If I use the takhallus Asad, then surely (people will mistake this couplet to be mine and) there will be much la'anat (curse) on me!" And, saying so, he changed his takhallus to 'Ghalib'.

However, this legend is little more than a figment of the legend-creator's imagination. Extensive research performed by commentators and scholars of Ghalib's works, notably Imtiyaz Ali Arshi and Kalidas Gupta Raza, has succeeded in identifying the chronology of Ghalib's published work (sometimes down to the exact calendar day!). Although the takhallus 'Asad' appears more infrequently in Ghalib's work than 'Ghalib', it appears that he did use both his noms de plume interchangeably throughout his career and did not seem to prefer either one over the other.

:See note at Urdu poetry#Pen names (Takhallus)

Mirza Ghalib and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

1855, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan finished his highly scholarly, very well researched and illustrated edition of Abul Fazl’s Ai’n-e Akbari, itself an extraordinarily difficult book. Having finished the work to his satisfaction, and believing that Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a person who would appreciate his labours, Syed Ahmad approached the great Ghalib to write a taqriz (in the convention of the times, a laudatory foreword) for it. Ghalib obliged, but what he did produce was a short Persian poem castigating the Ai’n-e Akbari, and by implication, the imperial, sumptuous, literate and learned Mughal culture of which it was a product. The least that could be said against it was that the book had little value even as an antique document. Ghalib practically reprimanded Syed Ahmad Khan for wasting his talents and time on dead things. Worse, he praised sky-high the “sahibs of England” who at that time held all the keys to all the a’ins in this world.

This poem is often referred to but has never translated in English. Shamsur Rahman Faruqi wrote an English translation. taking active interest in history and archealogy, and became a social reformer.

Personal life

Mirza was born in Kala Mahal in Agra. In the end of 18th century, his birthplace was converted into Indrabhan Girls' Inter College. The birth room of Mirza Ghalib is preserved within in the school. Around 1810, he was married to Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh Khan of Loharu (younger brother of the first Nawab of Loharu, Nawab Mirza Ahmad Baksh Khan, at the age of thirteen. He had seven children, none of whom survived (this pain has found its echo in some of Ghalib's ghazals). There are conflicting reports regarding his relationship with his wife. She was considered to be pious, conservative and God-fearing.

Ghalib was proud of his reputation as a rake. He was once imprisoned for gambling and subsequently relished the affair with pride. Once, when someone praised the poetry of the pious Sheikh Sahbai in his presence, Ghalib immediately retorted, "How can Sahbai be a poet? He has never tasted wine, nor has he ever gambled; he has not been beaten with slippers by lovers, nor has he ever seen the inside of a jail." In the Mughal court circles, he even acquired a reputation as a "ladies' man".

He died in Delhi on February 15, 1869. The house where he lived in Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, in Old Delhi has now been turned into 'Ghalib Memorial' and houses a permanent Ghalib exhibition.

Religious views

Ghalib was a very liberal mystic who believed that the search for god within liberated the seeker from the narrowly Orthodox Islam, encouraging the devotee to look beyond the letter of the law to its narrow essence. His Sufi views and mysticism is greatly reelected in his poems and ghazals. As he once stated: :" The object of my worship lies beyond perception's reach; : For men who see, the Ka'aba is a compass, nothing more."

Like many other Urdu poets, Ghalib was capable of writing profoundly religious poetry, yet was skeptical about the literalist interpretation of the Islamic scriptures. On the Islamic view and claims of paradise, he once wrote in a letter to a friend: :"In paradise it is true that i shall drink at dawn the pure wine mentioned in the Qu'ran, but where in paradise are the long walks with intoxicated friends in the night, or the drunken crowds shouting merrily? Where shall i find there the intoxication of Monsoon clouds? Where there is no autumn, how can spring exist? If the beautiful houris are always there, where will be the sadness of separation and the joy of union? Where shall we find there a girl who flees away when we would kiss her?".

He believed that if God laid within and could be reached less by ritual than by love, then he was as accessible to Hindus as to Muslims. As a testament to this, he would later playfully write in a letter that during a trip to Benares, he was half tempted to settle down there for good and that he wished he had renounced Islam, put a Hindu sectarian mark on his forehead, tied a sectarian thread around his waist and seated himself on the banks of the Ganges so that he could wash the contamination of his existence away from himself and like a drop be one with the river. Serial's music has since been recognised as Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh's magnum opus enjoying a cult following in the Indian subcontinent.

The Pakistan government in 1969 commissioned Khaliq Ibrahim (died 2006) to make a documentary on Mirza Ghalib. The movie was completed in 1971-72. It is said, that the movie, a docudrama, was historically more correct than what the official Pakistan government point of view was. Thus, it was never released. Till this date, barring a few private viewing, the movie is lying with the Department of Films and Publication, Government of Pakistan. The movie was made on 16 mm format. Ghalib's role was played by actor Subhani Bayunus, who later played this role in many TV productions.

Various theatre groups have staged plays related to the life of Mirza Ghalib. These have shown different lifestyles and the way he lived his life.

An animation film on Mirza Ghalib is telecast on Zee Cinema.

Ghalib in today's culture

Ghalib's is still very popular today, and his poetry is well known.

See also

Ghalib Study Centre, Ibn Sina Academy

Urdu poetry

List of Urdu language poets

List of Persian poets and authors

References

External links

Ballimaran.com Haveli of Mirza Ghalib, Chandni Chowk, Delhi

Ghalib Institute, New Delhi

A Visit to Mirza Ghalib's Haveli in Ballimara, Old Delhi

Ghalib in Love

(Blog) Kuchh Sacche Moti: Ghalib

; Works

Ghalib at Kavita Kosh (Devanagari Hindi script)

Fully coloured Deewan-e-Ghalib

Ghazal Translated By Qazi Muhammad Ahkam

koii ummiid bar nahii.n aatii Translated By Qazi Muhammad Ahkam

Selected Ghazals of Ghalib(Audio) Read by Qazi Muhammad Ahkam

DIVAN - E - GHALIB The Urdu Ghazals of Mirza Asadullah Khan "GHALIB".

Deewan-E-Ghalib

Poetry of Ghalib - Complete Collection of Mirza Ghalib, A large Number of his Ghazals

The Love Sonnets of Ghalib - Biography, selected works, and all things Ghalib

Biography and selected works

The Joy of the Drop - 37 poems by Ghalib in English translation.

Selected couplets of Mirza Ghalib

Selected couplets with translation of Mirza Ghalib

English translation of one of Ghalib's Persian poems.

Authorised Version of Deewan-e-Ghalib known as Nuskhae Hamidia uploaded by Javed Hussen

Complete Persian poetry of Mirza Ghalib at scribd uploaded by Javed Hussen

Mirza Ghalib's Diary of 1857 First Indian Libaretion Struggle in Urdu Translation uploaded by Javed Hussen

unpublished Poems of Mirza Ghalib edited by Kalidas Gupta Raza uploaded by Javed Hussen

original Urdu free pdf of Yaadgare Ghalib by Altaf Hussain Hali

An Bangla selected translation of Mirza Ghalib with originial Urdu

Category:Urdu poets Category:Indian poets Category:1796 births Category:1869 deaths Category:Persian poets Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Agra Category:People from Delhi Category:Persian literature

Name	Abida Parveen
Background	solo_singer
Origin	Larkana, Pakistan
Genre	Kafi Ghazal Qawwali
Occupation	Singer Musician
Years active	1973–present

Abida Parveen (born 1954) (, }}), is a singer of Sindhi descent and one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music (Sufiana kalaam). She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets. Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian, and together with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era. A few years ago she has taken a Bay'ah, and formally entered into the tutelage of a spiritual master, Muhammad Najeeb Sultan. She has expressed Muhammad Najeeb Sultan as her spiritual master in many songs. In December 2009 she launched an album in his name.

Early life

Abida Parveen, a Sindhi, was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana (Sindh province, Pakistan).

Career

Abida Parveen embarked upon her professional career from Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in 1973. Her first hit was the Sindhi song “Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha”.

Coke Studio

Abida performed on the internationally acclaimed Pakistani show Coke Studio, on which she sang three songs, including Ramooz-e-Ishq, Nigah-e-Darwaishaan, and Soz-e-Ishq.

Personal life

Abida was married to Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, senior producer at Radio Pakistan, who died a few years ago and who nurtured her development as a singer in her early years. The couple had a daughter Priya, an MBA who acts as her adviser, and a son Saranj.

Awards

President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance (1982), and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2005).

Discography

Aap Ki Abida

Are Logo Tumhara Kiya

Best of Abida Parveen (1997)

Baba Bulleh Shah

Abida Parveen Sings Songs of the Mystics Vol 1

Arifana Kalam

Chants Soufis Du Pakistan

Faiz by Abida

Ghalib by Abida Parveen

Ghazal Ka Safar Vol I

Ghazal Ka Safar Vol II

Har Tarannum

Hazrat Sultanul Arafin Haq Bahu Rematullah

Heer By Abida

Ho Jamalo

Ishq Mastana

Jahan-e-Khusrau

Jeewey Sain Yan Jeewey

Kabir by Abida (2002)

Kafian Bulleh Shah

Kafiyan Khwaja Ghulam Farid

Khazana

Kuch Is Ada Se Aaj

Latthe Di Chadar

Mahi Yaar Di Ghadoli

Mere Dil Se

Meri Pasand - Abida Parveen

Raqs-e-Bismil - Dance of the Wounded

Sarhadein

Sings Amir Khusrau

Tera Ishq Nachaya

The very best of Abida

Yaadgar Ghazalen Vol 1

Rukh-e-Murshid (A tribute to Abida Parveen's Murshid Sahibzada Muhammad Najeeb Sultan)

References

External links

Abida Parveen Biography

Courting Ecstasy In Songs Of Pakistan at New York Times

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Pakistani female singers Category:Pakistani ghazal singers Category:Pakistani qawwali singers Category:Pakistani singers Category:People from Larkana District Category:Performers of Sufi music Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance award Category:Sindhi people Category:Sitara-i-Imtiaz