Mirza Ghalib

Mohammed Asadullah Khan “Mirza Ghalib” is one of India’s most popular poets, skilled in Urdu and Farsi (Persian). The Tomb of Ghalib is next to Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Mazaar. The tomb is made of white marble, and is worthy of the poet. The location is rather squalid, though. The tomb complex is usually kept locked; apparently there are loads of drug addicts in the area.

The inscription on the tombstone is in Persian - Ghalib’s house in Ballimaran, Chandi Chowk, Old Delhi back in the day when I lived in the city. Here’re a couple of assorted verses:

It is well-known that Ghalib was a prolific letter writer and also a calligrapher of no mean distinction. The visitors to the museum can witness some of Ghalib’s writings in his hand-written postcards, letters and pension papers. There are also dummies of delicious foods that Ghalib enjoyed, like, seekh kabab, shammi kabab, dahi, pasande, murg massalam, kofta, dal chana, karela, yakhni, maash ki dal, besani roti. Standing there in the museum one can just smell the aroma of all these mouth-watering gourmet dishes. Alongside are displayed a silver glass with intricate engravings, a silver bowl, a soup spoon and other pieces of cutlery which belonged to Ghalib. Even the clothes of Ghalib, his shoes and his walking stick are exhibited. Ghalib had a great passion for chess and gambling, this is evident by the display of Ghalib’s personal chessboard made out of cloth with wooden pieces. One of the favourite pastimes of Ghalib was kite-flying. His charkhi, which is on display in the museum, bears testimony to him being a great patangbaaz. There have been artists, like Saadquin, Chagtai and Cpt. Sayyal who have illustrated his couplets in painting or in stone carvings some of which can be seen in the museum.

Ghalib Academy is situated opposite the Qawwali hall of the holy shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Nizam Uddin Aulia near the mausoleum of Ghalib, in the bustling by-lane of Nizamuddin. This place is also a stone’s throw from the tombs of two celebrated poets Amir Khusro and Abdur Rahim Khan Khanan. Built in the architectural style contemporaneous to Ghalib, the Academy’s building has ornamental canopies and embellishments with delicate lattice work along with modern adaptations in order to meet the requirements of the present day. Set in the midst of historical residuum, the place breathes the bewitching grace resembling the times and life of Ghalib. The Academy was established on the death centenary of Ghalib in 1969. It was inaugurated by another Ghalib fan and a man with a name in the world of Letters, President Zakir Hussain. The Academy was equipped with an auditorium, museum and a conscientiously built library, to serve as a melting-pot for all research and discourse on Ghalib and his times.