Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810) is called ‘Khuda e Sukhan’ (The God of Poetry) by Urdu scholars. To mark his 300th birth anniversary, Vipin Garg has compiled and edited a book entitled “Chalo Tuk Mir Ko Sunne” enlisting more than 8,500 couplets of Mir in Hindi, published by Rajkamal Prakashan. This is for the first time that such  an ambitious work has been carried out in Devnagri script, contextualising each couplet with its meanings. The book also contains an exhaustive glossary, explaining the meanings of about 2,500 proverbs (muhavras) from Mir’s time.  

Vipin Garg, while growing up in the northern city of Meerut, fell in love with Mir’s poetry, and at that time he didn’t even know how to read and write the Urdu script. Garg did learn Urdu, later, and now he writes Urdu poetry as well. He has been exploring the work of Mir for the last 10 years, consisting of more than 30,000 couplets. 

Vipin Garg is in conversation with Mehr e Alam, Urdu scholar and Editor. This programme was recorded at Sharif Manzil, Ballimaran, Old Delhi, India, in March 2024. Once Mir and Ghalib frequented this part of the city. This podcast is also available in a video format on youtube. 

Urdu Bagh is a Cineink Podcast series produced by broadcaster Pervaiz Alam.