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Fani Badayuni, born Shaukat Ali Khan on September 13, 1879, in Badaun district, was a distinguished Urdu poet renowned for his poignant and melancholic poetry. He hailed from a family that had migrated to India from Kabul during the reign of Shah Alam. He graduated from Bareilly College in 1901 and earned his Bachelor of Laws from Aligarh Muslim University in 1906. Fani began composing poetry at a young age, completing his first Divan by age 20. He persevered despite initial resistance from his orthodox family, who disapproved of his poetic pursuits. His first collection was published in 1917 from Badaun, and his second, ‘Baqiyat-e-Fani,’ was published in 1926. In 1932, Fani moved to Hyderabad at the invitation of Maharaja Kishan Prasad 'Shad,' an Urdu enthusiast and poet. There, he served as a school headmaster and was actively involved in the literary circles of the time, including the court of Prince Moazzam Jah. Fani's poetry is characterized by its deep exploration of sorrow and existential angst, drawing comparisons to the works of Mir Taqi Mir. Fani Badayuni passed away in Hyderabad on August 27, 1941, leaving a profound and introspective legacy.

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Dagh Dehlvi (1831–1905) was one of the most celebrated poets of classical Urdu ghazal of the late 19th century.  He came from an aristocratic family, but his father, Nawab Shamsuddin Ahmed Khan, was implicated in the murder of the British Resident William Fraser in 1835 and was executed by the British. This event drastically altered Dagh’s childhood. Following his father’s death, his mother, Wazir Khanum, married the Mughal crown prince Mirza Fakhru, bringing Dagh into the Mughal court's cultural sphere. Dagh was greatly influenced by Zauq, the poet laureate of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s court. The 1857 Revolt and the British suppression of Delhi forced Dagh to leave the city. He moved to Rampur, where the Nawab patronized him, and he later shifted to Hyderabad, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Nizam. Unlike Ghalib and Iqbal, who explored deep philosophical themes, Dagh’s poetry remained centered on the traditional ghazal themes of love and passion. He was also a great poetry teacher, and Allama Iqbal was briefly among his students. Dagh passed away in 1905 in Hyderabad, where he spent his final years under the patronage of the Nizam.

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Momin Khan Momin (1800-1851) was one of the most significant poets of the late Mughal period in Delhi. Born into a family of physicians, he was educated in Persian, Arabic, and traditional Islamic sciences. His real name was Muhammad Momin Khan, but he is known by his pen name ‘Momin.’ Momin was associated with the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, where he was highly respected for his poetic genius. Unlike many of his contemporaries who wrote primarily in Persian, Momin chose to write predominantly in Urdu, contributing significantly to the development of the Urdu ghazal. He is mainly celebrated for his expression’s delicacy (nazakat) and his masterful use of Urdu. His poetry is known for its sophisticated wordplay, subtle imagery, and deep emotional resonance. While his contemporary Mirza Ghalib is often considered the greater philosopher-poet, Momin is regarded as unmatched in his ability to express the nuances of love and longing.

His most famous couplet, ‘Tum mere pas hote ho goya’ (You seem to be near me), remains one of the most celebrated couplets in Urdu literature. Despite his significant contribution to Urdu poetry, Momin lived in relative poverty, supporting himself through his practice as a hakim (traditional physician).

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Maulana Altaf Husain Hali (1837-1914) was a significant Urdu poet and writer from the nineteenth century. He was born in Panipat and wrote in classical Persian and Urdu poetic traditions. However, after meeting Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, he became an essential voice for social reform and modernization in Muslim society. Hali's most famous work is the ‘Musaddas-e-Hali,’ a long poem that critically examined the decline of Muslim civilization and called for social and educational reforms. He was also known for breaking away from the traditional ghazal form to write more socially conscious poetry. He served as a teacher and wrote several influential works of literary criticism, including ‘Muqaddimah-e-Sher-o-Shayiiri’ (An Introduction to Poetry and Poetics), which helped establish modern literary criticism in Urdu. Hali also wrote biographies, including an essential work on Mirza Ghalib, with whom he had studied poetry.

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Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, better known as Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869), was one of the most influential and celebrated Urdu poets. Born in Agra during the decline of the Mughal Empire, he moved to Delhi after his marriage at a young age, where he spent most of his life. Despite facing personal tragedies, including the deaths of all seven of his children in infancy and persistent financial difficulties, Ghalib produced some of the most sophisticated and philosophically complex poetry of his time. His ghazals, characterized by their deep intellectual and emotional depth, often explored themes of love, loss, and the nature of existence. Though he considered himself primarily a Persian poet, his Urdu works earned him lasting fame. Ghalib served as the poet tutor to the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and witnessed the traumatic events of the 1857 uprising against British rule. While his work was not fully appreciated during his lifetime, his poetry became recognized as among the finest in Urdu literature, influencing generations of poets and writers across South Asia.

There is a library full of books about Ghalib and his poetry. But if you have the time to read just one book, it should be ‘Ghalib: Innovative Meanings and the Ingenious Mind’ by Professor Gopi Chand Narang, published by the Oxford University Press in 2017. Nothing else comes close.

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Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810) was born in Agra into a family that enjoyed great respect because of his father’s spiritual leanings. His father inspired Mir to follow the path of universal love and compassion. A tragedy struck when Mir was still young. He fell in love with an extended family member he could not marry. Heartbroken, he left Agra for Delhi, but that city was already in turmoil due to foreign invasions. Lovestruck and without any support, Mir lost the balance of his mind. When Nadir Shah attacked, he left Delhi and settled in Lucknow, where he got an offer of support from Nawab Asifuddaulah, which he turned down and preferred to live in misery. Mir left behind six divans of Urdu ghazals and one of Persian ghazals, apart from other writings that included Zikr-e Mir (an autobiography).

If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of Mir Taqi Mir’s work, please consult ‘The Hidden Garden: Mir Taqi Mir’ by Professor Gopi Chand Narang (translated from Urdu by Surinder Deol), published by Penguin / Viking in 2021.

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Khwaja Mir Dard (1721-1785) was born to a highly respected religious family in Delhi. His father had relinquished his position in the Court to lead the life of a Sufi. Dard, therefore, received his spiritual education from his father. Although many poets left Delhi during the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali, Dard stayed in Delhi and witnessed horrible atrocities. He attained mastery over the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. His close reading of the Quran showed in his poetry. He left behind a collection of Urdu ghazals, a Persian Divan, a prose discourse, a compilation of mystical sayings called Chahaar Risaala, and a book on the Muhammadi path.

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Mirza Mohammad Rafi Sauda (1713-1781) belonged to a family of traders who had migrated to India from Afghanistan. Because of his father's influence in the social circles, Sauda had easy access to nobility and social prestige that others longed for. But this situation didn’t last long. When Delhi came under attack, the family had to find a new place to live. Nawab Asifuddaulah patronized Sauda and was rewarded with an annual stipend of six thousand rupees. Sauda wrote in Persian before coming to Urdu. The Persian literary tradition helped him acquire a tone and tenor, which he adopted to his benefit for writing his poetry in Urdu. He practiced various forms of poetry like panegyric, satire, and elegy and emerged as one of the foundational poets of Urdu Ghazal.

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Zehra Nigah, lovingly called Zehra Aapa, was ten years old when her family moved from Hyderabad, her place of birth, to Karachi after the Partition. Her father was a civil servant who had a deep interest in literature. He passed on his love of books to his children, who excelled in various literary and artistic fields. Zehra Nigah started writing early and gained great popularity among Mushaira audiences. She settled in London after she married Majid Ali. Her house in London became the center of literary activities and poetry recitations, especially when Faiz visited them. She has won several awards and honors for her scholarly achievements. Her notable publications include Shaam Ka Pehla Tara, Warq, Firaq, Gul Chandni, and Lafz.

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Rahat Indori was born in Indore in 1950 in a family that was going through a rough financial time, and as a result, he had to face the brutal realities of life, starting in his childhood. Despite these challenges, he struggled to get a good education, including a doctoral degree. His poetry had an element of directness that summed up the social and political difficulties facing ordinary people. In addition, he developed a style of recitation that impressed Mushaira audiences. Many leading ghazal singers sang his ghazals. He passed away in his hometown in 2020.