Daagh Dehlvi
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Nawab Mirza Khan (Template:Langx, 25 May 1831 – 17 March 1905), popularly known by his takhallus Dagh Dehlvi was an Indian poet known for his Urdu ghazals. He belonged to the old Delhi school of Urdu poetry.<ref name=TheHindu/><ref name=urdupoetry/><ref name=Dawn>Flashback: Remembering a Mughal city Dawn (newspaper), Published 15 January 2012, Retrieved 17 May 2018</ref>
He wrote romantic and sensuous poems and ghazals in simple and chaste Urdu, minimising usage of Persian words. He laid great emphasis on the Urdu idiom and its usage. He wrote under the takhallus (Urdu word for pen name) Daagh Dehlvi (the meanings of Daagh, an Urdu noun, include stain, grief and taint while Dehlvi means belonging to or from Dehli or Delhi). He belonged to the Delhi school of thought.<ref name=TheHindu/>
His honorific Dabeer ud Dawla, Faseeh ul Mulk, Nawab Nizam Jang Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Yar-e-Wafadar, Muqrib-us-Sultan, Bulbul-e-Hindustan, Jahan Ustad, Nazim Yar Jung, were the titles bestowed upon him by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Mahbub Ali Khan.<ref name=TheHindu/>
Daagh was considered one of the best romantic poets of his time by some commentators.<ref name=TheHindu/><ref name=goodreads/>
Life
Early life
Dehlvi was born in Kucha Ustad Dagh, Chandni Chowk in Delhi to Nawab Shamsuddin Ahmed Khan, the ruler of Loharu and Ferozepur Jhirka and Wazir Khanum, daughter of a Delhi jeweller.<ref name=IndianExpress>Template:Cite web</ref> Dehlvi's father was hanged under charges of conspiracy in the murder of William Fraser.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dehlvi at the age of four and his mother at age thirty four, the most sought after lady, wooed and remarried the Mughal crown prince, Mirza Muhammad Fakhroo, an heir to the last Mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar. Hence, Dehlvi had the privileged education at the Delhi Red Fort,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There he received best of education and was later under tutelage of poet laureate, Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq. Later, he also took advice from Ghalib on finer nuances of Urdu literature and poetry. He was also trained in calligraphy and horse riding.<ref name=urdupoetry/>
Literary life
Dehlvi belonged to the Dabistan-e-Dehli (Dehli school of thought) and never allowed western influences on his poetry. He started reciting poetry at the age of ten and his forte was the romantic version, the ghazal. He became popular for his poetry. Unlike the elitist style by the poets of the time, his style was simple and was well received by both, the common man and the elite.<ref name=urdupoetry/>
After Fakhroo's death in 1856, Dehlvi along with his mother left Delhi after facing turbulent times, for Rampur State and came under the aegis of Nawab of Rampur, Yusuf Ali Khan Bahadur. He went into government service there and lived well for 24 years.<ref name=urdupoetry/>
Later life in Hyderabad Deccan
Dehlvi stayed in Hyderabad in 1888 for several months. He left Hyderabad after not being invited to the court by the Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI's court, as access to his court was very limited. He then was invited immediately and was appointed as the court poet and mentor, in 1891, to the Sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, at the age of 60.<ref name=urdupoetry>Profile of Dagh Dehlvi on urdupoetry.com website Published 28 August 2001, Retrieved 17 May 2018</ref>
Contrary to the impression one gets from his poetry, he did not drink wine and shunned it.<ref name=urdupoetry/>
His couplet on Urdu language was:<ref>A complete ghazal by Daagh Dehlvi on rekhta.org website Retrieved 17 May 2018</ref> Template:Verse translation
Death
He died in 1905 at the age of 74 in Hyderabad Deccan after a paralytic stroke. He was buried at Dargah Yousufain in Hyderabad.<ref name=TheHindu>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=urdupoetry/>
Disciples
Dehlvi's students included Allama Iqbal, Hassan Raza Khan (1859-1908), Jigar Moradabadi (1890 – 1960), Seemab Akbarabadi and Ahasan Marharavi, though a widely quoted anecdote relates that when asked to designate his successor as the leading Urdu poet of his age, he replied Bekhudain [the two Bekhuds], referring to Bekhud Badayuni and Bekhud Dehlvi.<ref> Template:Citation </ref><ref name=Dawn/><ref name=urduadab/>
Popular ghazal songs
His selected ghazals are rendered by contemporary ghazal singers, Jagjit Singh, Noor Jahan, Iqbal Bano, Ghulam Ali, Adithya Srinivasan, Malika Pukhraj, Mehdi Hassan, Abida Parveen, Begum Akhtar, Pankaj Udhas and Farida Khanum.<ref name=urduadab>Profile of Daagh Dehlvi on urduadab.com website Retrieved 17 May 2018</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bibliography
His work consists of four volumes, consisting of 16,000 couplets and a Masnavi. The last two volumes he wrote when he was in Hyderabad.
- Gulzar-e-Daagh (1878)
- Masnavi Fariyad-e-Daagh (1882)
- Aftab-e-Daagh (1885)
- Mahtab-e-Daagh (1893)
- Yaadgar-e-Daagh (posthumous, 1905)
- Diwan e Daagh<ref name=goodreads/>
- Intikhab-e-Kalam Daagh (edited by Moinuddin Aqeel)<ref name=goodreads/>