Click on photo for a list of nazm/Ghazal. Click on selection for content.
00-muKhtalif shu’ara
A collection of different shu’ara,. Only one or two selections of their work appear in urdushahkar.
aal-e ahmad suroor
1911-2002 academic, critic, writer, editor, poet. MA English and urdu literature. Head of the department of urdu at aligaRh.
aalamtaab tishna
(1935-1991), born in meraTh, migrated to pakistan in 1959, describes it as “banbaas” given to him by “kaikaii of the times”.
aGha jaan aish dehlavi
(1779-1874). Third generation hakim. Criticized Ghalib’s difficult style.
ahmad faraz
(1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes.
akbar allahabadi
(1846-1921) judge witty, famous for humorous and satirical compositions. Serious Ghazal are also excellent.
ali akbar naatiq
1976-living and rising poet with a new style and deep thought.
ali haidar nazm tabaatabaaii
(1854-1933), scholar, critic, translator and poet. 1883 to hyderabad, Professor, Nizam College and Department of Translation, Osmania University with josh malihabadi.
altaaf husain haali
(1837-1914), panipat. Later education in dehli in arabi and faarsi. Devshaagird of Ghalib aoted nd wrote ‘yaadgaar-e Ghalib’.
ameer chand bahaar
(1925-xxxx). 8 collections of Ghazal, nazm, rubaaii and poetic translations of English poems. Taught English at ludhiana and rohtak goverment colleges.
ameeta parsuram
(1955-living) practicing psychologist with an inherited taste for urdu. Went back to school after graduation to learn it. Beautiful woman’s perspective in her Ghazal.
amir minaaii
1829-1900 classical romance shaa’er. Lost patronge in dehli after 1857. Moved to kaakori, rampur and finally hyderabad.
anand narain mullah
(1901-1997), a kashmiri panDit, lukhnow, high court judge, lok sabha and rajya sabha , liberal thinker. communal harmony, urdu lover.
asGhar gonDvi
(1884-1936) from a family of limited means, he learnt urdu, arabi, faarsi and English through personal effort. He has a philosophical sufiyaana bent.
asrar-ul-haq-majaz
(1911-1955) was progressive as well as romantic poet, a heartthrob. He received his BA from aligaRh. Free spirit. Tragic death.
baalmukund arsh malsiani
(1908-1979) son of labhuram josh malsiani from malsian (now in Pakistan). Succeeded josh malihabadi as Editor of ‘aajkal’. Liberal, communal harmony.
bahaadur shaah zafar
(1775-1862) nominal emperor 1837-1857. Scholar of faarsi and arabi, started composing at an early age. Held frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort.
bahzad lakhnavi
(1900-1974) sufiyaana and aashiqaana Ghazal folk songs lyrics. Devout, observant muslim and wrote geet/bhajan to ram and krishn as well.
bekal utsahi
(1930-2016) padma shri, observant muslim and composed paens to ram and krishn. Extensive use of avadhi.
beKhud dehlavi
(1863-1955), shaa’er of classical romantic style, shaagird of daaGh dehlavi.
bharatendu harishchandra rasaa
1850-1885 – 3rd generation poet. High calibre Ghazal. Later turned bitterly anti-urdu.
bishweshvar parshad munavvar lakhnavi
(1897-1970) scholar of arabi, faarsi, urdu, and hindi. His father, dwarka prasad ufaq. Both translated hindu religious texts into urdu.
brij mohan kaifi
(1866-1955) kashmiri panDit, scholar of arabi, faarsi, sanskrit and urdu. urdu lover. Wrote a short history of the evolution of the language.
brij-n-chakbast
(1882-1926) kashmiri panDit, lukhnow. Learnt arabi, farsi and ursu from maulvi. Later lawyer. Very politically aware. Communal harmony.
chandr bhan barhaman
(1574-1662) companion/friend of daara shikoh.. Ghazal recited by daara shikoh in the court of shaah jahaaN. Early Ghazal in urdu. The rest of the work of barhaman is in faarsi.
chandr bhan kaifi dehlavi
(????-1941) Ghazal in classical style on classical themes. nazm on nationalistic and communal harmony themes. Taught faarsi.
channulal dilgir
(1780-1848), a hindu from lucknow. Reported to have written 500+ marsia “The Making of Awadh Culture”, by Madhu Trivedi, Gazetteer 1877.
chaudhry dillu ram kausari
(1882-1936) vaishnavi hindu hisaar district, haryana. Published in magazines, later collected and published in a booklet, posthumously. Rare books in salar jung museum, hyderabad
daaGh dehlavi
(1831-1905), raised in laal qila. After 1857, moved to rampur, later hyderabad, earthy and romantic shaagird of zauq, and close relationship with Ghalib.
darshan singh darshan
(1921-1989) rawalpindi faarsi, urdu and English. Wrote respectfully of all religions. Retired as deputy secretary finance government of India.
daya shankar kaul naseem
dilavar figaar
durga sahay suroor
dwarka das sho’la
1910-1983 lahore, later dehli. Very successful pharmacy business. No formal education. urdu lover.
Elizabeth Kurian mona
1949-living poet in malyalam, English. Learnt urdu late by correspondence course. Ghazal favourite genre. Four books.
faani-badayuni
fahmida riaz
faiz
ganesh bihari srivastav tarz
(1928-2008). BA LLB from lucknow. He worked in various legal and administrative positions. Started composing around 1949. Brother of kishan bihari noor.
Ghulam hamdaani mus’hafi
1699-1783 dehli to lakhnau. Voracious reader. Copious notes. Work scattered. Legendary rivalry with insha KhaaN insha.
gopal das neeraj
1925-2018. Poet, lyricist, professor of hindi, progressive, padma shri and padma bhushan
gopal mittal
gopi nath aman
1898-1983, lakhnau. Freedom fighter. Gandhian. Communal harmony. Composed Ghazal, nazm, bhajan , marsia, salaam.
gulzar
habib jalib
(1929-1993), people’s poet. Wrote and spoke/recited fearlessly against dictatorship, inequality and injustice in simple straightforward language.
hafiz jalandhari
hari chand aKhtar
hasan chishti
hasrat mohani
heera lal falak
1920?-1982?, mid-level clerk in dehli court system. diivaan published posthumously by devoted shaagird. beKhud dehlavi was his mentor.
himayat ali shaaer
(1926-2019) poet, writer, lyricist, actor, radio drama artist. Contemporary of habib jalib. Both wrote with much feeling about people’s issues.
ibn-e insha
ibn-e insha (1927-1978), poet, journalist, travelogue writer. A progressive with wide ranging subjects – romance, politics, deep humanism and self deprecating humour.
imaam baKhsh naasiKh
(1772-1838) faizabad, lakhnau. scholar of arabi, faarsi. Expert is language structure and trained in sound. Fiercely independent.
insha allah KhaaN insha
insha (1753–1817), contemporary of mir taqi mir, left dehli and got patronage lukhnau. He fell out with the nawab, lost his patronage and was even imprisoned. He died in poverty and misery.
iqbal ahmad sohail
(1884-1955), aazamgaRh, UP, freedom fighter, legislator and poet. Practiced law in aligaRh. Was active in the freedom struggle.
iqbal ashhar
iqra Khilji
From ahmedabad. A very energetic and powerful poet writing on communal as well as feminist issues.
jaaN nisaar aKhtar
(1914-1976) romantic, progressive and revolutionary. Worked in academics and in cinema. Both his father (muztar Khairabadi) and his son (javed aKhtar) are noted poets.
jagan nath azad
jagat mohan lal ravaaN
jaikrishn chaudhry habiib
1904-xxxx. Dera ismail KhaaN. Scholar of urdu, sanskrit, faarsi and English. Worked with Khaan Abdul Ghaffaaar KhaaN. India in 1947. IAS. Retired in jabalpur.
jaimini sarshaar
1904-1984 rural punjab speaking local version of arya samaaji language. Learnt urdu as an act of rebellion to become a sahib-e diivaan
jamna parsaad raahi
(1940-2017), aligaRh. Sahitya Akademi, UP, awardee. President, Progressive Writers’ Association. He specialized in composing in the style of Ghalib
jigar-muradabadi
jigar muradabadi (1890-1961) was a profilic poet of sufiyaana, romantic and musical Ghazal. My of his compositions have been put to music and sung by great singers.
jitendra mohan sinha rahbar
1911-1993, bijnaur, UP, freedom fighter, school and college teacher.
John RP nadir shahjahanpuri
(1890-1963) Christian Missionary heritage. Chose to continue to stay in India. divaan of over 400 Ghazal.
josh
(1898-1982) is known as a poet of revolution., secular humanist writing sharply against colonialism, abuse of power, injustice and orthodoxy.
kaifi azmi
kaleem aajiz
(1924-2015) writer, poet, academician, recipient of padma shri, taught urdu at paTna university. He has written powerfully about communal harmony as well as other political themes.
kaNval laal sharma kaNval
1921-xxxx, professor Gandhi Memorial National College, ambaala later aatmaram sanaatan dharm college, dehli.
kavita kiran
(1963-living), hyderbad, maraaThi. Grew up in an urdu loving atmosphere. Lessons in Ghazal viTThal rao. Four collections of kalaam.
khumaar
Khwaah maKhwaah
Khwaja mir dard
kishan bihaari noor
kishan kumar vaqaar
~1840-????, raja of muradabad, accomplished poet with two collections of Ghazal. Several in the zamin of Ghalib.
kishwar naheed
kripaal siNgh bedaar
(1916-1977), shaiKhupura. No family background in shaa’eri. College in lahore, fled to paTiaala and finally became lecturer. Collection 1977.
krishn gopal maGhmum
(1916-xxxx) aTak in pakistan later in panjab and haryana government positions moving up the ranks. Ten collections of Ghazal, rubaaii and nazm.
krishn mohan
(1922-2004) taKhallus krishan mohan. sialkot. Formal education English and faarsi. Indian Revenue Department. Twenty eight books.
labhu ram josh malsiani
lala anoop chand aaftab
lata haya
mahendra pratap chaand
(1935-????) karoR lal eesan then ambaala. MA in urdu and Library Science. Assist Librarian, Kurkshetra University. “A Bond of Love – My Passage to Pakistan”.
maikash hyderabadi
(1918-1948), of the nizam shaahi clan of hyderabad (title sahabzaada-princeling), nevertheless, a committed socialist.
maKhdoom
maKhdoom mohiuddin (1908-1969), progressive, communist, freedom fighter, labour union leader/organizer, beloved of hyderabad.
manmohan shukla talKh
(1931-2001), naagpur, maharashtra. At least six books of his collections of verse, but no bio. Probably an academic.
manohar lal bahaar
(1912-????), hyderabad, father, rai shahed lal taught him urdu and farsi at home. Collection ‘bahaaristan’ 1977. Retired as a high-level official in the Dept of Agriculture.
manohar lal shaarib
(1920-1962) learnt urdu, farsi and arabi at home. High School. Agriculture Department in hyderabad. Progressive Circle of shu’ara.
mir anis
mir mahdi majrooh
(1833-1903) was one of the close disciples of Ghalib. He composed in the classical romantic style.
mir taqi mir
(1722-1810) great classical poet of angst, romance and sufiyaana thoughts. Prolific with six diivaan of urdu and one of faarsi in addition to masnavi.
mirza Ghalib
mirza hadi rusva
1858-1931 shaa’er better known for his novel umraau jaan ada. Writer, critic, editor, astronomer, mathematician.
mirza rafii sauda
(1713-1781) classical romantic and sufiyaana Ghazal in urdu and faarsi. Contemporary of mir taqi mir. Strong proponents of communal harmony. They made much fun of orthodoxy.
mohammed iqbal
mohammed zakaria zaki
(1839-1903) dehli, aristocratic family of scholars. Close shaagird of Ghalib. Music, astrology, and calligraphy.
mohindar singh bedi sahar
moin ehsan jazbi
(1912-2005) aazamgaRh. MA and PhD from aligaRh. Taught there. Progressive Writers’ Association. Assistant editor of ‘aajkal’.
momin KhaaN momin
mufti sadurddin aazrurda
(1789-1868), Chief mufti/judge, dehli, close friend of Ghalib. 1857 arrested, property confiscated. Complete diivan never published during his lifetime.
munshi naubat rai nazar
(1864-1923), lukhnow. Well recognized poet with a published diivaan and the editor of several literary magazines including adeeb.
murli dhar shaad
~1910-1950. His diivaan ‘gul o anjum’ was published posthumously. shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust organizes annual hind-pak mushaa’era.
mustafa KhaaN shefta
(1809-1869) close friend of Ghalib. Nawab of jahaaNgirabad and bulandshahr. Sentenced to 7 years in 1857. Later released but all lost property and pension.
mustafa zaidi
naasir kazimi
naresh kumar shaad
naresh kumar shaad (1927-1969) prolific poet, writer, translator. Member Progressive Writers’ Association. Socialist/Communist.
naseer turabi
(1945-2021). Born in hyderabad, family migrated to pakistan in 1948. He began composing in 1962 and was active in liberal causes including opposing military rule.
naushad ali naushad
(1919-2006) famous and popular music director as well as a published poet.
naz Khialvi
nazeer akbarabadi
nida faazeli
osman ali KhaaN
panDit amarnath sahir
(1863-1962) deeply affected by the cultural degeneration after 1857 war, turned to mysticism in shaa’eri. Scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi.
panDit gulzar dehlavi
(1926-2020) a fiery, liberal, secular poet who reaches across to write and recite about communal harmony. He also does not hesitate in speaking ‘truth to power’.
panDit jagmohan raina shauq
(1863-xxxx) two volumes of his diivan, 1940 and 1947. With panDit brijkishan kaul beKhabar, two large volumes of urdu and faarsi selections of kashmiri panDits.
panDit javaahar naath saaqi
(1864-1916) kashmiiri panDit, family legacy of service starting with akbar. Long line of poets. shaagird of saalik and zaki, both shaagird of Ghalib.
panDit ratan panDorvi
(1909-1990), paThaankoT. Books – urdu instructional texts, interpretation of Ghalib, literary history and criticism, rules of versification and more.
parveen shakir
(1952-1994), English literature and linguistics, correspondent, educator, Pakistan Civil Service. Prolific writer bringing new thought and new style to urdu shaa’eri.
priitpaal singh betaab
(1949-xxxx) pooNch, kashmir. MA, LLB. kashmir (state) administrative service. Director, Food and Supplies. 9 collections of verse.
qamar-jalalavi
(1887-1968), popularly known as ‘ustad’, for his expertise in repairing bicycles. Lived in penury. Chaste urdu, classical style. Put to music. Very witty use of taKhallus.
qateel shifai
qurbaan ali saalik
(1824-1880), hyderabad, brought up in dehli, back to hyderabad after 1857. Ghalib’s shaagird.
raahat indori
1950-2020 very popular and combative writing in mushaa’era style as well as classical style.
raam avtaar gupta muztar
(1936-xxxx) was a well recognized poet in both urdu and hindi. His compositions are classical romantic in their themes.
rabindranath Tagore
rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), poems, songs, hymns, short stories, drama and novels in bangla, some of which he himself translated in English.
raghubiir saran divaakar raahi
(1914-1968), rampur. Born amroha, learnt urdu and faarsi at school. BA, LLB from meeraTh. District Information Officer, UP. shaa’eri was on top of this ‘day job’.
raghunath singh haajir
(1884-1922) father and grandfather poets, scholars of urdu and faarsi, started composing at 13-14. diivaan and collection Ghalib aur haajir published posthumously.
raghupati sahay firaq
raina’s Ghalib
rajesh reDDi
(1952-living), nagpur, mumbai. Fell in love with urdu Ghazal during in college. Worked for All India Radio. Three collections of his verse.
ramprakash sahir hoshiarpuri
(1913-1972), MA faarsi lahore. Family business. shaagird of labhuram josh malsiani, specialized in Ghazal of short bahr/meter.
raNga chari raNga
(1931-????). Clerk in a Junior Basic Training College. He learnt urdu and faarsi at home from his grandfather. Published diivaan in 1985!
ravish siddiqui
1909-1971 from a religious family but in addition to arabi and faarsi, learnt sanskrit and hindi and was well versed in vedantic literature.
renu verma
renu verma (1974-living), exquisite urdu compositionyet her 2018 book says that she does not know how to read and write urdu.
rishi paTialavi
baam dev sharma rishi paTialavi (1917-1999) was progressive poet writing with much feeling about communal harmony.
roopa mehta naGhma
(xxxx-living), saurashTra, mumbai. zulm of love told from a woman’s point of view. Answer to the incessant depiction of the (female) beloved as the oppressor.
saaGhar nizaami
samad yaar KhaaN saaGhar nizaami (1905-1984) a progressive shaa’er with strong nationalist inclinations. He was awarded padma bhushan.
saeed-shahidi
sahir ludhianavi
sahir ludhianavi (1921-1980). Extremely popular songs also Ghazal and nazm in classical style yet simple language. Recurrent theme of peace. A progressive, socialist/communist, he was one of the few openly atheist poets.
sardar genDa siNgh mashriqi
(1857-1909), roopaR, panjab. English and faarsi in middle school, family finances prevented schooling. Learnt urdu on his own.
diivaan by grandson 1989.
diivaan by grandson 1989.
sardar jafri
seemab-akbarabadi
shahed-shuru’aat
shahed (1944-living) is/was an engineer with 50 years of research in pollution control technology. He came to urdu late in life. This website is his attempt to learn urdu.
shahid siddiqui
shaiKh ibrahim zauq
(1790-1854) was a master of urdu, arabi and faarsi. ustaad to bahadur shah zafar. Rivalry with Ghalib is legendary.
shakeel badayuni
Shakespeare
shaNKar dutt kumar paashi
(1935-1992) refugee from pakistan. Grew up in dehli. Versatile with nazm, Ghazal, drama, short stories and magazine editing.
shankar lal shankar
~1880-~1952. shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust organizes hind-pak annual mushaa’era. diivaan ‘dair o haram’ unavailable.
shaz tamkanat
sher singh naz dehlavi
(1897-1962) was an observant orthodox jain. Wrote Ghazal in chaste urdu and odes to jainism in urdu/hindustani mix.
shiv dayal sahaab
sikandar ali vajd
(1914-1983), hyderabad, auraNgabad, civil service, sessions judge, Rajya Sabha. Contemporary of maKhdoom in Osmania University, a poet of progressive views.
siraj aurangabadi
sudarshan kaamra faakir
1934-2008, lyricist, poet, progressive, secular, short Ghazal.
sulaiman Khateeb
suroor barabaNkvi
(1930-1980), movie maker, script and song writer, labour leader and political activist as well as a shaa’er of high quality.
syed G imam
syed m jafari
syed shafat hanson rehani
tahira sayeed tahira
1922-1991+?, hyderabad. Poet, translator, fiction writer. D.Litt, urdu? Scholar of faarsi and arabi. At least six collections of nazm and Ghazal. Progressive.
tilok chand mahroom
vaheed aKhter
1935-1996 hyderabad, poet, writer and critic. PhD philosophy osmania university taught at aligaRh.
vali dakkhani
(1667-1707) reKhta was emerging faarsi poets looked down upon the upstart, vali dakkhani gave respectability to urdu.
zahuruddin haatim
1699-1783 dehli. mirza sauda, his disciple, outdid his ustaad. Graciously quotes dard (1721-1785), a junior contemporary.
zamiir hasan dil shahjahaaNpuri
hakiim zamiir hasan dil shaahjahaaNpuri (1875-1959), disciple of amiir minaaii. Classical style of Ghalib withoug layered meanings. Two taKhallus – zamiir and dil.
