Delhi’s Last Mushaira in 1845: A Translation of Dehli ki aakhri shama (English)

First complete translation of the 1991 critical edition by Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind). Set at an inflection point in the history of Delhi the mushaira Mirza Farhatullah Baig so lovingly paints is more than a gathering of poets. It is a snapshot of a world on the verge of being pushed into oblivion a world Mirza saheb wants to preserve for future readers. Master poets like Mirza Ghalib and Momin Khan are seen in their prime at close quarters and Daagh too as a young poet on the threshold of fame. The Mughal emperor makes a brief appearance but still leaves an indelible impression. As Rasheed Hasan Khan says ...a mushaira... mirrored the tehzeeb of the time-the etiquette and protocol of the mehfil the manner in which it was organized everything it encompassed.