DELHI KI AAKHRI SHAMA

Dill¿ k¿ ¿¿hr¿ shama' - ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿

Also known as: Dill¿ k¿ aik y¿dg¿r musha'ir¿

A fictional account describing in great detail the last mushaira of Dehli, set in the 1850s. A rare event where the greatest poets of the age come together under one roof. Drawing upon living memories, manuscripts and documents, this is a book where fact and fiction blend seamlessly. At first glance this is simply a depiction of a Musha'ir¿, but this book is so much more than just that.On reading this we see several glimpses of the cultural and literary lifestyle of the Delhi of those times. A big part of which is the zab¿n-e-Dilli, Urdu or Rekhta as it was then called. Countless aspects of the time are shown in beautiful detail: The arrangements made for the Mush¿'ir¿, the special care taken to arrange the seating order of the poets, the way praise is to be given and when it's not to be given, the distinct style in which way each poet recites, the relationship that the poets shared with each other (rivalry, respect, etc). , including the ustaad-shaagird relationship.

The Mush¿'ir¿ has all kinds of poets at different poetic levels, hence painting a colourful picture.

One feels like they're actually meeting all these different poets as the writer has vividly described in great detail, the appearance of each and every poet, his habits, his oddities, his nature and attitude towards other poets.

This is an extremely important book that keeps alive the culture of Old Dill¿. It's an absolute delight to read this, to meet the great poets of that time, to see them quarrel and yet respect each other, their anecdotes, their styles and overall the fascinating picture of a Musha'ir¿ in Ghalib's Dill¿. Hands down one of my favourite Urdu books till date!