Delhi’S Last Mushaira In 1845: A Translation Of Dehli Ki Aakhri Shama

MIRZA FARHATULLAH BAIG is best known for his vivid word-sketches and among his most famous works is the sketch of his teacher, Maulvi Nazir Ahmed Dehlvi, Nazeer Ahmed ki kahani, kuchh meri kuchh unki zabaani. His other popular books include Bahadur Shah aur phoolwalon ki sair and Ek vasiyat ki tamiil, along with seven volumes of collected essays, entitled Mazaameen-i-Farhat. Different sources have different dates for his birth, but in Farhatullah's own account, he gives his date of birth as 3 August 1885. He graduated from Delhi's St. Stephen's College in 1905, then went to Hyderabad (Deccan) in 1917 for employment, and remained there all through his life. Aside from writing brilliant prose, he composed poetry too. In Meri shairi, he describes his poetic journey along with his verses. Meri daastaan is his autobiography, wherein he shares details of his various careers, or in his words, 'thirty-four years of rigorous imprisonment. Farhatullah Baig died on 27 April 1947 in Hyderabad. Meenakshi Jauhari (Translator) has been writing fiction and poetry for more than three decades. During the last decade, she has focused on translating from Urdu, for example, Amrita Pritam’s poetry. Her poetry anthology The Fish Who Flew was published in 2019 by Writers Workshop, Kolkata. Her translations and original work have featured in literary journals such as Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), The Little Magazine, Out of Print, Gulmohur Quarterly, Volume Poetry and others. She lives with her husband and son in Gurgaon.