LAHORE: First of its kind in Lahore, an exhibition featuring the greatest Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib’s letters, commemorative stamps and other documents related to him and masters’ artworks on him by maestros will open at the Lahore Museum on Dec 27.

The exhibition is being held in connection with the 225th birth anniversary celebrations of Ghalib.

Born on Dec 27, 1797, in Agra, he settled in Dilli (Delhi) at the age of 13 and spent his life there.

Ghalib witnessed the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British. The War of Independence 1857 had a great impact on him and it was reflected in his epistolary.

Ghalib was Ustaad (teacher) of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar for some period. Zafar bestowed upon him the titles of Najm-ud-Daula (Star of the State) and Dabir-ul-Mulk (Secretary of the State).

Ghalib had to face a financial crisis with the advent of the British. His family pension was withheld and could not be fully restored irrespective of his multiple petitions to the British government. One of his petitions for the pension recovery forms part of a record of the Punjab Archives and its facsimile is displayed in this exhibition.

Ghalib has a great impact on letter writing and epistolary as he claimed, “he transformed letter into a dialogue”. His letters are free from long and tortuous salutations and formalities. The letters depict his personality and the conditions surrounding him.

Ghalib’s bubbling wit and keen sense of humour targeting himself and his problems made these letters fine examples of humour in prose. Nine of his letters would be displayed in the exhibition out of the Lahore Museum collection.

Iffat Azeem, the research officer at Lahore Museum, told Dawn Ghalib’s poetry and imagination had inspired the artists to explore new ways of creation.

Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Sadequain and Aslam Kamal have painted Ghalib’s couplets and quatrains in calligraphic paintings. “There would be paintings, calligraphy and commemorative stamps in the exhibition relating to Ghalib.

Ms Azeem said the Lahore Museum was indebted to the Archives Department of the Punjab government, Government College University and Aslam Kamal for provision of the material for holding the exhibition.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2022