Wali Gujarati [1667-1707] is considered father of Urdu poetry. While we all know the respect Ghalib paid to Meer few of us know what Meer Taqi Meer said about Wali:
Khugar nahin kuch yun hi hum Rekhta-goi kay
Mashooq jo apna tha, bashinda-e-Dakhan tha
[It isn’t casually that I began dabbling in Urdu
I picked it from my lover, a native of the Deccan]
Sample some of his ashaar:
mujh par na karo zulm tum, aik laila-e-khoobaN
majnooN hooN, tere gham kooN biyabaaN se kahoonga
dil-e-ishaaq kyuN na huay raushan
jab khyaal-e-sanam chiragh hua
aik qibla-roo hamesha mehrab meiN bhawaaN ki
karti haiN teri palkaaN mil kar namaaz goya
asr-e-baaadah-e-jawani hai
kar gaya hooN sawal kuchh ka kuchh
ai wali uss be-wafa ki meharbani par na bhool
dil ka dushman hai, magar karta hai baateiN pyaar ki
Here is a documentary about Wali’s life:
Hamida Chopra talking about Wali:
and some ghazals of Wali:
jisse ishq ka teer kari lage by Iqbal Bano:
Tujh lab ki sifat by Abida Parveen:
Gulab aahista aahista by Mallika Pukhraj:
Wali’s dargah was destroyed during 2002 anti-Muslim violence of Gujarat and a road built over it overnight. There is a facebook page demanding rebuilding of the dargah.
