Ghulam Hamdani Mas'hafi

Ghulam Hamdani (1751–1844), known by the takhallus (nom de plume) of Mas'hafi (مصحفی maṣḥafi), was an Urdu ghazal poet.^[3]

Ghulam Hamdani
Born	1751 Amroha, Mughal Empire[1][2] (India)
Died	1844 (aged 93) Lucknow
Occupation	Urdu poet
Period	Mughal era
Genre	Ghazal
Subject	Love, philosophy

Works

Before his time, the language known as Hindi, Hindavi, Dehlavi, Dakhini, Lahori or Rekhta was commonly known as the Zaban-i-Ordu,^[4] and commonly in local literature and speech, Lashkari Zaban or Lashkari.^[5] Mashafi was the first person to simply shorten the latter name to Urdu.^[6] He migrated to Lucknow during the reign of Asaf-ud-Daula. According to one source, his ghazals are full of pathos.^[7]

He wrote Tazkira E Hindi in Persian language which demonstrates his skill in that tongue.^[8] He also wrote in Hindavi also known as. Hindi poetry:

مصحفی فارسی کو طاق پہ رکھ

اب ہے اشعار ہندوی کا رواج^[9]

Mushafi farsi ko taq pe rakh

Ab hai ashaar- e-Hindavi ka rivaj^[10]

There are ten extant collections of his poems, but it is believed that he allowed others for a fee to publish his poems under their own authorship.^[11] His personal life lacked discipline and his poetry reflects a level of sensuality.^[12] He excelled in lyrics but also composed odes and romances.^[13]

See also

• List of Urdu poets
• Rekhta
• Ghazal

References

1. Petievich, Carla. "Rekhti: Impersonating the feminine in Urdu poetry." (2001): 75-90.
2. Fatihi, A. R. "Semantic Space in Lesbian Lingo of REkhti."
3. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and poetics. Princeton University Press. 26 August 2012. p. 1499. ISBN 978-0691154916.
4. Maldonado Garcia, Maria Isabel. "The Urdu language reforms." Studies 26 (2011): 97.
5. Alyssa Ayres (23 July 2009). Speaking Like a State: Language and Nationalism in Pakistan. Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 9780521519311.
6. P.V. Kate (1987). Marathwada Under the Nizams. p. 136. ISBN 9788170990178.
7. Lucnow: the last phase of an oriental culture. Oxford University Press. 12 May 1994. p. 255. ISBN 9780195633757.
8. "Tazkira-e-Hindi by Mushafi Ghulam Hamdani | Rekhta". 15 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
9. "مصحفی غلام ہمدانی - شعر". Rekhta (in Urdu). Retrieved 15 October 2022.
10. "A Historical Perspective of Urdu | National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language". 15 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
11. Mujib Ashraf (1982). Muslim Attitudes towards British Rule…. University of Michigan. p. 203.
12. Abdul Jamil Khan (2006). Urdu/Hindi: An Artificial Divide. p. 189. ISBN 9780875864389.
13. Encyclopedia of Literature Vol.1. Philosophical Library. 1946. p. 570. ISBN 9780802215581.