M. Shahid Alam Raritan Fall 2015
The Poet
Ghalib is the poetic name (Urdu, takhallus/تخللس) of Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan. Unlike the pen name that commonly conceals a writer’s identity, the takhallus is chosen to reveal the persona of the poet. Ghalib’s first takhallus was Asad (lion); when he found that another poet was using this takhallus, he changed it to Ghalib (the vanquisher). More often than not, an Urdu poet is known by his/her takhallus. Read more
Intimations of Ghalib 