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Zafar
(1775-1862) was the name under which the last Mughal emperor Bahadur
Shah II wrote. The last few of the imperial family were not only patrons
of poetry, but also poets themselves. His grandfather Shah Alam
II, his uncle Mirza Suleiman Shikoh and his father Akbar Shah
II (1806-1837) wrote good poetry. Bahadur Shah II wrote copiously
himself. He succeeded to the throne of Delhi in 1837, was deposed in 1858,
and died in exile in Burma in 1862. Poetry, not administration, was what
interested him. He was also well-versed in Indian music and composed many
thumris which were popular in northern India. He was skilled in calligraphy
and himself wrote out passages from the Quran for the important
mosques of Delhi. Zafar had indeed been their patron as well as
student, at least some of his creations are quite distinctive and original.
He does hold a special place in the history of Urdu literature.
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