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Siraj-ud-Din Ali Khan (Urdu: سراج الدین علی خاں آرزو) (1687-1756), also known by his pen-name Arzu, was a Delhi-based poet, linguist and lexicographer of the Mughal Empire.[1] He used to write mainly in Persian, but he also wrote 127 couplets in Urdu. He was the maternal-uncle of Mir Taqi Mir. He taught Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda, Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janaan and Najm-ud-Din Shah Mubarak Abroo.

Arzu was born in Agra. He was the son of Sheikh Hisam-ud-Din, a soldier who held many high offices in the court of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He was highly proficient in Persian and Arabic, the two languages which he learned as a child. He also learned Urdu and Sanskrit.[2]

Arzu started writing at the age of fourteen, and came to Delhi in 1719. He was introduced to Nawab Qamar-ud-din Khan by Anand Ram 'Mukhlis'. Qamar-ud-Din, who was the prime minister at that time, gave him a suitable job. Arzu used to hold mushairas at his home, and attracted many disciples including Mir Taqi Mir. He migrated to Lucknow in 1754, and subsequently to Ayodhya, which was once the residence of his great grandfather. He died in Lucknow in 1756, and was buried in the Vakilpura area of Delhi.[2]

Literary works

Arzu's works include:[2]

• Siraj-ul-Lughat (a lexicon of Persian which also discusses the relationship between Persian and Sanskrit)
• Chiragh-e-Hidayat (a glossary of words and idioms used by the Persian poets)
• Nawadir-ul-Alfaz (a glossary of Indic words)[3]
• Several ghazals and qasidas
• Diwan-e-Asar Shirazi
• Mohibbat-e-Uzma (a treatise on prosody)
• Atiya-e-Kubra (another work on prosody)
• Miyar-ul-Afkar (a treatise on grammar)
• Payam-i-Shauq (a collection of letters),
• Josh-o-Kharosh (masnavi)
• Mehr-o-Mah
• Ibrat Fasana
• Gulzar-i Khayal (a long poem on Holi and the coming of the spring)

See also

• Persian language in South Asia

References

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