‘... almost an act of inspiration.’ – Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

‘A brilliant contribution to understanding the past in the present.’ – Ashraf Ghani

‘A must-read for people of all ages and all nationalities.’ – Azra Raza

‘... a superb example of seeking out the soul of poetry.’ – Harbans Mukhia

‘... a unique attempt – often brilliant, wise, provocative and always bravely original.’ – Harsh Mander

‘... a truly invaluable collection. I wish my daughters had had a book like this... when they were at school!’ – Muneeza Shamsie

‘... will bring Indians and Pakistanis closer to Ghalib’s genius and, inshallah, to one another.’ – Rajmohan Gandhi

‘... a remarkable book.’ – Raza Mir

‘I only wish there had been a resource like this when I was learning Urdu.’ – Roanne L. Kantor

This book, I hope, will be the pioneer in the fashion for rewriting our classics so that they appeal to the present generation.’ – Tariq Rahman

‘Students of literature would benefit hugely from this book which ought to be a part of the syllabi of our universities.’ – Zia Mohyeddin

Anjum Altaf is a South Asian living in Lahore. He is the author of Transgressions: Poems Inspired by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Aakar Books Delhi 2019, Liberty Books Karachi 2020.

Amit Basole teaches Economics at Azim Premji University, Bangalore. Urdu poetry as well as history and architecture of the Indian subcontinent are his passions.