By TwoCircles.net, Staff Reporter
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday presented to President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon a specially commissioned miniature painting of the tomb of Bedil Dehlavi – the 17th century great Indian poet Abdul Qadir Bedil, regarded as one of the greatest masters of Persian poetry in Tajikistan.
Modi presented the miniature painting to Rahmon during his visit to Tajikistan as part of the five nation tour of Central Asia.
Miniature Painting (Courtesy:PIB )The miniature painting has been done by national award-winning Delhi-based artist Jai Prakash.
“Presented President Rahmon a specially commissioned miniature painting of the tomb of the 17th century Indian poet Abdul Qadir Bedil,” Modi tweeted.
Born in 1644, Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil – popularly known as Bedil Dehlavi – is one of the most respected Afghani poets. Bedil was influenced by Sufism and wrote 16 books of poetry. He is considered as one of the prominent poets of Indian school of poetry in Persian literature, and both Mirza Ghalib and Allama Iqbal were influenced by his unique style.
Even today, Bedil enjoys a cult following in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. “In the early 17th century, his family moved from Afghan Turkestan (Balkh region) to India, to live in the Mughal India. Bedil, an ethnic Uzbek, was born and educated in India. He was born in Azimabad, Bihar. He travelled and visited his ancestral lands in his later life,” writes Rana Safvi in ‘Bagh e Bedil: Dargah of Mirza abdul Qadir Bedil’ carried on her blog-site Hazrat-e-Dilli.Hindustan Times
Dargah of Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil (Courtesy: Rana Safvi )
“It was about 80 years ago when a relative of Nizam of Hyderabad told him that Bedil’s grave has been discovered and took Rs 1 lakh from the Nizam to build this. But according to ‘Nikat-e-Bedil’ published by Attaullah, Bedil had died in his haveli. Six months later, mureedin (or followers) from Afghanistan took his body and buried it in Kabul,” the Nayab Muttawalli said further in the report.
Actual place of burial or not, a tablet was put up at the site and the place spruced up in 2006 when Rahmanov had visited India and wanted to pay tribute to the poet.