Ghalib's upset belly

The world of poetry intersecting with a classic Delhi disgrace

- Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi's immortal Mirza Ghalib composed some of the world’s greatest love poems.

Even so, when the poet would sit every morning on the commode, he wouldn't exactly expel rose petals. Indeed, one thing that links the great romantic artists to us ordinary mortals is our human body's basic functions, and malfunctions. Being human, Ghalib naturally had his share of digestive setbacks. The fact is on record, confirms poetry scholar Aqil Ahmad, showing a Ghalib verse as proof. The erudite man heads central Delhi’s Ghalib Academy, which has a museum showcasing terracotta reproductions of food items dearest to Ghalib’s belly—see photo.