Ghalib aur Dilli: Poetry, People & Lost Worlds, Delhi tickets

About this place

What happens when a poet's beloved city begins to disappear before his eyes? This is not a conventional Chandni Chowk heritage walk. Instead, we explore Old Delhi through the eyes, words and wonderfully complicated life of Mirza Ghalib—one of the greatest poets of the Urdu language. Ghalib loved Delhi, its culture, its people and its refined social world. But he also witnessed the city undergo extraordinary upheaval, particularly during and after the Revolt of 1857. As Delhi was devastated and its familiar world transformed, the poet found himself grappling with loss, uncertainty and the disappearance of a way of life he had known. Through his letters, poetry and anecdotes, we will explore how Ghalib saw his city, how he responded to its changing fortunes, and what his writings reveal about Delhi during one of the most turbulent periods in its history. As we walk through selected corners of Old Delhi, the city becomes the backdrop to his extraordinary story. The experience concludes at Ghalib ki Haveli in Ballimaran, bringing us closer to the poet, his world and the city that inspired him. Come for Ghalib's poetry, stay for his stories—and discover a very different way of looking at Old Delhi.