1721 (Delhi) – 1785 (Delhi) • The Sufi Pillar
"Standing alongside Meer and Sauda as one of the three great pillars of the classical Delhi school, Khwaja Meer Dard was unique in his unwavering devotion to his hometown. While his contemporaries fled to Lucknow during Delhi's worst massacres, Dard remained anchored in the ruined city by his spiritual duties as a practicing Sufi saint. He was also a brilliant musician, which lent a highly melodic quality to his verses. His poetry is celebrated for its beautiful duality; his expressions of 'Ishq' (love) are so seamlessly crafted that they can be read simultaneously as 'Ishq-e-Haqeeqi' (Divine Love for God) and 'Ishq-e-Majazi' (Earthly, romantic love)."