WRITER

Mah Laqa Bai

1768 - 1824

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Mah Laqa Bai (7 April 1768 – August 1824), born Chanda Bai, and sometimes referred to as Mah Laqa Chanda, was an Indian 18th century Urdu poet, courtesan (tawaif) and philanthropist based in Hyderabad. In 1824, she became the first female poet to have a diwan (collection of poems) of her work, a compilation of Urdu Ghazals named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa, published posthumously. She lived in a period when Dakhini (a version of Urdu) was making its transition into the highly Persianized Urdu. Her literary contributions provide insight into such linguistic transformations in southern India. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Mah Laqa Bai is the 6,295th most popular writer (down from 6,271st in 2019), the 922nd most popular biography from India (down from 885th in 2019) and the 117th most popular Indian Writer.

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Among WRITERS

Among writers, Mah Laqa Bai ranks 6,295 out of 7,302. Before her are Kathleen Raine, Joan Carreras i Goicoechea, Bayard Taylor, John Toll, Chris Claremont, and William H. Gass. After her are Gillian Flynn, Richard K. Morgan, Crane Wilbur, Polly Samson, Peter Stamm, and Meg Cabot.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1768, Mah Laqa Bai ranks 47. Before her are Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein, Louise Caroline of Hochberg, Hendrik Voogd, Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Astley Cooper, and Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey. After her are John Crome, Edward Donovan, and Smith Thompson. Among people deceased in 1824, Mah Laqa Bai ranks 39. Before her are Hans Nielsen Hauge, André Thouin, Lachlan Macquarie, Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert, François Levaillant, and Jonathan Dayton. After her are Jane Taylor, and Charles Pinckney.

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In India

Among people born in India, Mah Laqa Bai ranks 922 out of 1,861. Before her are Ruskin Bond (1934), Begum Akhtar (1914), Jyoti Amge (1993), Romila Thapar (1931), E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1909), and Bhumi Pednekar (1989). After her are Neetu Singh (1958), Yashwant Sinha (1937), Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (1941), Vikram Seth (1952), Saira Banu (1944), and Subramanian Swamy (1939).

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Among WRITERS In India

Among writers born in India, Mah Laqa Bai ranks 117. Before her are Gurdial Singh (1933), Buddhadeb Dasgupta (1944), Ali Sardar Jafri (1913), Sarojini Sahoo (1956), Shrilal Shukla (1925), and Ruskin Bond (1934). After her are Vikram Seth (1952), Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi (1907), Nabaneeta Dev Sen (1938), Rohinton Mistry (1952), Sahir Ludhianvi (1921), and Ravindra Kelekar (1925).

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