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Celebrating the life of poet Rahim

A three-day-long festival to remember the poetic excellence of Rahim, one of the Navratnas in Akbar's court

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Interiors of the Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana, the tomb of the Mughal poet Rahim
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"Rahiman dekh baden ko, laghu na dijiye daari,
Jahan kaam aave sui, kahaa kare talwari"

Rahim says you should not forget small things or poor friends just because you now have access to rich or important people. For example, you cannot use a sword where you need a needle even though the sword is much bigger than a needle.


This couplet belongs to Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, (1556-1627) more popularly known as Rahim— one of the 'Navratnas' in Mughal Emperor Akbar's court. A poet who wrote Hindi couplets, Rahim's dohas are familiar to all who read Hindi literature books.

To honour the man and his work, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has organised a three-day-long festival, where the venerated poet's verses will be celebrated through performances in folk music, musical narratives, and classical music. The festival starts today at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre.

Explaining the reasons behind the festival, Ratish Nanda, Project Director, Aga Khan Trust for Culture said, "While documenting Rahim's work, during our conservation project, we realised that his couplets have never been performed before." Nanda adds, "Apart from the festival honouring Rahim, we are also putting up a month-long exhibition that talks about his work, his Ramayan translations and his association with other poets like Tulsidas."

Venerated by poets, Rahim however had largely been forgotten with his tomb the Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana being in a dilapidated condition until the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India and InterGlobe Foundation, started conservation work on the tomb two years ago

Nanda says the tomb has a special history as unlike Emperor Shah Jahan's monument of love to his wife, Rahim's tomb was actually built by his wife when he passed away in 1627. Today, this magnificent tomb stands in Nizamuddin, at the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a fitting testament to a poet, who through couplets venerating Lord Krishna, stands for everything that India is proud of.

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