First, the times. Clearly, the mughal empire bad declined and was now in decay. The british had firmly established their control over delhi. The mughal emperor enjoyed titular authority, and all executive action was taken in his name. But he was, more exactly, a british pensioner, and effective power had unquestionably passed into british hands. And yet, the mughal emperor remained the fount of political legitimacy. Nothing illustrates this better than the revolting meerut sepoys coming to delhi in 1857, and choosing bahadur shah zafar as their leader with consequent tragic results. Ghalib was deeply conscious of this dichotomy between de facto and de jure authority. He would compose qasidas (panygeric verse) in praise of british officers concerned with his pension case. Simultaneously, ghalib avidly sought recognition by the mughal emperor, since the court was the ultimate arbiter of artistic merit.
May-June 1989, volume 13, No 3