Sheikh Bimari Ali Bakhsh

Sheikh Ali Bakhsh, known by his pen name Bimar or Bimari, was born around 1789 in Bareilly, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, India. He became a respected classical Urdu poet, especially known for his ghazals and expressive couplets.

He was closely connected to a poetic legacy as the nephew of the celebrated Urdu poet Mushafi. Bimar created his own poetic voice that reflected emotion and human experience. His poetry includes ghazals and shers noted for their heartfelt tone.

One of his most quoted verses conveys a haunting emotional endurance:

“dam na nikla yaar ki na-mehrbani dekh kar,

sakht hairaan hoon main apni sakht-jaani dekh kar”

This couplet speaks of surviving beloved’s unkindness and being struck by one’s own emotional hardness.

A line from another couplet speaks to suffering in the guise of love:

“chashm-e-dilbar ne dil-e-zar ki dildari ki,

aah bimar ne bimar ki gham-khvari ki”

He is also credited with a compiled collection of his works, sometimes referred to as Diwan-e-Sheikh Ali Bakhsh Bimar, edited and published to preserve his poetic contributions.

Sheikh Bimar Ali Bakhsh passed away on 15 December 1854 in Rampur. Though not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries, his poetry is valued by students of classical Urdu literature for its emotional honesty and lyrical expression.