Scholars of Urdu have invariably encountered difficulty in deciphering into their native tongue the most sublime and most unique verses, which abound in Ghalib’s Ghazals. Imagine the difficulty that faced Niazi in translating and interpreting them into another language. This indicates not only his keen understanding of Urdu and Persian, but also a remarkable command of the English language. His ability to grasp the poetic and philosophic aspects of Ghalib’s Ghazals reveals his key position as a Ghalib scholar as well as the degree to which he embraces literary thoughts–two qualities that compelled him to work for so many years to produce the exemplary work of beauty and incision you now hold... a book that entails the first 21st century work on Ghalib worth emulating. Niazi herein introduces Ghalib to a Western audience in an unprecedented and accessible manner. There can exist no greater tribute to a great poet. Niazi’s work reminds me one of Ghalib’s own verses: 

"Who dares to taste the heady wine of love that knocks men out?”
Repeated is the call on the lips of the cupbearer after my death.

Let us see who would come to challenge the work of Niazi. 
Dr. Farman Fatehpuri, Former Chair, Urdu Department, Karachi University, Author of scores of scholarly works on Ghalib.

Sarfaraz Niazi has done an extraordinary job in bringing the love sonnets of Ghalib to the world.  I grew up listening to these verses in the original Urdu and they spoke to my soul. My hope is that these English translations will ignite the spark of love in your heart so that you can experience a flavor of both the longing and the ecstasy of the most precious experience a human being can love. Deepak Chopra, Author, “The Path to Love

President General Pervez Musharraf
writing his comments

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Platt's Dictionary Urdu/Hindi to English
(Click Here)

Steingass Persian to English Dictionary
 (Click Here)

Frances Pritchett's Desertful of Roses (Translations and detailed discussion of Ghalib's Urdu Ghazals) (Click Here)
 
Columbia UniversitySarfaraz K. Niazi's beautifully produced work is  a real labor of love.  In it he expresses his own views and deep feelings about Ghalib's  poetry. To provide this kind of discussion, and to translate the whole divan in the process, is no small task. His work is very much in the  Urdu commentarial tradition, except that it is presented in English to  reach a wider readership. As far as I know, this is the first complete commentary to be published in English. It is a pleasure to congratulate the author  both on continuing the tradition of Ghalib commentary, and on helping  to make it a worldwide project.  Frances Pritchett, Ph.D,., Professor of Modern Indic Languages, Columbia University. Dr. Pritchett is the author of Nets of Awareness: Urdu Poetry and Its Critics and The Romance Tradition in Urdu: Adventures From the Dastan of Amir Hamzah. She has published extensively on Urdu and Hindi literature, especially the Urdu ghazal and traditional prose.

Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi's English translation of Mirza Ghalib's ghazals titled Love Sonnets of Ghalib was launched at a city hotel by the Halqa-i-Niaz-o-Nigar last week. Dr Farman Fatehpuri introduced Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi, a professor of pharmacy in a US university with a number of books on the subject to his credit. Being son of Allama Niaz Fatehpuri and grandson of Amir Muhammad Khan, a friend of Mirza Ghalib and one of his correspondents, it was in Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi's genes to continue a family tradition of Ghalib Scholarship. Dr Farman said that the book was the most beautifully produced translation of Ghalib which, apart from being a faithful translation, followed the format of having the Urdu verse, its rendition in Roman script with an international system of phonetics, followed by its English translation and a glossary of difficult words with meanings to help readers recite the Urdu verse. A highly unusual launching ceremony in its conception due to Mr Hameed A. Haroon's masterly plan, it comprised Arshad Mehmood's brilliant composition - marrying off the heartland drone of anguish with the hinterland's response to the sublime union of lovers which cannot admit of any impediment. Ustad Nafis and his Sarangi-playing maestro companion were at their best. It was simply an enchanting rendition. Another feature was recitation of a selection of Urdu verses by Arshad Mahmood followed by English translations of the same by Rehana Saigal and Imran Aslam. And lastly the panel discussion on the book. The panelists were I. A. Adni, this writer, Aftab Ahmed Khan, Jamiluddin Aali and Dr Farman Fatehpuri. Dr Farman Fatehpuri, as we all know, has played a seminal role in the career of Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi. Having browsed through works of Dr Mehmood, Sir Ross Masud, K. N. Sud, J. L. Kaul, Abdullah Anwer Beg, Ralph Russel, Khurshidul Islam, Prof Ahmed Ali, Sufia Saadullah, M. H. Syed, Shahab Rehmatullah, Anne Marie Schimmel, Natalia Prigarina, M. Mujeeb, Dr Yousuf Hussain Khan and Prof Aijaz Ahmed's compilation (of different translations' efforts under the title 'Ghazals of Ghalib') etc, etc. Dr Khan's effort is undoubtedly unique. The least that can be said about Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi's work is that it is a very unusual work in that it is not merely a translation but offers a pronouncing dictionary of Ghalib's verses as well - a feat never attempted so far with so much care and devotion. January 01, 2003; Review by Ariel. Dawn, Karachi publishes a special review. Click here

Here are the collected love sonnets of Mirza Ghalib, the quintessential ghazal man. The translations are literal, since the challenge of a full translation of all of Ghalib's rhyming Urdu verse into English may daunt even the most intrepid; however, the transliterations and explications should help in conveying the sound and sense of Ghalib's poetry. The Statesman, New Delhi, India. February 3, 2002

I would like to express my extreme pleasure on reading, "Love Sonnets of Ghalib," the translation of Ghalib's Ghazals and their interpretation by Dr. Sarfaraz Niazi. It is a unique and excellent piece of work and even though I have been reading Ghalib since my school days in early fifties, the pleasure is much more when I read this remarkable book every evening after a tiring and hectic day. May Almighty Allah bless Dr. Niazi for this excellent work. There has never been a book like this written before. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, NI, Bar, HI,Special Advisor to Prime Minister of Pakistan

 
The Tribune - Spectrum
 Here is a book that is worth its weight in gold. Excellent translations, coupled with lucid explanations will perpetuate the general interest in Ghalib. For the research scholar there are brief but well-researched details of Ghalib's life and times, as well as of the development of the Urdu language and verse. Of course, the layman will appreciate, after reading the book, why Ghalib's poetry retains its freshness even after his predecessors and contemporaries have faded away from public memory. Review by Amar Nath Wadehra, The Tribune. May 2002

Now comes Sarfraz K Niazi's remarkable effort in English. While translating the couplets, he captures the meaning of difficult words in contemporary idiom instead of depending on the dictionaries of Ghalib's time. There is a change of identification with the meaning, as he explains in the preface. Another important departure from earlier interpreters is that Niazi deliberately addresses the beloved as female. Niazi is a very pleasant surprise. His interpretation, though devoid of a deliberate effort to be different, is very refreshing. He gives you the space to make your own inferences while remaining in the orbit of the couplet. This book successfully, and comprehensively, introduces us to the "mizaaj" of Ghalib. Gulzar, India Today February 25, 2002.