Vali of Aurangabad, Shams-Ud-Din Vali Ulla

Born circa 1668, in Aurangabad; died circa 1744, in Ahmadabad. Indian poet. Wrote in Urdu and Dakhini, a dialect of Urdu.

Vali was a master of various poetic forms and genres. He wrote 422 ghazels on the themes of love, ethics, and Sufi philosophy; qasidas drawn from the lives of Moslem ascetics; and mathnawi, in which he described cities and city life. His epic poems are imbued with descriptions of Indian nature and urban life. His style is characterized by moderate use of the Persian Arabic vocabulary and simplicity of figurative devices. In the history of Urdu literature, Vali acquired the honorary title of “Baba-e-rekhta” (“Father of Urdu”).