author
active 1805 Mazhar Ali Khan Vila
A little-known figure from the early history of Urdu print culture, this writer is remembered for helping carry older Indian tales into Urdu at the start of the 19th century. The surviving record is sparse, but the work linked to him opens a window onto Fort William College and a formative moment in literary translation.
1 Audiobook
The Baitâl Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite Translated From the Hindi Text of Dr. Duncan Forbes
by John T. (John Thompson) Platts, Lallu Lal, active 1805 Mazhar Ali Khan Vila
About the author
Mazhar Ali Khan Vila is a very obscure author, and the reliable details that survive are limited. Library and catalog records identify him as a writer active around 1805, sometimes listed as "fl. 1805," which means that is the period when he is known to have been working.
He is chiefly associated with The Baital Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite, where he appears alongside Lallu Lal and John T. Platts in later editions and catalog entries. Another surviving work attributed to him is Madhwanal aur Kam Kandla, dated 1801 in an Internet Archive record.
From the available evidence, he seems to belong to the early 19th-century world of Urdu translation and adaptation connected with older North Indian storytelling traditions. Because so little biographical information is firmly documented online, it is safest to remember him through the texts that preserve his name rather than through a fuller life story that cannot be confirmed.