Dhobi Ka Kutta, Na Ghar Ka Na Ghaat Ka

We all have heard this proverb "Dhobi ka kutta, na ghar ka na ghaat ka". There is a very interesting story behind the origination of this proverb.

This proverb was used by Mirza Saud who was a renowned Urdu poet, for Mirza Mazhar Jaan-e-Janaan's poetry as a scorn. Mirza Mazhar was a renowned poet of Persian. He later on did some stupendous and chromatic poetry in Urdu as well, however, initially he was not very comfortable in Urdu poetry.

His instructor advised him to start poetry in Urdu instead of Persian as the days of Persian poetry in India were numbered in his view. Mirza Mazhar's initial experiment in Urdu poetry was a disaster. The Urdu poets of his time did not take his arrival in their domain with joy. He was barraged by insult and one such poetic insult became proverbial:

"Mirza ka sher Faarasi aur Reekhta ke beech,
Sauda yakin jaaniye ke rora hai baat ka.
Al Garz iska haal yahi hai jo sach kahoon,
Kutta hai dhobi ka, ke na ghar ka hai na ghaat ka"

Reekhta=Urdu, Rora=Pebal, Stone.
Baat=Piece of iron used in weighing, Al Garz=In Short, It means.