The son of British soldier General James Valentin Gardner and Shahzadi Qamar Chehra, Fana’s mother was adopted by Shahzada Suleiman Shikoh, son of Mughal emperor Shah Alam. In addition to Urdu and Hindi, Persian and Arabic he was well-versed in many regional languages. He was a born poet and recited couplets with utmost ease and naturalness. He had great interest in Sufism, which is why had a deep connection with the Marhara Dargah. He lived a lavish life like that of Nawabs.