Mirza Ghalib—the great poet of all times, has special place in the heart of his lovers across the world.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 27th, 2019) The great poet of Mughal era—Mirza Ghalib’s 222nd birthday is being celebrated with traditional fervor and zeal in Pakistan and India today.
The literary circles and lovers of his literary work are celebrating his birthday by organizing special sittings in Pakistan and India.
Born in 1797, Mirza Ghalib, whose real name was Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, is hailed as one of the greatest poets of urdu and Persian. His original Takhallus (pen-name) was Asad, drawn from his real name. However, he also used the pen-name of Ghalib and Asad Ullah Khan in some of his poetic works. Ghalib not only wrote shers (couplets) on love but also on philosophy, the travails, and mysteries of life through his poetry. He started writing poems at the age of 11 and wrote in Urdu, Persian and Turkish languages.
Some of his couplets here: “Mehrban ho kay bula lo mjy chaho jis waqt---me gya waqt ni hun k phir aa na sakun,” (Being gracious, you may call me anytime—I am not time which would never come back,”. He says: “Ho ga koe aisa bhe k Ghalib ko na jane---Shair to woh asha hey badnam Baht hey,”---(Is there anyone who doesn’t know who Ghalib is-----He is a good poet but is infamous,”. In another couplet, Mirza Ghalib says, “Ghalib bura na maan Jo waiz bura kahay---aisa b koe hey k sb asha kahen jisay,” (Ghalib—don’t mind if any cleric calls you bad----There is not even a single good one people would have been united against him).
Google doodle celebrated his birthday two years ago.
Although his first language was Urdu, Turkish and Persian were spoken at home too. Today, Mirza Ghalib is more famous for his Urdu Ghazals among Urdu scholars than he is for his achievements in Persian.
After getting married by the age of 13, in accordance with the upper-class Muslim customs of the time, he settled in Delhi. One of the recurring themes in Mirza Ghalib's poems is the idea that life is a continuous painful struggle which ends only with life itself.
Often regarded as the last great poet of the Mughal era, his poem and Ghazals have been translated and recited in multiple languages across the globe. In 1850, he was honoured with the title of Dabir-ul-Mulk by Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II.
During the last years of the Mughal Empire, Mirza Ghalib was not only an important member of the Mughal court, but also the poet tutor to the emperor's eldest son, Prince Fakhr-ud Din Mirza. The emperor also appointed him as the royal historian of the Mughal court.
