ISLAMABAD: Several literary organisations arranged functions to pay tributes to the legendary poet, Mirza Ghalib, while electronic media ran different ghazals of the poet sung by artists of Pakistan and India on Thursday.
The last great poet of the Mughal Era, Mirza Assadullah Khan, more known by his pen name Ghalib is considered to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. He was born on December 27, 1797, in the city of Akbarabad (present Agra). Ghalib wrote several ghazals during his life which have since been interpreted and sung in several ways by different people.
Ghalib started composing poetry at the age of 11. His first language was Urdu but Persian and Turkish were also spoken at home. He got his education in Persian and Arabic at a young age and the poet was very proud of his Persian poetry.
The legend today remains popular not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world. He was one of the best of Urdu poets who led a drastic revolution in Urdu poetry with his words.