The 141st death anniversary of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, a great classical Urdu and Persian poet was observed on Monday. Nirza Ghalib was born in Agra, now part of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, during the terminal period of Mughal rule. He changed his name to Mirza Ghalib after he began writing Urdu couplets.
He started writing poetry at the age of 10. Known for using his poetry to speak of pain, anger, anguish and humour, Ghalib was also honoured by last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. "Ghalib's poetry contained all elements of Urdu poetry. The jagiriyat (assessing quality) and riwayat (culture) in Urdu are all his contributions. He wrote several ghazals during his life, which have since been interpreted and sung in different ways by different people.
Around 1810, he was married to Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh Khan of Loharu' younger brother of the first Nawab of Loharu, Nawab Mirza Ahmad Baksh Khan at the age of 13. After a few years he shifted from Agra to Delhi. Mirza Ghalib is regarded as one of the greatest Urdu poets. His poetry is distinguished by intense feelings, wistfulness and a strong romantic mood which produce a charming effect on readers. 'Diwan-i-Ghalibin', 10 volumes is the collection of poetical works of Ghalib. It has been translated into several Indian and foreign languages. In 1850, he was appointed poet Laureate by the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II.
As a writer and poet, Ghalib believed in using simple words. He laid the foundation of Urdu prose and that is why he is called the father of the modern Urdu prose. 'Urdu-i-Hindi' and 'Urdu-i-Muallah' are his two famous books of collection of letters. Some other notable prose works of Ghalib are: 'Naam-i-Ghalib', 'Lateif-i-Gaibi' and 'Dupshe Kawaiyani'. Mirza Ghalib Academy in Delhi has been established for research of his works and also to encourage Urdu literature.
Even though Ghalib spread love, beauty and happiness all around, his own life was filled with moments of despair and tragedy. He suffered from a drinking problem, financial difficulties as well as pains of old age, and finally died at the age of 72 year.