The name Mirza Ghalib doesn’t require any introduction. Poet, writer, Ghalib spent his entire life creating works that gratify souls, touch depths and leaves a greater impact on our minds.
Ghalib is the most-loved, read and quoted poet of Urdu language in the world. His ghazals have been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people as his writing which is still extremely popular among the Hindustani diaspora.
On Ghalib’s birth anniversary, let’s look into the journey of last great poet of Mughal Empire
* Born Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan on Dec 27, 1797 in Agra, Ghalib started writing couplets, poems, shayaris at age of 11. Well versed in Urdu, Persian & Turkish, he used pen names Asad & Ghalib. In most of his verses, gender or identity of the beloved was unknown
* Ghalib was married at a very young age to Umrao Begum after which he moved to Delhi where he lived till his death. It is said that he had seven children with her but none of them survived for more than 15 months.
* Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II gave Mirza Ghalib the title of “Dabir-ul-Mulk”, followed by the title of “Najm-ud-daula”, which incorporated him into the nobility of Delhi. ‘Mirza Nosha’ is another title Ghalib received from the Emperor, thus adding Mirza to his name.
* Mirza Ghalib was appointed as a poet tutor to the royal family along with being appointed as the royal historian of Mughal Court by the Emperor.
* Ghalib never worked for a livelihood. Instead he lived on the royal patronage of Mughal Emperors or on the generosity of his friends.
* He breathed his last in his famous haveli, Gali Qasim Jaan at Chandni Chowk, in 1869. It is also known as Ghalib ki Haveli. This 300-year old haveli has been turned into ‘Ghalib Memorial’.
