Google honours iconic poet Mirza Ghalib on 220th birth anniversary

KARACHI: The 220th birth anniversary of iconic Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib is being marked today.

Google has dedicated a doodle for homepage in honour of the eminent poet whose poetry captured the hearts and minds of not only his contemporaries, but many more to come. His poetry is considered the most cherished and inalienable part of Urdu literature.

Ghalib was born on December 27, 1797 in the city of Agra to Abdullah Baig. He married Umrao Begum, daughter of Mirza Elahi Bukhsh Khan Maaroof at the age of 13. Soon after the marriage, he moved to Delhi where he spent his rest of life.

Ghalib was only 5 years old when his father was killed in Alwar.

With his pseudonym (takhal’lus) ‘Asad’ and ‘Ghalib,’ he began composing verses at the early age of 10 or 12, infusing a new life into Urdu poetry with his writings.

The revered poet studied human psychology and the realities of life in-depth and translated them into his poetry with such a great simplicity that even a layman could access it.