Ghalib, born Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan (Born 27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869), was a prominent Urdu and Persian poet during the last years of the Mughal Empire.
“Genius is an enigma. But when you read Ghalib’s poetry, you say to yourself that an ordinary human being can’t achieve the feats that he has” said renowned scholar and professor, Sahar Ansari while speaking at a lecture on the legendary Urdu poet and stalwart, Ghalib’s 151st death anniversary at the Arts Council Pakistan Karachi on Saturday evening, 15th of February, 2020.
Prof Ansari added that it was disheartening for him to see that on such an important day major newspapers, did not publish a single line about Mirza Ghalib and neither did media houses air a tribute to the legend. Instead they published material related to horoscopes and how to cook mashed potatoes.
Still, he added, “As a philosopher once articulated, it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness”