Google’s doodle of the day pays homage to the legendary poet Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, popularly known as Ghalib, in celebration of Ghalib’s 220th birthday.
The doodle shows the poet standing on a balcony with a pen, paper and the sun and a mosque in his background, hinting at Delhi – which played an essential role in his writing.
Born in 1797, he was one of most influential poets in Urdu and Persian language. Anyone who has studied the Urdu language is familiar with his great work, which has also served as inspiration for numerous ghazals and songs and continue to do so even today. Bestowed with the honorific Dabir-ul-Mulk and Najm-ud-Daula, the poet lived in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi which is now known as Ghalib Ki Haveli. His residence has been turned into Ghalib Memorial and houses a permanent Ghalib exhibition.
The poet passed away on February 15, 1869. His tomb is located near Chausath Khamba, Nizamuddin area in Delhi.
