ISLAMABAD: The 149th death anniversary of classical Urdu and Persian poet Mirza Ghalib was observed on Thursday. Several literary organisations arranged functions to pay tributes to the poet while electronic media also ran different ghazals of the poet sung by artists of Pakistan and India. The last great poet of the Mughal Era, Mirza Ghalib is considered to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. He was born on December 27, 1797, in the city of Akbarabad (present Agra). His full name was Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan and Ghalib was his pen name. He wrote several ghazals during his life which have since been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people. Ghalib today remains popular not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world. He was one of the best of Urdu poets who led a drastic revolution in Urdu poetry with his words. Ghalib felt proud of his Persian poetry. Ghalib started composing poetry at the age of 11. His first language was Urdu but Persian and Turkish were also spoken at home. He got his education in Persian and Arabic at a young age. Published in Daily Times, February 16th 2018.