Ghalib’s Agra forgets him on 218th birthday

Mirza Ghalib, whose contribution to Urdu literature was perhaps as significant as that of Shakespeare to English, was born in Agra (India) on this day over 200 years ago. The Taj city on Saturday not only forgot to celebrate his birthday but also does not have a decent memorial to the poet, activists said.

Despite repeated demands to name a road or an auditorium after the famed poet, the municipal corporation has not responded and Agra University has turned down a demand to set up a Ghalib chair to promote research and work in Urdu literature.