Mumbai to celebrate Ghalib's sesquicentenary

The who's who in the world of literature, fine arts, culture and celebrities will croon and swoon over the timeless compositions of the legendary romanticist Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, alias 'Mirza Ghalib' to mark his 150th death anniversary.

Mirza Ghalib, born in Agra (December 27, 1797 – February 15, 1869), died aged 71, as the sun was setting on the Mughal Empire, leaving behind a treasure chest of his literary creations in Urdu and Persian which have enthralled generations till now. The Pasbaan-e-Adab Trust will host the landmark event, entitled 'Meeraas: The Heritage', at Nehru Centre on December 25.

"Mirza Ghalib Saab is an undisputed pillar of India's poetry. His works are greatly admired over decades and are of great relevance even today," Khalid said.

He said that the festival will feature 'Ink Band' – India's first poetry musical group – led by the noted Bollywood lyricist Irshad Kamil and his team, besides renditions of some of Mirza Ghalib's immortal ghazals by the well-known singer Tauseef Akhtar.

Khalid, himself a renowned poet and Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Akademi Award laureate, has organised over 50 literary and cultural events to promote rich Indian arts and culture in different languages and forms like literature fests, arts, dance, and music, among others.

In order to resurrect the quality of Marathi poetry, intended to integrate gen-new with heritage of the state's rich cultural and literary legacy, the trust organises 'Kavyanjali' which features best of the contemporary generation stalwarts like Ashok Naigaonkar, Vaibhav Joshi, Ashwini Shende among others.