Today, we look at the death anniversary of Mirza Ghalib, the search for a new face for the Canadian $5 note and the sale of a home associated with Wordsworth.

Mirza Ghalib Death Anniversary Observed

The 151^st death anniversary of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, the classical Urdu poet, was celebrated on Saturday in Pakistan.

During his lifetime Ghalib wrote several hundred Ghazals. These have since been translated, interpreted and even put to music in a number of different ways. He was considered to be one of the most popular poets of his time and is now believed to be one of the most influential Urdu language poets in South Asia. He died in 1869 in New Delhi at the age of 71.

Canadian Seek new Face for $5 note

The search is on in Canada as they look to a new face to grace the front of the $5 bill. The current face is that of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first francophone prime minister.

Canadians are being asked to suggest people they feel should be given the honour and two very popular choices at the moment are the musician and poet Gord Downie and the Songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen.

Unfortunately, neither man is eligible for consideration as they do not meet all the necessary criteria. They are both Canadian by birth, one of the necessary criteria. It could also be argued that both of them have shown outstanding leadership, distinction or achievement in any field, another of the criteria. Unfortunately, both of then have died in the last couple of years and do not meet the final criteria of having passed away before 1995.

Poetry might, however, still be in with a chance of being on the face of the $5 bill. The poet Emile Nelligan who died in 1941 is one of the names that is in with a chance. Other possibles include Agnes Macphail the first female member of parliament in Canada, the suffragette Nellie McClung and Marshall McLuhan the media philosopher.

Wordsworth Home Could Become A Hotel

The home in Somerset where the poet William Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy for the duration of 1797 has sold for the second time since 2017. There is a possibility that it may now be open to tourists as the anonymous businessman who has just purchased it is hoping to open it up as a hotel.

Alfoxton Park is located near Bridgewater in Somerset. The Grade II listed country house was not only home to the poet for a year but it also here that Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge worked together on Lyrical Ballads, their joint masterpiece.

In 2017, it as sold at auction but was put up for sale again in November 2018, the guide price at the time was £2 million. For the last couple of years, the property has stood empty but it has now been purchased by an unnamed individual who is hoping to turn it into a business. The house is surrounded by 50 acres of land.

Local residents are hoping that this recent purchase will help breathe new life into the area and also allow the memory of Wordsworth to live on.