RawPods: Creative Thought & Expression (Poetry | Literature | Thought)

She was burned at the stake. She was cursed with backward feet. She spent a Saturday night sentencing poets on Zoom. Raven helped her. This is the full recording of Rawanee’s horror open mic, held on 24 October 2026. Our resident Mean-Witch (Moonbeam) and our horror storyteller, the Raven (Laiba), host an evening of poetry and prose in Urdu and English on war, injustice, folklore and the horrors w...

Episode 8 - صحبت — SohbatSalma Siddiqui Salma blends poetry, clinical psychology and academia into a life of wisdom and knowing. She blends western and eastern knowledge, works with a love of humanity, quotes verses for every moment and leaves us inspired and humbled. Rawanee’s northern star since Mehfil 0. Rendition - Bareena at Surtaal Academy. Chashma-e-RawaanA RawaPods series by RawaneeReprese...

Who I am at 01:00 AM - The Craft of Meter & Sufi Verse [Shaheryar Mirza - Sohbat - Chashma e Rawaan Ep 7, RawaPods] Episode 7 - Sohbat, Shaheryar Mirza  When an award winning musician writes poetry, digs literature, finds faith and shapes his own narrative, Shaheryar Mirza’s creative process fuses. He joins us in Sohbat, reflecting on creative influences and perspectives, and his journey as a...

Episode 6 - Sohbat, nFk nFk builds creative platforms - the likes of Funtoosh, DWL, Lakeer. He brings humour (dad jokes included), rhyme scheme and creative liberty to Rawanee.  He saves ship as the unofficially appointed advisor of no choice to the platform, and brings rhyme scheme to moments to make us remember them long after.  Follow his work on:  https://www.facebook.com/NadirFroze   https://...

Episode 5 - Sohbat, Rafey ZuberiA long career in marketing, a life of reinvention — Rafey spins poetry and photography, surrounded by forests and waterfalls. Long recognized as Rawanee’s founding Urdu voice, we speak to Rafey about his love of Urdu — growing up surrounded by a poetry loving family, later - nature. He reflects on wit, spirituality and diversity in Urdu literature, and shares his ow...

Ruh - Episode 4: Chashma-e-Rawaan, The Founding Streams - A RawaPods series by Rawanee The soul beneath the voice. Unhurried. The room has been on a long journey. Voices from Rafey, Shaheryar, nFk, and Qudsia on writing and reading spiritual poetry. Opens with Ki Jana Main Kaun and closes with Tu Jhoom. Chashma-e-RawaanA RawaPods series by Rawanee Representing six years of a flowing stream — found...

Aamad Episode 3: Chashma-e-Rawaan, The Founding Streams - A RawaPods series by RawaneeThe arrival. A three-minute visual piece drawing together Rawanee's journey — moments, milestones, founding poets, and platforms — set to Chal Bulleya and nFk's poetry, with reference to Chashma-e-Rawaan andWhere Latitudes Meet. Chashma-e-RawaanA RawaPods series by RawaneeRepresenting six years of a flowing strea...

Safar Episode 2: Chashma-e-Rawaan, The Founding Streams - A RawaPods series by Rawanee The journey a voice takes across languages, migrations, and inheritances. Daniele, Qudsia, Laiba, Samar, Omer, Shaheryar, and nFk on the crossings — what lives in the diaspora that could not have existed in either tradition alone, what is inherited incomplete, and how resistance and re-writing shape creative ide...

Bunyad Episode 1: Chashma-e-Rawaan, The Founding Streams - A RawaPods series by Rawanee Foundations. Where a voice begins — in mother tongue, in inheritance, in the long work of preservation. Voices from Rafey, Hana, Qudsia, Salma, Sana, and nFk on writing, storytelling, education, and the platforms that have carried Urdu forward. Featuring poems by Qudsia and Salma. Opens with Wekh Asmanan Te Udh...

In this episode, we share poetry themed to Nur, or Light. Recorded in Feb'26 at the start of Ramadan, our diverse community gets together in a Mehfil and speaks to the theme in new and interesting ways. Spiritual poems - reflections, longing, connection; socio-political poems - lamenting the loss of humanity in the present day world, hoping for a better time, reminding each other, and sometime...

In this episode, we reflect on two central Qur’anic concepts: Salām (peace, wholeness) and Nūr (light, illumination). We reflect on these concepts not as abstractions, but as lived realities. Through divine attributes, linguistic roots, and selected scriptural references, we examine how these ideas move from theology into lived life — especially in Ramadan. What does it mean to pursue peace with i...

Poetry & the Refugee Experience We continue Season 4 of RawPods with Rivers of Resilience - a special series centering those with lived experiences of migration, displacement, and those working alongside migrant and refugee communities. In this episode, we speak with Siraj ul Islam, a Rohingya poet and activist originally from Myanmar, who has been living as a refugee since 2017. Siraj has ded...

We continue Season 4 of RawPods with Rivers of Resilience , a special series exploring migrant lived experiences and those working tirelessly for advocacy, justice, and human rights. In this episode, we speak with Camilla Reeve who is a poet, writer, and founder of Palewell Press. Her work amplifies voices shaped by justice, displacement, war, and the climate crisis. Through poetry, fiction, and n...

As conflict and war escalate in many parts of the world, the number of refugees continues to rise—and so do polarising views on migration. In response, we bring you Rivers of Resilience, a powerful new series exploring migrant lives, art, and advocacy as part of Season 4 of RawPods. In this episode, we meet Asma Rashed, who fled the war in Syria, found refuge in Jordan, and eventually resettled in...

Experience the rich tradition of Urdu Sufi poetry in this special episode as we bid goodbye to Ramadan and celebrate Eid. Featuring a journey through Urdu Sufi poetry and timeless works of renowned Urdu Sufi poets, presented by Rafey Zuberi and select verses from Rumi shared by other event guests including Sara Zamir and Talhah, hosted by Muniba. Learn about the history of Sufi poetry, its connect...

In this special Ramadan episode of community reflection, we explore the profound themes of mercy, forgiveness, and salvation - both as Divine attributes and as human experiences. The reflections are guided by an understanding of Allah’s names that speak to these traits (as based on Al Ghazali’s work) and based on other texts. Through discussion and reflection, we consider how an understanding of t...

An event to celebrate the life and message of the best of creation and praise the Creator, hosted in September 2024. Includes recitations of classic and original poems in Arabic, English, Turkish & Urdu. Attended by a diverse community with origins in and currently located in multiple locations across the world. We loved the soulful remembrance that brought us together and pray we have many mo...

Hammad Rind and Nadir Feroz Khan represent Pakistan and Rawanee as they recite their multilingual work at Poetry Night, at the Poetry Cafe in Feb 2024. The recitations include poetry in languages spoken in Pakistan. Intro Music: Sohni Dharti instrumental by Leo Twins RawPods Season 3 | Episode 5 Connect with us across our channels: Website: Rawanee.com   Instagram: @Rawanee. Creatives Facebook: @R...

“Poems from Munir Niazi, Siddiq Kalim and Adeen Taji as shared by their relatives” Spoken to & recited by Akbar Khan (Munir Niazi), Natasha Qureshi (Siddiq Kalim) & Mariam Magsi (Adeen Taji) RawPods Season 3 | Episode 4 Connect with us across our channels: Website: Rawanee.com   Instagram: @Rawanee. Creatives Facebook: @RawaneeCreatives Twitter: /RawaneeCreative Facebook group: https://www...

“Spiritual and reflective poetry to celebrate Arafah Day & Eid ul Adha” Written & recited by Laiba Khan, Muniba Mahmud, Talhah Mohammed RawPods Season 3 | Episode 3

That 14th August should be a time to reflect is possibly the least controversial stance toward it. Here, we hear thoughts that should help us challenge & re examine our perceptions of identity, our attitude toward language and ideas This episode is the first part of a recording of an event we hosted in May 2023 in partnership with SOAS, University of London. It includes conversation on the decolon...

“Poetry that speaks to decolonization” An extract from an event we held at SOAS, university of London in May 2023 - with poetry written and recited by Shaheryar Mirza and Qudsia Akhtar. RawPods Season 3 | Episode 2

“To myself: Conversations Through Time”, is the first episode of Season 3 of RawPods. This episode includes excerpts from a Mehfil we hosted in October 2022. The reciting poets include Laiba Khan, Muniba M, Nadir Feroz Khan (NFK), Rafey Zuberi, Shaheryar Mirza. In season 3 we will move toward more thematic creative expression, as has been our growing focus. RawPods Season 3 | Episode 1 Connect wit...

This episode is a recording of a Mehfil we hosted on 09th July 2023, which included participation of other Poetry Society stanzas (North Cumbria & Roundel) alongside that of Rawanee’s own members. Participants joined from across 4 countries & 7 cities. The prompt was “Darkness, Light or a combination of both…” RawPods Season 2 | Episode 6 Connect with us across our channels: Website: Rawanee.com  ...

First published: Mar’22, republished: Oct’23; This episode is a special edition of poetry, "Voices for Humanity" put together under the sad backdrop of war, in March’22. As the world reels from news of the past week, we have put out a call for voices to express support for humanitarianism - to promote peace, and to promote equality.  The poems that we have received from members highlight the sadne...