Urdunama

Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill's song Pasoori has spread like wildfire. This is the song that is said to have united music fans across India and Pakistan who simply can't stop humming or grooving to it. But what does pasoori mean? It is a Punjabi word that means a dilemma or a conflict that makes us go back and forth on a decision or action. It refers to a situation in which we find our...

It's been two years since the passing away of actor Irrfan Khan, and we can't help but wonder how names have an impact on what a person becomes. Irfaan means knowledge, wisdom. It's the power and wisdom that Irrfan exuded in all of his performances that made him a legend. So, in this episode of Urdunama we celebrate the man Irrfan for his irfaan, and the power he exerted on his craft.  Tune in as...

Ikhtilaaf meaning conflicts or disagreements, are unavoidable in a heterogenous environment. One can say that sometimes disagreements might even be healthy and necessary for a synthetized view of the world. But there are also times when ikhtilaaf can deteriorate harmony. At such moments, a sense of ittifaq which means unity or concurrence, can help overcome the differences between people. Both ikh...

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor's wedding festivities have set off a frenzy in Bollywood. As fans across the country follow the news of this marital union of two of India's celebrated stars, we found it only apt to give some thought to the word 'shaadi' or marriage, which finds its roots in the Persian word 'shaad', which means happiness and joy. There is a lot that has been expressed in the shaad as...

Navratri and Ramzan both come with a set of rules of dos and don'ts. Sure, it's time for fasting and self-cleansing but it's not just about what we eat or when we eat rather, it's a life altering phenomenon that focuses on discipline. As Greek philosopher Plato is believed to have said, "Abstinence is the surety of temperance", it is 'Parhez' or abstinence that trains us to patiently endure. In th...

Oscars 2022 made history with its many firsts – three female hosts for the first time, an actor with hearing impairment bagged the Best Actor Oscar for the first time, first openly queer actor of colour won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Yet, it is the Will Smith-Chris Rock 'slapgate' from the Oscars that overshadowed all of this. It is often advised that one shouldn't take any extreme deci...

Holi is a social festival which has been written a lot about in Urdu poetry from the spectrum of India's ganga-jamuni tehzeeb. Although there are many poets who have expressed their love for the festival, Wali Muhammad, who wrote using nom de plume, 'Nazeer', wrote almost a dozen nazms on Holi. In this episode we not only look at some of Nazeer Akbarabaadi's works, we also read Azhar Iqbal, Bharte...

Tune in as we explore how it is only us who can write the destiny that we want.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at some of the poetry written to celebrate womanhood. Tune in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at some of the warnings against war in Urdu poetry.  Tune in as The Quint's Fabeha Syed reads Sahir Ludhianvi's iconic poem, 'Parchaiyyan'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Urdunama, we celebrate the very foundation of love - attachment, or 'uns'. Tune in and immerse yourself in unsiyat this Valentine's week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Urdunama we take a look at what is Muhim meaning campaign and what are the thoughts of some of the Urdu poets about these campaigns. Tune in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Urdunama we see how it's the gratitude that helps us hold onto the good things in life. In Urdu poetry, Ismail Merathi tells us that we can be thankful for anything, even a cow. Tune in as The Quint's Fabeha Syed reads Merathi's 'Humari Gayein', Andaleeb Shadani's 'der lagi aane mein tumko..' among other ashaar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

French philosopher René Descartes's famous phrase 'cogito ergo sum' - I think, therefore, I 'am; resonates with every thinking and reasoning mind. And it's thinking that makes us analyse and bring our reflexive and contemplative skills to the fore. This in turn draws us so much closer to what we consider true, that we would even prove any conflicting view to our version of truth, wrong. And it is...

Mukarrar meaning repeat is a word that people often use as a response to praise poetry, or any spoken words.  In this episode we explore what it is that poets wish to repeat or stop at once.  Tune in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we explore the idea of rebellion or 'sarkashi', in Urdu poetry.  Tune in as The Quint's Fabeha Syed reads Ali Sardar Jafri, Asrar ul Haq Majaz, and others to understand what makes them go against the grain.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mubarak meaning auspicious, and this should be the way to usher in the start of a new year. This word has often been used in Urdu poetry as a way of taunting. For instance, Shakeel Badayuni's sher is complaining about the lover's oblivion. Ye ada-e-be-niyaazi tujhe bewafa mubaarak Magar aisi be-rukhi kya ki salaam tak na pahunche Tune in, as we explore more such ways through which the poets have e...

'Maseeha' which means a saviour of a tribe who leads towards liberation, is often used for someone who can heal. Jesus Christ is called 'Maseeha' for his healing powers not only in Christianity but in all the Abrahamic religions such as Islam and Judaism. In Urdu poetry, there are many references to the healing powers of Jesus Christ. And it is the beloved who is referred to as 'Maseeha Nafas' mea...

It is said that don't keep waiting for things; instead, make them happen. But then it is also believed that good things come to those who wait. What is it that one should do? 'Muntazir' means the state of waiting for something or someone. In Urdu poetry, the subject of poets' wait is often the lover, and shayar's ultimate fantasy is the moment of 'vasl' or union with him. The delay in vasl is the...

In this episode we look at how poets have written about their 'umeed' meaning hope.  Tune in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Ibtida' means a beginning and 'inteha' means ending of something after having reached an extent. The beginning could be of a relationship, or of an activity. And, since every bigining is a start of an effort, 'ibtida' holds a special place in Urdu poetry that brings hope and comfort to our hearts. In this episode, The Quint's Fabeha Syed explores how to find those ends in which a new 'ibtida' can...

Philosophers have always argued about time and have viewed it with different theories. Poets, on the other hand, have made the time the essence of their work and worries.  When stuck in the past, it is the 'maazi' that the poet lives in his poetry. When hoping for a beautiful future, the poets are usually dreaming about the union or 'visaal' with their beloved. But, the present is what makes the p...

'Aaloodgi' meaning pollution, is a huge concern of worry for the not just the shayar but everyone. However, in poetry, pollution of any form stands for corruption, absence of lover, a great discomfort, or any negative emotion.  In this episode of Urdunama, we explore how pollution has caused distress to poets like Amjad Islam Amjad and Anand Narayan Mulla, among others.  Tune in.  Learn more about...

Philosophers, scientists, thinkers, have been trying to understand the secrets of the universe through the various disciplines of inquiry.  Universe, they tell, is all about energy, time and matter. Once we internalise this belief, the universe then moves quickly as we decide. But, how? To understand this, we explore through Urdu poetry, what does 'kainaat' mean to poets and how they see the unive...

'Raunaq' means lustre or glow. In this episode we understand what is 'raunaq' for poets and how some of the Urdu poetry has thrown light on theme like glow of anyone's presence, of truth, of love, and so on. When 'raunaq' spreads in our lives through all of these things, it enhances the quality of life. But, when the same 'raunaq' is found on a certain food, why it is then considered  considered b...