India will be playing against Pakistan in the much-anticipated match of T20 World Cup 2022 which will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 October. Since all the India-Pak matches are nothing short of a carnival, this match is also all set to celebrate these neighbors' coming together. To celebrate this spirit of this In this episode of Urdunama we look at some of the ways alliances and friendships are built. Tune in as Fabeha Syed reads 'Dosti ka Haath' by Pakistani poet Ahmad Faraz, and i...
Oct 22, 2022•20 min
Ranjish meaning displeasure, or grief, is a powerful emotion. If used wisely, it can open wounds to healing, and strengthen us to the core enabling us to carry our love and grief. Tune in as we explore through the works of Ahmad Faraz, Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq, Akhtar Shirani, and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 15, 2022•18 min
They say Law of Attraction works when you work toward your dreams. But what it is that makes you realise and get you started in the first place? Courage, to come face to face or ‘ru-ba-ru’ with the elephant in the room. After all, its the things that we feel are impossible, hold the most possibilities for us. Tune in, as we get closer and ‘ru ba ru’ the idea of facing the ‘self’ and finding the universe within. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 08, 2022•18 min
1 October is observed as the International Day For the Older People. So, we decided to explore buzurgi, meaning wisdom of an old person. Tune in as we, through the works of poets like Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ismail Merathi, among others, look at what it means to be a 'buzurg'. Tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 01, 2022•12 min
Experts and film historians nod in agreement every time they remember Dev Anand and his love for Urdu. One of the stars of the DilipKumar-Raj Kapoor-Dev Anand triumvirate, Dev was known to enjoy his dialogues and songs written in Urdu. In this special episode of Urdunama we celebrate the legend's love for the language and what could possibly be attributed to his initial training in the language. Tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 24, 2022•12 min
The longest reigning British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8th September at the age of 96. Her funeral ceremony is set to be held on Monday, 19th September in Westminster Abbey. Hundreds of foreign royals and heads of state are expected to attend the funeral, and the event is said to be the biggest diplomatic gathering in decades. The British people are mourning the death of their queen as they wait for 12 hours in an 8 km long queue to pay their respects and see the queen's coffin ...
Sep 17, 2022•14 min
Every single death by suicide is a public health concern. So, to create awareness,10th September is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day. In this episode, we explore the theme of 'zindagi' meaning life through Urdu poetry. Tune in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 10, 2022•22 min
There is no pleasure without pain, anxiety, uncertainties, insecurities, sadness, grief, and a whole bunch of other emotions. It's only when we are stricken with one or more of these unpleasant feelings that we long for emotions that are happy and can bring joy to our hearts. Once we are able to achieve these most cherished feelings is when we can experience pleasure. In Urdu, the word ' lutf ' denotes pleasure, joy, enjoyment, and excitement. Tune in as we read some of the poetry that show us w...
Sep 03, 2022•14 min
Legendary Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor passed away on 20 August in Karachi. She'll be remembered for her genteel nature and her simplicity that made her stand apart from her peers. As her fans across the globe mourn this huge loss, we take a look at her journey from Guwahati to Karachi, and how she became the voice for some of Faiz's iconic nazms . Tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 26, 2022•14 min
Lord Krishna 's Bhakti surpasses geographical, social, and religious realms. While almost all languages in India have their own odes to Lord Krishna, perhaps such Urdu literature is lesser known. This Janmashtami , we look at how one can find the gems of Krishna Bhakti written by some of the prominent Urdu poets such as Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Nazeer Akbarabadi, and Hafeez Jalandhari. Tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 19, 2022•15 min
To understand the idea of secularism, going back to books is often considered a better way. Yet, those who love poetry swear by some of the gems written in Urdu and revere them as antidotes to hatred or any socio-cultural chaos. So, to prove the point that poetry can cure most ills, we turn to poets like Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib in this special episode of Urdunama with Fabeha Syed. Tune in as we attempt to find our Secularhythm through some verses. Tune In! Learn more about your ad choices....
Aug 13, 2022•14 min
From detecting evidence of clouds on a planet for the first time to being able to see Jupiter with its moon in a 'new light', the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is hailed as the most powerful space science telescope ever built. This will enable the scientists to study even the distant galaxies with the help of not only the images but also the detailed data. The telescope is engineered for ground breaking discoveries, thereby changing the future of astronomy. To celebrate this historic mo...
Jul 30, 2022•16 min
Bhupinder Singh, the man with a velvet voice that could tend to a broken heart or reassure an anxious mind, passed away on 18 July 2022. Apart from being a celebrated singer, he was also a talented guitarist. From Madan Mohan to RD Burman, his beautiful partnerships gave the music industry some gems that it would continue to cherish for years to come. But if it wasn't for Pancham , we would not have gotten a youthful guitarist in Bhupinder Singh. Do you remember the songs with some of his iconic...
Jul 23, 2022•15 min
Naqaab , meaning a veil or parda , has often been the source of poets' anxieties and ecstasies, both. Why? Because behind that veil is their lover who is so beautiful that the idea of witnessing the beauty is overwhelming and that is what makes them write about the mystery that hides behind the naqaab . In this episode, Fabeha Syed reads some of the ashaar by poets like Chakbast Brij Narayan, Shakeel Badayuni, and Jalil Manikpuri, among others. Tune in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...
Jul 16, 2022•23 min
As understood by this famous quote by Lord Byron, "wives in their husbands' absences grow subtler, and daughters sometimes run off with the butler", any form of disloyalty, or bewafai comes from absence. Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz also once wrote that because the separation was intense, the poet had to resort to doing the act of disloyalty, probably for the first time. Is qadar musalsal thin shiddatein judai ki Aaj pehli baar us se maine bewafai ki But the question is, why do people cheat? The answer...
Jul 09, 2022•20 min
'Baarish' is a Persian word that means rain, downpour, or something that is in abundance. It symbolises many different things, depending on the context. It could be a union, longing, suffering, or just life in general. It is in the way that 'barsaat' affects us that we decide what it means to us. Poets also have their own interpretations of 'baarish'. In other words, rain fuels an artist's creativity. Music, perhaps, is a great example of such creativity. Whether it's pining for one's lost love ...
Jul 02, 2022•14 min
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." “The only good human being is a dead one." "Man serves the interests of no creature except himself." “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." These are some of the lines of British essayist, journalist, and novelist George Orwell's famous satirical novella Animal Farm . The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who dream about equality and a world where they...
Jun 24, 2022•20 min
Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night begins with Duke Orsino saying, "If music be the food of love, play on." It's perhaps a famous reminder of how important music is in our lives – be it to express love, to deal with a painful heartbreak, living in a moment of euphoria, or even protesting against oppression – music helps in communicating every emotion in any language. On this World Music Day, we listen to songs and read Urdu poetry on mauseeqi, meaning music. From Dilawar Figar's nazm Mauseeqi se i...
Jun 17, 2022•14 min
'Masoomiyat' means innocence, and the word has often been associated with something pure and free of blemishes. Sometimes, poets have described their lovers as 'masoom' to praise the beauty of their childlike innocence, while at other times, the word has been used to refer to a lost childhood. On the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour, we chose the theme of innocence to remind ourselves that it's only by safeguarding innocence that we can dream of building a better tomorrow. Tune in as h...
Jun 10, 2022•26 min
Indian playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath's passing has left his fans across the globe with a deep sense of loss. The musician, whose soundtracks encapsulate the very essence of our college lives, died of a heart attack hours after he delivered his final performance in Kolkata. KK, who started his career as a sales executive, has over 3,000 jingles to his credit. The first taste of success for him, however, came with the album 'Pal', which was released in 1999. The singer had never looked back...
Jun 03, 2022•14 min
Taj Mahal, a symbol of love, is recognised worldwide and is marvelled at for its architectural genius. This 17th-century heritage building reminds us of a love that prompted a Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to build a mausoleum for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who had died in childbirth. This architectural expression of love, Taj Mahal, has also been the subject of a perennial debate that it was built on the site of a Hindu temple, 'Tejo Mahalaya,' and that it represents Islamic aggression on a Hindu la...
May 28, 2022•16 min
A heat wave is sweeping through northern parts of India as the temperatures are hitting news records almost every other day. This summer season is testing us and the scorching heat has sent most of us in a frenzy. In the true spirit of the old adage "necessity is the mother of all invention", a lot of us have also devised innovative ways to keep ourselves cool. But in poetry, sultriness is but a metaphor to the fire or the aatish in our heart – our deepest desires and dreams that keep us going. ...
May 21, 2022•14 min•Ep. 90
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 ourselves in a mental or physical chaos. In Urdu, pasoori could be loosely translated to kashmakash mea...
May 14, 2022•16 min•Ep. 89
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 Fabeha Syed reads some of the gems of Urdu poetry that focus on the importance of knowledge, wisdom, ...
Apr 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 88
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 ikhtilaaf and ittifaq together perpetuate the social progress of a civilization when people pick the ri...
Apr 23, 2022•15 min•Ep. 87
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 well as na-shaad (unhappy) state of being of poets. In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed reads ...
Apr 16, 2022•15 min•Ep. 86
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 this episode of Urdunama we explore what Parhez means to poets. Tune in as we read Ismail Merathi, Jos...
Apr 09, 2022•19 min•Ep. 85
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 decisions out of anger. Surely, it's okay to be angry, sometimes perhaps even necessary, but how should ...
Apr 02, 2022•15 min•Ep. 84
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, Bhartendu Harishchandra, among others. Tune in. Host, Script, Sound Edit: Fabeha Syed Music: Big Bang Fuz...
Mar 18, 2022•11 min•Ep. 83
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
Mar 12, 2022•14 min•Ep. 82
