If it wasn't for Talat Mahmood's soulful voice, Dilip Kumar wouldn't have become the undisputed 'King of Tragedy'. From 'Arzoo', 'Tarana' to 'Sangdil', and 'Babul', Talat Mahmood used to be the first choice of the directors for the voice of Dilip Kumar. If it wasn't for Talat Mahmood, Mehdi Hasan would not have become the ghazal great of the subcontinent. Also, referred to as the 'Frank Sinatra' of India, Talat Mahmood with his velvety voice became the first heartthrob of ghazal lovers, and rule...
May 02, 2020•20 min•Ep. 21
Patience or 'sabr' is not just a word, but a practice. It could be understood as an inner mechanism that allows us to be accepting of everyday challenges without getting angry or agitated. If it's not for the hard times, we wouldn't have known what it means to practise 'sabr' or endurance. You may feel that your speed is slowing down in the lockdown. But the only way to keep going is adjusting your expectations, and trying to embrace the reality of life. Tune in for some ashaar of Anand Narayan ...
Apr 18, 2020•13 min•Ep. 20
As the nation reels under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, most of us are confined to our homes, working from home, practising what has been touted to the safest measure to ward off COVID-19 – 'social distancing'. If, in self-isolation, there is ever a moment when you have felt hopeless about your future, then you aren't alone. In these testing times, it’s important to remember that the only way to fight the darkness is to find the light – or the 'noor' – of courage and ho...
Apr 04, 2020•19 min•Ep. 19
In a matter of weeks, the exponential rise of coronavirus cases has caused anxiety and fear over the world. A lot of us are, quite naturally, feeling uncertain about the future. It’s easy to feel despair and be hopeless – but remember, we are all in this together. So, hang in there! Tune in for some ashaar – from the likes of Ahmad Faraz and Faiz – that will give the warmth of hope, or aas , that we all are in need of. Host, Writer and Sound Designer: Fabeha Syed Editor: Shelly Walia Learn more ...
Mar 21, 2020•13 min•Ep. 18
A poet, lyricist, thinker - Sahir, is not a man of a few words. His vast vocabulary not only borrows references from nature when he writes intimate love songs but also when he hopes for a better world, social justice, and equality: Hazaar barq gire, laakh andhiyan utthein Vo phool khil ke rahenge jo khilne wale hain. The magic of Sahir’s poetry is such that it traverses across the Urdu-Hindi barrier and across a range of complex human emotions. His nazms like Khoon phir khoon hai , Gandhi ho ya ...
Mar 07, 2020•20 min•Ep. 17
In most languages, there are those confusing words that have similar pronunciation but are different in both meanings and spellings. So if you stumble upon some homonyms in Urdu which make you scratch your head, say no more. We got you covered. In this episode of Urdunama, The Quint’s Fabeha Syed explains the case of almost similar sounding words - ‘sahar’ which means ‘dawn’, and ‘sehr’ meaning ‘magic’. Also featuring in this podcast is a journalist and poet Noman Shauq who not only shares with ...
Feb 22, 2020•17 min•Ep. 16
Intikhab means ‘election’ or ‘selection’. Many Urdu poets have written about their intikhab of something when they are faced with tough choices. Mostly its when they hold someone or something like a memory in high regard. For example, Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir, who shifted to Lucknow after Ahmad Shah Abdali’s invasion of Delhi, reminisces about his beloved city by calling it the ‘chosen place in the world for the nobility’. Mir writes: Dilli jo ek sheher tha aalam mein intekhaab Rehte the jahan mun...
Feb 08, 2020•13 min•Ep. 15
On 14 January 1919, Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi was born into a family of zameendars of Mizwan – a small village in the district of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. While the usual worries that grip every child’s heart are either about what, where or with whom to play, Kaifi’s anxieties lay elsewhere. One of the couplets from the first ghazal he wrote at the age of 11 shows the genius of a child prodigy that he was. Itna toh zindagi mein kisi ki khalal pade, Hasne se ho sukoon na rone se kal pade With his deep...
Jan 14, 2020•15 min•Ep. 14
Faiz’s iconic poem ‘Hum Dekhenge’ has always been borrowed by protesting voices across the globe. The poem calls out the oppressors of every age, ideology and society. The poem was written as a mark of protest against the regime of Pakistani dictator Zia-ul-Haq, whose government was communal and regressive. A set of laws called the ‘Hudood Ordinances’ was the central policy of his government to ensure proper ‘Islamisation’ of Pakistan. Hudood, or Hadd, means ‘limits’, and the law ordered the peo...
Jan 04, 2020•19 min•Ep. 13
Mirza Ghalib - who is to Urdu literature what Shakespeare is to English - whose poetry has continued to find admirers even a century and a half later when he is no more. Born in 1797 in Agra, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib moved to Delhi wherein the court of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, his talents found new heights. These heights of his literary brilliance often prod you on a deeper level and make you wonder. ‘Did Ghalib ever write about politics?’, ‘how can his poems be interprete...
Dec 26, 2019•19 min•Ep. 12
'Madam' Noor Jehan was perhaps one of the earliest stars of Hindi cinema. She later migrated to Pakistan. The cleft-chinned darling of the newly formed Pakistan, Noor Jehan was not only a singer and an actor admired by her audience, but also respected by even the great poets and artistes of both the countries. On her 93th death anniversary on 23 December 2019, find out why Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz gifted Noor Jehan one of his nazms, why Dilip Kumar had a reverential respect for his Jugnu co-sta...
Dec 22, 2019•18 min•Ep. 11
In this episode of Urdunama, find out how our Justuju or desire for better things is actually the essence of our lives. Our aspirations, goals, and all the planning we do to achieve them prepares us for the great scheme of things in our lives. Urdu poet Altaf Hussain Hali has written about this thought in this beautiful couplet. Hai justuju ki khoob se hai khoob tar kahaan, ab theherti hai dekhiye jaakar nazar kahan. The first line says that the heart is always on the quest to find the best of t...
Dec 07, 2019•11 min•Ep. 10
From patangbaazi (kite flying or kite making) to bahaanebaazi (making excuses). The Urdu word baazi , which literally means a game or a bet, has been used as a suffix creating more colourful words than one can imagine. Naarebaazi, which means sloganeering, ishqbaazi which is romancing (someone), pangebaazi which is being up to some mischief... the word is immensely dynamic. In this episode of Urdunama, we explore some baazi words – their interesting origins, histories, and usages. Tune in. Host,...
Nov 08, 2019•10 min•Ep. 9
Hai Raam ke wajood pe Hindustaan ko naaz Ahl-e-Nazar samajhte hain us ko Imam-e-Hind The above couplet is from Allama Iqbal’s poem ‘Ram’. Iqbal asserts that Ram is the leader of not just one particular faith, but he paves the way for everyone to the path of spiritual success. He calls Lord Ram, ‘Imam-e-Hind’ or the leader of all of Hind or Hindustan. This Diwali, we remember Ram through the prism of our shared culture and Urdu poetry. In this special episode of Urdunama, Professor Danish Iqbal w...
Oct 26, 2019•16 min•Ep. 8
Arzi means an application or a request; the word arziyan, in Sufi poetry, is a medium which makes one feel close to God. However, here’s a question: Why do we need arziyan when God is everywhere? In this episode of Urdunama, we try to answer this. From reading Mallik Mohammad Jayasi’s poem ‘Padmavat’ to drawing parallels between ‘Aham Brahamasmi’ and ‘Ana-al-haq’ in Indian philosophy, this episode of Urdunama attempts to understand if it’s arziyan which help one reach God or the guru who does. P...
Oct 18, 2019•15 min•Ep. 7
Have you heard the Dastaan-e-Gandhi ? ‘ Dastaan ’ means ‘story’. Gandhi means....well...Mahatma Gandhi. The ' -e- ' sound in the word ‘ Dastan-e-Gandhi ’ means ‘of’, that’s used to join these two words. On this special edition of Urdunama, we bring you Dastaan-e-Gandhi , the story of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India and his journey from being an ordinary man to the man India calls ‘Mahatma’. To the uninitiated, a dastaan is a verbally recited epic that has its origins in dastangoi – a 13th centu...
Oct 01, 2019•14 min•Ep. 6
Fabeha Syed catches up with Delhi University professor Dr Najma Rehmani. She talks about poet Mir Taqi Mir who provided a window to 18th century Delhi with his politics, love, loss, and his feelings for an attaar ka launda (son of a perfumer). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 20, 2019•11 min•Ep. 5
‘Mukammal’ means complete, or perfect. We tend to believe that adding something special to our life – like a dog to our family, a new skill, or a new goal – will make our life ‘ mukammal ’, or complete. While thinking so, we are hoping for our life to look better than it does right now. It’s one thing to aspire to have things, qualities and people who add meaning to your life and make it mukammal . But it’s a different story when we don’t make it. So, what is it that makes your life complete, ma...
Sep 14, 2019•18 min•Ep. 4
Qamar, Mah, Mahtaab, are different ways to refer to the moon in Urdu. In this episode of Urdunama learn about how the 'moon' has been used as an expression of beauty in Urdu poetry. Poet Azhar Iqbal talks to The Quint's Fabeha Syed, and recites some of the moon-lit ashaar for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 30, 2019•16 min•Ep. 3
Revolution usually comes into play when reform is desired, to change one's personal life for the better. On a social level, it addresses oppression and exploitation. Learn the meaning of 'Inquilab', Poetry of Resistance aka Inquilabi Shayari and more in this episode of Urdunama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 14, 2019•18 min•Ep. 2
Are the memories of the relationship you had for a 'Mukhtasar' time now haunting you? Is that affair you had for a 'Mukhtasar' period not letting you move on? In this episode of Urdunama, The Quint's Fabeha Syed explains the importance of everything that's 'Mukhtasar' in our lives – how to embrace it if it nurtures, and how to avoid it if it pricks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 02, 2019•12 min•Ep. 1
