India
Urdu Poetry: 200 Ghazals and Nazms
Urdu poetry transcends geographical boundaries and is understood and loved by millions who can’t read a word written in Urdu script. I am happy that my other blog now has a collection of 200 selected ghazals and Nazms, each in Urdu, Hindi and Roman English scripts, for the benefit of readers. Read.
Due to the linguistic [...]
Ghaus Ansari’s autobiography in Urdu
No autobiography in Urdu in recent times has hooked readers to the extent as Professor Ghaus Ansari’s ‘Umr-e-Rafta’, which tells the fascinating journey of the writer, his early days in Lucknow, his struggle and subsequent migration to Europe.
Such is his eye for minute details and his memory that the reader becomes a fellow traveller with [...]
Faruqi’s Urdu novel ‘Kai Chand the Sar-e-Aasman’
Hardly any novel in Urdu has generated so much heat in recent years as renowned litterateur Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s ‘Kaii Chaand thay Sar-e-Aasmaan’, which is probably the first literary work in Urdu published by Penguin.
Faruqi’s literary standing is such that Urdu world naturally expected a magnum opus from him. The fact that he [...]
Remembering Qurratulain Hyder (1927-2007)
For several centuries Urdu was a language of poetry. We had great poets like Meer, Ghalib and Iqbal, but we had no major work of prose to be kept alongside the novels of West. Ainee changed this forever and Urdu world will always be indebted to her for penning ‘Aag ka Darya’.
Her name meant ‘the [...]
Ibn-e-Safi’s novels are gems of Urdu literature
This was a long overdue post and was delayed due to unavoidable reasons. The seminar on Ibn-e-Safi was held in Delhi sometime back.
Eminent Urdu scholar from Germany, Christina Oesterheld said that the characters of Ibn-e-Safi’s novels live a Western lifestyle but are quintessentially Oriental when it comes to their behaviour towards women.
The main characters [...]
Sahitya Academy awards to Makhmoor Saeedi
The Sahitya Academy president Dr Gopi Chand Narang presented awards to writers of 22 Indian languages at a function in New Delhi.
Urdu poet Makhmoor Saeedi was amongst the recepient of the award for Urdu. He is a veteran poet. Personally I am no great fan of Makhmoor but he does represent a tradition as [...]
Fiftieth death anniversary of Majaz
The 50th death anniversary of Majaz Lakhnavi was recently observed. A programme was held in Aligarh where a mushaira was also organised. Here is the report:
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Aaina: An Urdu web magazine
Aaina, an Urdu web magazine, which I recently discovered on the net, adds to the growing presence of Urdu media, especially from India, on the world wide web.
Yaadash bakhair! Oldies would remember that nearly five decades back, the Shama group had come up with a lifestyle magazine Aaina that was much ahead of its times. [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Hindustan Express (Urdu): A quality e-paper
At last, Urdu newspapers in India, have paid attention to the global audience and web editions are now being launched. The latest in the series is Delhi-based Hindustan Express.
The paper was launched in 2006 and has achieved success in little duration. But now the internet edition has also been launched. The website is www.dailyhindustanexpress.com
The site [...]
Sahara Urdu goes global
The Urdu daily Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, that is published from Delhi, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad with soon-to-be-launched editions from Sri Nagar, Punjab and Bangalore, is now available on the internet.
The function was held in New Delhi to launch the web edition of the newspaper. K Rahman Khan, the Deputy Speaker of [...]
hum-zubaaN na milaa…
dayaar-e-dil meN pursaan-e-be-dilaaN na milaa
huaa bhii koii muKhaatib to ham-zabaaN na milaa
voh Khaak-daaN jo banaa haft qila-e-miina
usii ke khaanabadoshoN ko KhaanamaaN na milaa
uroos-e-asmat-e-kirdar ki Khabar mafquud
jab ek baar gayaa, ganj-e-shaae’gaaN na milaa
ye musta’aar tabassum ye mol ka Ghaaza
nishaan-e-anjuman-e-mehr-chagaaN na milaa
vo daGhdaGhe to faqat the qadam uThaane tak
nikal chale to sunaa thaa jo haft-KhwaaN na milaa
use [...]
Controversy over Iqbal award to Sheen Kaf Nizam
Sheen Kaf Nizam alias Shiv Kumar Nizam has been conferred the Madhya Pradesh government’s prestigious Iqbal award.
However, Urdu circles are not exactly happy with the selection. Nizam, an acclaimed poet, is surely not in the league of greats like Qurratul Ain Hyder, Joginder Pal, Sardar Jafri, Jagannath Azad, Upendra Nath Ashk, and Hayatullah Ansari, [...]
Ghalib Award to Balraj Komal, Izhar Asar & other Urdu writers
The Ghalib Awards were recently given away to Urdu litterateurs at a glittering ceremony in Delhi.
Veteran Urdu novelist, poet and writer Izhar Asar got the award for Science Writing. Izhar Asar, whose mystery novels in the decades of 50s and 60s were quite a rage, especially the Nagin series, has done a great job [...]
Hasrat Mohani: Poetry, life and works
An article on the life and works of Poet and Freedom Figher Maulana Hasrat Mohani.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 5 so far )‘Aag’ & renaissance of Urdu journalism in Lucknow
Aag is the latest broadsheet Urdu daily to hit stands in Lucknow. Priced at just Re 1, the 12 page newspaper has taken the Urdu-speaking populace by storm.
With Urdu press already witnessing a renaissance in Uttar Pradesh, after the Rashtriya Sahara established itself as the leading paper, and many other quality papers, Aag has only [...]
Main gunahgaar aur anginat paarsaa….Muzaffar Hanafi’s ghazal
maiN gunahgaar aur anginat paarsaa chaar jaanib se vaar karte hue
jaise shabkhuun meN baukhlaa kar uTheN log ‘talvaar talvaar’ karte hue
This is a unique ghazal by Muzaffar Hanafi. I would post more of him at www.bestghazals.blogspot.com
Baqar Mehdi also bids adieu
Another minaret of Urdu literary world fell in Mumbai recently. Baqar Mehdi passed away at the age of 80. He was ailing but his mind was as sharp as always even on his deathbed.
An excellent critic and poet who wrote scores of ‘kaali ghazleN’ and ‘kaali nazmeN’, Baqar Sahab was an iconoclast to the core. [...]
Urdu Radio channel launched اردو ریڈیو چینل
اردو ریڈیو چینل بیشک ایک اہم ضرورت ہے لیکن اس قسم کا چینل میڈیم اور شارٹ ویو پر بھی سنا جا سکے تو بہتر ہے۔
خصوصاً تلفض صحیح ہو (معاف کیجیے پنجابی اور کشمیری کچھ اینکرز کا اردو تلفظ سماعت پر سخت گراں گزرتا ہے چونکہ ’ق’ عام طور پر ’ک’ بن جاتا ہے اور ’میں [...]
ہماری عمر جب سولہ برس تھی hamaari umar jab solah baras thi
tamanna kis qadar sho’la nafas thii
hamaari umar jab solah baras thii
zindagi naam hai mar mar ke jiye jaane ka…Fani Badayuni
एक मोअ’म्मा है समझने का ना समझाने का
ज़िन्दगी काहे को है ख़्वाब है दीवाने का
ख़ल्क़ कहती है जिसे दिल तेरे दीवाने का
एक गोशा है यह दुनिया इसी वीराने का
मुख़्तसर क़िस्सा-ए-ग़म यह है कि दिल रखता हूं
राज़-ए-कौनैन ख़ुलासा है इस अफ़साने का
तुमने देखा है कभी घर को बदलते हुए रंग
आओ देखो ना तमाशा मेरे ग़मख़ाने का
दिल [...]
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