Moses (Musa) wanted to see God. He went to Mount Sinai (Toor) to ask God for a glimpse, but he was not able to get that. Many interpreted it as Moses not having what it takes to see the beauty of the beloved. But everyone related to that strong desire of his to see the divine. Many Urdu poets have used this incident in their poetry to express very different kinds of feelings, surprisingly even political satire. We talk with Prof. Amitabh Joshi 'Nabraas' to hear and discuss such poetry, including many of his own ghazals.

About the podcast: Silsila Shayari Ka is a podcast about Hindi-Urdu poetry where we explore a specific poetic theme in each episode. We build a narrative around each theme by linking verses by different poets from different eras and put these verses in conversations with each other. We discuss how different poets invoke the same imagery to paint very different pictures. But most importantly, we do all of this by reading a lot of poetry.

Qayaamat: the end of the world. The day when the dead will be resurrected and held accountable for their actions. The day when God will judge each person and allow them to enter heaven or condemn them to hell. It is also the day when a lover will be seeking their long lost love. How can something as scary as this become a symbol of hope for the dejected? How does a poet use this imagery to get back at their cruel beloved?

About the podcast: Silsila Shayari Ka is a podcast about Hindi-Urdu poetry where we explore a specific poetic theme in each episode. We build a narrative around each theme by linking verses by different poets from different eras and put these verses in conversations with each other. We discuss how different poets invoke the same imagery to paint very different pictures. But most importantly, we do all of this by reading a lot of poetry.