The Urdu Ghazal Podcast

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Zehra Nigah, lovingly called Zehra Aapa, was ten years old when her family moved from Hyderabad, her place of birth, to Karachi after the Partition. Her father was a civil servant who had a deep interest in literature. He passed on his love of books to his children, who excelled in various literary and artistic fields. Zehra Nigah started writing early and gained great popularity among Mushaira audiences. She settled in London after she married Majid Ali. Her house in London became the center of literary activities and poetry recitations, especially when Faiz visited them. She has won several awards and honors for her scholarly achievements. Her notable publications include Shaam Ka Pehla Tara, Warq, Firaq, Gul Chandni, and Lafz.

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Rahat Indori was born in Indore in 1950 in a family that was going through a rough financial time, and as a result, he had to face the brutal realities of life, starting in his childhood. Despite these challenges, he struggled to get a good education, including a doctoral degree. His poetry had an element of directness that summed up the social and political difficulties facing ordinary people. In addition, he developed a style of recitation that impressed Mushaira audiences. Many leading ghazal singers sang his ghazals. He passed away in his hometown in 2020.

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Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi 'Saher" was born in 1909 in Sahiwal. After the partition, his family moved to Fazilka. His poetry was stylistically similar to the works of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The Haryana Urdu Akademi instituted an award in his honor that has been presented yearly since 1990. Bedi was also associated with the film industry, producing three films and acting in one. His published works include ‘Tulu-e-Sahar’ ( a poetry collection) and ‘Yaadon Ka Jashn’ (a memoir). Jagjit Singh produced an album titled ‘Forget Me Not’ in 2002, singing eight of Bedi’s ghazals in his melodious voice. Bedi passed away in 1992.

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Saghar Siddiqui was born in 1928 in Ambala. He started writing poetry at a young age. In 1947, when he was 19, he migrated to Pakistan during the partition and settled in Lahore. In his later life, he fell into depression, became addicted to drugs, and turned into a homeless beggar. He would often hold mushairas on the footpaths in candlelight. He continued to write ghazals, though most were lost and remained unpublished. In 1974, Siddiqui, who was 46 at that time, was found dead on a street corner in Lahore. It is a very tragic life story of a highly accomplished poet!

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Obaidullah Aleem was born in Bhopal in 1939. His family moved to Pakistan at the time of partition. He received higher education at the University of Karachi while pursuing several creative interests. He made an impressive debut as a radio and TV artist. Still, due to the discrimination he faced as an Ahmedia, everything came to a halt in 1978 when he was made to resign because of his religious beliefs. He moved to England in 1991 but soon returned to Pakistan. He passed away in 1998. His first book, ‘Chand Chehra Sitara Aankhen,’ published in 1974, gained great popularity. He was awarded the Adamji Prize, the highest literary award in Pakistan.

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Khaleel-ur Rehman Azmi, a leading Urdu poet and literary critic, was born in 1927. He received his higher education at the Aligarh Muslim University, where he taught Urdu. He was posthumously elevated to the rank of a Professor. He wrote extensively on the progressive writers’ movement and is considered a pioneer of Modernism in Urdu. He mentored the leading British Urdu scholar Ralph Russell and poet Shahryar. He authored nearly a dozen collections of poetry and literary criticism. He passed away in 1978.

His famous couplets include:

Hazaar tarah ki mai pi hazaar tarah ke zahr

Na pyaas hi bujhi apni na hausla nikla

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Hastimal Hasti (1946-2024) came from a humble background in Rajasthan but gained fame while working for the film industry in Mumbai. His poetry found a common ground between Urdu and Hindi, and as such, he endeared himself to a diverse audience. His ghazal, ‘Pyaar ka pehla khat likhne mein vaqt to lagta hai,’ was sung by Jagjit Singh, and it became an instant hit. He is also the author of a famous couplet:

Har gaaon mein mumtaaz janam kyon nahin leti

Har mod pe ik taj mahal kyon nahin hota

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Shahid Kabir was born in May 1932 in Nagpur. He started writing short stories and ghazals early and earned fame and name recognition after he began writing for films. In 1957, he authored a play about the life of Mirza Ghalib that was staged at Rastrapati Bhawan. His books include Kachchi Deewaarein (Novel, 1958) and ghazal collections such as Charon-or (1968) and Mitti Ka Makan (1979). He was honored by the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy. He passed away in May 2001.

Jagjit and Chitra Singh have sung Shahid Kabir’s ghazals, including the more famous one:

Niind se aankh khuli hai abhi dekha kya hai

Dekh lena abhi kuchh der mein duniya kya hai

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Andleeb Shadani was born in Moradabad district, UP, in 1904. He studied Persian at the Punjab University and earned a doctoral degree in England in 1934. He taught at the Hindu College in Delhi before moving to Dacca University. His poetry collection is called Nishaat-e-Rafta. He died in July 1969 in Dacca in what was still East Pakistan. Many singers, including Jagjit Singh, have sung his ghazals. His most famous ghazal is der lagi aane mein tum ko, shukr hai phir bhi aaye to.

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On August 18, 2024, we celebrate the 90th Birthday of Gulzar Sahib. Some people say age is nothing more than a number, yet we can’t deny that it is an important milestone. Gulzar’s creative spark is as bright as it has been over the years. He leads a busy life, reading, staying in touch with his friends, and writing new stuff, maybe poetry or something difficult to put in a box. As a long-time admirer of Gulzar’s work, I wish him, along with millions of his fans, many more years of creative living, producing words that continue to help us stay connected with our spirit and our humanity and be the best carriers of his universal message of love, empathy, and the pursuit of peace in our communities and beyond.

 Here is a poem which I have written to mark this historic occasion:

 They say the poet has gone missing, 

vanished without a trace 

from the familiar haunts he once graced.

Whispers drift like fog, 

of his presence among the clouds, 

dancing with rainbows cloaked in mist.

Nine decades of seasons have passed,

years coming and disappearing 

like straws in the wind,

as he roams in uncharted landscapes, 

a free spirit untethered by earthly bounds.

Some claim to have seen him 

in hidden gardens, conversing 

with ancient trees, sharing wisdom 

with wide-eyed children. He teaches 

the gentle art of surrender, 

of being a wave in the ocean

while always returning 

to the sacred center, the heart 

from which all life flows.

Many long for his return, 

yet others understand his chosen path, 

finding comfort in his dwelling 

within millions of hearts — of those 

who cherish his words.

For what better home exists 

than the embrace of unreserved love?

Perhaps he never truly left,

but discovered his real home,

not in a physical place but within

the essence of connection,

the eternal sanctuary of belonging.

Surinder Deol