Urdunama

This week, we turn to 'vaqaar', meaning dignity, grace, and knowing your own worth. Through the poetry of Qateel Shifai, Jaun Elia, and Bashir Badr, we explore the different ways this idea takes shape. From the dignity of the gaze, to the quietness or thoughtful silence we sometimes mistake for grace, to the humility of staying grounded without making ourselves smaller, each poet offers a different way of looking at what it means to carry oneself with 'vaqaar'.
Along the way, we ask what dignity looks like beyond appearances, and whether the way we see others might tell us just as much about ourselves. A conversation about Urdu poetry, self-worth, and the small distinctions that make a word like 'vaqaar' so rich. So, tune in.

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From the chessboard of life to the conversation between a mountain and a squirrel, we explore bisaat, a word that speaks to capacity, capability, and our place in the world. But how do we measure our own abilities, and how often do we judge ourselves or others by the same standards? 

As part of our ongoing exploration of khudi, or our sense of self, this episode looks at what bisaat reveals about our strengths, our limitations, and the space we occupy in relation to others. Through the poetry of Jaun Elia and Allama Iqbal, we unpack the many meanings of bisaat and ask whether we always recognise what we, and those around us, are truly capable of. Tune in.

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What does mizaaj tell us about who we are? In this episode of Urdunama, we explore the Urdu word for temperament and disposition, and its connection to khudi, which is the idea of  the idea of selfhood popularised by Allama Iqbal. Through the poetry of Jaun Elia, Habib Jalib and Daagh Dehlvi, we reflect on how our natural tendencies shape us, how life experiences can change the way we express ourselves, and whether we can learn to respond to hardship with greater resilience. Because understanding who we are begins with understanding our own mizaaj. Tune in.

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What does it mean to exist? Is wujood simply about being or does it also include the presence, influence and meaning that come with being?
In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed explores wujood (وجود) through poetry, unpacking the many ways poets have thought about existence. Sometines as presence, as rootedness, as freedom, and as the forces that shape the way we inhabit the world.
From Iqbal’s striking conversation between a tree and a desert bird to his idea of rising beyond the jazb-e-khaak, or the pull of the wordly desires, the episode looks at what it means to be here and what makes that presence matter.

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Ahead of Bhagat Singh’s 119th birth anniversary, Urdunama explores a lesser-known aspect of the revolutionary’s intellectual life: his relationship with the Urdu language and literature.
In this episode, Fabeha Syed speaks to Professor Chaman Lal, former Professor and Chairperson of the Centre of Indian Languages at JNU and honorary advisor to the Bhagat Singh Archives & Resource Centre. A scholar and author of over 50 books, Lal has spent years researching Bhagat Singh’s writings, reading and intellectual legacy.
While Bhagat Singh did not write extensively in Urdu, the language was part of his early education and wider literary and political environment. From Urdu poetry and literature to the language of revolutionary politics, this conversation explores the place Urdu occupied in Bhagat Singh’s intellectual world.

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We all say we hate gossip, but somehow, someone else’s business is always a little too interesting. In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed takes a closer look at gheebat, meaning the art of talking about people behind their backs. From everyday gossip and the conversations that bring us closer to poetry by Firaq Gorakhpuri and Yagana Changezi, we explore why we love to talk about other people’s lives, what it does to our relationships, and where the line between venting and backbiting really lies. Tune in.

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What does it mean to tasleem something? More than simply accepting what is, tasleem can mean shades of acknowledgement, surrender, respect and making peace with what cannot be changed. In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed explores the word through the poetry of Ghalib, Hali, Javed Akhtar, Jigar Moradabadi and Hafeez Jalandhari, and discovers how acceptance can sometimes be its own form of courage.

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What does ghutan truly mean? Is it physical suffocation, an eerie silence, or the weight of deep loneliness? Or is it that heavy feeling of being trapped inside an overwhelming wave of emotion?

In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed breaks down the word through the poetry of legends like Kaifi Azmi and Gulzar, among others. She traces how ghutan evolves from a simple physical sensation to a complex emotional, social, and political struggle, and ultimately, a universal longing to breathe, speak, and laugh freely again.

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Firaq Gorakhpuri was born on 28 August 1896 as Raghupati Sahaay Firaq. On his birth anniversary, we return to a poet who changed how love could be written about in Urdu.

Firaq writes of ishq, but also of what accompanies it: desire, qurbat, longing, loneliness, memory and dard. What sets him apart is the attention he pays to these emotions. He doesn’t just describe them; he looks closely at what they do to us.

In this episode, we follow some of his best-known verses and his deeply personal nazm “Jugnu” to grasp a sense of Firaq’s world, his life and the many shades of love that run through his poetry.

Perhaps, along the way, we will better understand how he revolutionized Urdu poetry by blending classical Urdu romance with modern psychology and Eastern philosophy.

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In Urdu poetry, “marz” does not always mean an illness. It can be the weight of guilt, a restless heart, someone else’s manipulation, or even the problems affecting an entire society. In this episode of Urdunama, we look at verses by Ameer Minai, Rahat Indori, Akbar Allahabadi and Hali to explore how each poet gives “marz” a different meaning, and how the idea of a cure changes with it.

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