Literature

TLO traces the footsteps of Sauda or Malak-ush Shuara who lived and wrote in Lucknow in the 18th century Mirza Mohammed Rafi Sauda from the 18th century is the greatest Urdu poet of the qasida, or the ode style. His ancestors were aristocrats from Kabul. Saud...

Rise in Popularity of Urdu in Western Countries Wherever there is a sizable population of Urdu-speaking people in the world, Urdu is thriving. Outside India and Pakistan, the biggest Urdu centre is Canada, particularly its biggest city, Toronto. But unfortuna...

The Missing Manuscript Shah Iqbal Ahmed Sabri Quddusi was a descendant of the Sufi saints. His paternal ancestors, including his father Shah Masood Ahmed Sabri, were sajjada nashins of the dargah of Ali Ahmed Sabir of Kaliyar Sharif. Through his mother, he tr...

The Epitome of Poetic Finesse in Urdu Khwaja Haider Ali Aatish Lakhnawi was one of the geniuses of Urdu poetry in Lucknow whose literary rivalry with Imam Baksh Nasikh turned out to be some unparalleled lyrical gems. Aatish was born in 1778 in Mughal Pura, Fa...

She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Farida Jamal Farangi Mahal, in the heart of old Lucknow, has been a renowned centre of Islamic learning for several centuries. Successive generations of Farangi Mahali scholars have left a vast legacy of manuscripts and publishe...

Agglomerating Doggerels Stories and poetry in Urdu have been published in German language earlier, but a complete collection of 82 ghazals and nazms written by one person has been published in Berlin, Germany for the first time. Arif Naqvi, a well-wisher and ...