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The Quint

Bollywood songs turn us all into Grammy award-winning bathroom singers! But wait, do you know the meaning of every word you sing? Especially the ones in Urdu? On Urdunama, our host Fabeha Syed takes one word at a time and breaks it down for you.

Be it the protest poetry of Faiz, or Sameer's 90s nostalgia, we have it all. If you like Urdu and poetry, this podcast is for you!

Urdunama

For centuries, Urdu has been part of a shared cultural space, shaped by people from diverse communities and traditions. Yet this fact is often forgotten or pushed aside. That’s why the new anthology Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? feels so important.

Edited and translated into English by writer, literary historian, and translator Dr. Rakhshanda Jalil, the book brings together 16 Urdu short stories written by non-Muslim writers. The collection features powerful voices such as Krishan Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Kanhaiya Lal Kapoor, and Gulzar, among others. Together, their stories challenge the stereotype that Urdu belongs to a single identity, reminding us instead that it has always been a language of many, reflecting universal themes of love, loss, displacement, and belonging.

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Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? Exploring Urdu’s Shared Heritage with Rakhshanda Jalil

Shiddat means intensity, the force of feeling when emotion refuses to stay small. It is love that burns without pause, grief that floods without mercy, joy that shakes the soul to its core. Shiddat is the storm within us, the fire in every longing, the ache in every absence. It does not whisper; it roars. In Urdu poetry, shiddat is the heartbeat of passion and pain alike, where words become flames, and silence carries weight.

In this episode of Urdunama, we step into the world of shiddat through the verses of poets who captured the fiercest shades of the human heart. 
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'Shiddat'—When Feeling Knows No Measure

Khaak means dust, humble, weightless, and ever-returning to the earth. It is where all journeys end and where every beginning quietly stirs. Khaak carries the memory of everything it has touched, walls once standing, feet once wandering, lives once lived. In Urdu poetry, khaak becomes a reminder of impermanence, of the fragility of glory, and of the beauty in humility. It speaks of both finality and renewal, of endings that feed beginnings.

In this episode of Urdunama, we walk with khaak through the verses of poets who have found in it life’s deepest truths. 
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Where 'Khaak' Rests, All Roads Meet

Zakhm means wound, but in poetry, it is more than just pain. It is memory stitched into skin, heartbreak carried in silence, and love that once cut deep. A zakhm can be raw or hidden, healing or haunting. In Urdu verse, it becomes a canvas, where sorrow turns into metaphor, and suffering into something almost beautiful. Zakhm isn’t just what breaks us; it’s what shapes us.

In this episode of Urdunama, we explore the many meanings of zakhm through the verses of poets who transformed pain into poetry. Join us as we reflect on how wounds, seen and unseen, leave marks that often speak louder than words.
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The Art of Living with Zakhm

Hassaas means sensitive, a word that lives in the pauses, in the glances that linger a little longer, in the hearts that feel too much, too deeply. To be hassaas is to notice what others miss, to carry invisible weight, to be moved by the slightest shift in the air. It is a gift of awareness, but also a quiet ache—a constant hum beneath the noise of the world. In Urdu poetry, hassaas becomes the soul of expression, where pain, love, and truth are felt in their purest forms.

In this episode of Urdunama, we explore the delicate world of hassaas through verses that honour vulnerability, emotional intensity, and the quiet power of those who feel deeply. Join us as we reflect on sensitivity, not as fragility, but as a different kind of strength.
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In a World Too Loud, Hassaas Feels Everything

Beyhis means numb—an absence of feeling that grows not from peace, but from exhaustion. It is the quiet void after too much pain, the stillness that follows when even sorrow becomes heavy to carry. Beyhis is not indifference; it is the body and soul’s final defense, a silence that shields, a pause that protects. In Urdu poetry, it becomes a haunting space—where once there was fire, now only cold remains.

In this episode of Urdunama, we explore the layered meaning of beyhis through verses that reflect emotional withdrawal, inner fatigue, and the ache of feeling too much, for too long. Join us as we uncover the poetry in numbness—and the quiet truths it tries to hide.
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When ‘Beyhis’ Took Over, Even Tears Forgot Their Way

Malaal means regret, a soft ache that lives in silence, in the pause between what was and what could’ve been. It is not always loud or visible, but it lingers in missed chances, in unsent letters, in goodbyes that never found their words. Malaal doesn’t ask to be resolved; it asks to be remembered. In Urdu poetry, it becomes the quiet thread that ties together loss, longing, and lessons not yet learned.

In this episode of Urdunama, we sit with malaal, not to escape it, but to understand it. Through verses soaked in memory and emotion, we explore how poets have turned regret into reflection and sorrow into something beautifully human.
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'Malaal' Sat Where Words Once Lived

Yaqeen means belief, an unshaken trust, a light that holds steady even in the darkest hour. It is the quiet strength behind every decision, the invisible thread that pulls us forward when everything else falters. Yaqeen doesn’t always roar; sometimes, it’s a whisper that refuses to fade. In poetry, it becomes a force, of faith, of love, of conviction, that anchors the soul in a world of doubt.

In this episode of Urdunama, we explore the depth of yaqeen through verses that speak of courage, clarity, and quiet confidence. Join us as we trace how poets have held on to belief, not as blind certainty, but as a powerful act of hope.
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In the Heart of Doubt, 'Yaqeen' Stood Still

Saaneha means tragedy, a moment that splits time into before and after. It arrives uninvited, heavy and abrupt, leaving behind silence louder than words. A saaneha isn’t just an event, it’s an emotional landscape, marked by loss, disbelief, and the slow rebuilding that follows. In Urdu poetry, saaneha becomes a language of grief, but also of resilience, how pain is remembered, carried, and sometimes, turned into verse.

In this episode of Urdunama, we dwell on saaneha through the eyes of poets who have captured sorrow with grace. Join us as we explore how poetry gives shape to what feels unspeakable, and how even tragedy can hold the faint outline of beauty.
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In the Ashes of 'Saaneha', a Poem Remained

Mutma’een means content, an inner stillness that cannot be shaken, a quiet trust in the rhythm of things. It is not the absence of longing, but the soft presence of peace amidst it. To be mutma’een is to rest in the heart’s own knowing, to breathe without needing answers, and to carry calm like a companion. In a world built on urgency, mutma’een arrives like dusk—unhurried, whole, and luminous.

In this episode of Urdunama, we sit with the word mutma’een, tracing how poets have expressed calm, surrender, and soulful contentment in their verses. Join us as we explore how poetry teaches us to be still, even when the world won’t.

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When ‘Mutma’een’ Took Root, The Storm Passed

Halloween is around the corner. So we thought, let's get spooky on this week's Urdunama. Fabeha talks about how evil spirits and the paranormal found its way in Urdu poetry. Listen till the end, warna bhoot aa jaaega!

 
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Jashn-e-Aaseb: Bhoot-Pret and Evil Spirits

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