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Urdu Poetry Parveen Shakir

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An appropriate place to start at would be the Urdu language. Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language that is spoken by an estimated 250 million people in India, Pakistan and neighbouring South Asian countries. Urdu is the official language of Pakistan and is the major language in some Indian states. But the language is not confined to the sub-Indian continent; Britain has one of the biggest Urdu communities in the world today.

The Urdu language emerged in the 13th century in North India as a mixture of the Hindi language, other local languages, and the Persian language that was brought to the area by merchants and military men. Many Arabic and Turkish words have also been incorporated into Urdu. Its colourful mix of elements from many languages is the main reason for its highly poetic nature.

Urdu Poetry traditions are deeply rooted in time, but like with many other types of poetry, a firm starting point simply cannot be established. Some of the major literary influences for later Urdu Poetry can be traced as far back as Kabir (1440-1518) and Amir Khusro (1253-1325 AD).

Urdu Poetry is a melodic and elegant type of poetry whose major themes include human feelings, nature's beauty, and the passion for love. A majority of Urdu Poetry is written in Nasta`liq calligraphy, a beautiful Perso-Arabic script. Since Urdu Poetry is very popular in India, where there are many people who can understand Urdu but are unable to read the Nasta`liq script, many of the poems have been translated into the Devanagari script that is used by Hindi speakers. With the advent of globalization, there are even some Urdu poems that have been written in Roman Urdu. Roman Urdu is simply the Urdu language written using the Roman alphabet.

Poets of Urdu Poetry use a pen name which is called a takhallus. The takhallus will normally become a part of a poets real name and is added at the end of it. In Urdu Poetry, the takhallus is incorporated into the last couplet of the poem to act as a sort of signature.

Mushairas, or Urdu Poetry recitals, are entertaining events where poets perform their works. The Mushaira is a deeply-loved and cherished part of the Pakistani and North Indian cultures. At a typical Mushaira, several invited guest poets will sit along a long table at the front of the room, just like you would expect with a panel of judges. There is one host who will invite each poet to perform his work. The audience participates by calling out ?va? at the end of important couplets.

An Urdu Poem is essentially composed of couplets, or pairs of versed lines that rhyme and have similar meters. One couplet is called a ?Sher? and many couplets are called ?Ashaar?. Although Urdu Poetry is characterized by several basic ingredients, there are many different forms of Urdu poems.

The study of Urdu Poetry is an extremely intricate subject that simply cannot be covered in a single article. It has captured the interests of many people around the world and continues to thrive as a form of cultural expression. Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into that intricate world of Urdu Poetry.

Urdu Poetry Parveen Shakir

The beginnings of Urdu poetry can be traced as far back as the 13th century, when some poets of in the north of India started experimenting with the style. But the classic form of Urdu poetry that we modern humans have come to know did not really take on a final shape until the 17th century, when Urdu became the official language of the court in the Indian subcontinent.

Urdu poetry gained immense popularity in the 18th century when Urdu replaced Persian as the major language of the region. Urdu poetry has its linguistic roots etched in Persian, Turkish, and Arabic, and this colourful mix of cultural and linguistic conventions was one of the reasons why it came to be loved by so many people in the Indian subcontinent.

In the 18th century, there was a scarcity of newspaper, media, and public information, so Urdu poetry became a way for people to communicate with each other about the social and political woes of the time. One of the most common forms of this communication was called a ?Mushaira?, which was a social event where poets gathered to read their works to the audience. The Urdu poetry that was read at these Mushairas adhered to very strict rules of rhythm that were often determined before the event took place. They were sometime also competitive, much like the competitions that were held in the ancient Greek and Roman empires.

At every Mushaira, there was a main, or presiding poet who was usually the most appreciated and honourable poet at the gathering. In the Mushairas of the 18th century, a candle would be passed from the lowest ranking Urdu poet at the gathering to the presiding poet as a sign of respect. Urdu poetry became a highly esteemed art and members of royalty often sought the company of famous poets.

At so it is that the 18th century produced some of the most fascinating works of Urdu poetry. However, many of the most valuable poems of the time were lost because a poet's works were only published after he achieved fame. With a striking similarity to the world of painted art, many of the most cherished works of a revered Urdu poet were only published several years after his death. The poems of Nazir, perhaps the greatest Urdu poet that ever lived, were only published 80 years after he died.

The study of Urdu poetry's history is an amazing journey that is full of intrigue for the interested reader. But perhaps the most amazing thing about Urdu poetry is the way it continues to thrive as an art and a form of expression today. In line with the advent of internet, several online Urdu poetry communities have established themselves in cyberspace. Some of these include a Shayari portal of famous poets, an Urdu Poet forum and community, and a website that allows you to download Mushaira audio and video. Today's fans of Urdu poetry come from many different parts of the world, and the art has received international recognition from some of the most respected literary figures of modern times.

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