Urdunama

Urdunama

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!

Episodes

Whispers From the Unseen: The World of 'Ghaib'

September 29, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode, we dive into the idea of ghaib — that mysterious, hidden side of life that we can’t fully see or grasp. We move from the mystical inspiration in Ghalib’s poetry, to the revolutionary energy in Chakbast’s ghazal, and the creative intinacy that echoes in Ahmad Salman’s verses, discovering how poets have drawn from the unseen to fuel creativity, emotion, and reflection.But ghaib isn’t just a poetic idea. In real life,...
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Every Step of Raqs Is a Verse Untold

September 13, 2025 • 15 mins
What does it mean to 'dance' in Urdu poetry? In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed explores Raqs, the movements, the madness, and the magic behind it. It's the kind that moves your heart, your soul, even the world around you. We look at the ashaar of Majrooh Sultanpuri, Saghar Khayyami, and Abbas Tabish, and see how they turn dance into metaphor: the joy of little steps, the madness that takes over, the wild energy that can’...
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The Gift of 'Fursat' in a World That Never Pauses

September 6, 2025 • 15 mins
In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed explores the word Fursat, those rare moments of time when you can pause, breathe, and just be. What does it mean in Urdu poetry? We look at the ashaar of Ghalib, Faiz, and Sahir, tracing how each poet reflects on these small luxuries: the freedom to imagine, the quiet spaces that let life breathe, and the way even fleeting moments can feel enormous. From daydreaming about the beloved to feel...
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Between Silence and Sight, 'Manzar' Lives

August 30, 2025 • 14 mins
This week on Urdunama, we talk about manzar, a word that means a view, a scene, a spectacle. In Urdu poetry, though, it’s more than just scenery; it’s like a theatre of the mind where words create pictures and feelings at the same time. With the verses of Gulzar, Nida Fazli, and Bashir Badr, we look at how one simple manzar can open up entire worlds of silence, dreams, and reflection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
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Whose Urdu Is It Anyway? Exploring Urdu’s Shared Heritage with Rakhshanda Jalil

August 23, 2025 • 24 mins
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 coll...
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'Shiddat'—When Feeling Knows No Measure

August 16, 2025 • 11 mins
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 t...
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Where 'Khaak' Rests, All Roads Meet

August 8, 2025 • 22 mins
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 be...
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The Art of Living with Zakhm

August 2, 2025 • 23 mins
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 ...
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In a World Too Loud, Hassaas Feels Everything

July 18, 2025 • 18 mins
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...
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When ‘Beyhis’ Took Over, Even Tears Forgot Their Way

July 12, 2025 • 16 mins
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 Urdunam...
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'Malaal' Sat Where Words Once Lived

June 28, 2025 • 16 mins
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...
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In the Heart of Doubt, 'Yaqeen' Stood Still

June 20, 2025 • 22 mins
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 explo...
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In the Ashes of 'Saaneha', a Poem Remained

June 13, 2025 • 16 mins
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 epi...
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When ‘Mutma’een’ Took Root, The Storm Passed

June 6, 2025 • 21 mins
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 ...
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'Chashma' Flowed from the Heart’s Deepest Place

May 30, 2025 • 21 mins
Chashma means spring—a quiet source where life begins, hidden beneath the surface until it chooses to rise. It is not loud like a storm, but steady like hope. In Urdu poetry, chashma becomes a symbol of purity, emotional release, and quiet resilience. It is the moment the heart overflows, the tear before it falls, the breath before a beginning. A chashma doesn’t just quench—it reveals. It reminds us that from the deepest stillness,...
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Faiz's 'Hum Dekhenge' Explained: Why This Poem Keeps Landing People In Trouble

May 29, 2025 • 17 mins
Nagpur Police have filed sedition charges against Pushpa Sathidar — wife of late Ambedkarite activist and actor Vira Sathidar, and two unnamed individuals for the recital of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem Hum Dekhenge at Vira’s annual memorial on 13 May. But what is it about this poem that repeatedly stirs controversy? What history shaped its creation, and why does it still resonate and rattle - decades later? In this episode of Urdunama, ...
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When ‘Dariya’ Reflected the Sky, I Saw Myself

May 23, 2025 • 20 mins
Dariya means river—a vast, flowing force that carries more than just water. It carries time, memory, silence, and song. A dariya can be gentle or wild, still or storming, but it always moves forward—like longing, like grief, like life itself. In Urdu poetry, dariya becomes a metaphor for emotions too deep for words, for generosity without end, and for the quiet strength it takes to keep flowing, no matter the weight it bears. In t...
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In the Silence of 'Aab', Everything Moved

May 17, 2025 • 16 mins
Aab means water, but in Urdu, it means so much more. It is life in motion, purity that flows, the quiet resilience of a stream shaping stone. Aab is not just liquid, it is legacy. It reflects the sky, carries the weight of time, and remembers every path it has carved. In poetry, aab becomes a symbol of honour, emotion, and endless movement, of tears unshed and rivers unspoken. It quenches not just thirst, but longing. In this epis...
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In the Quiet of 'Amn', Hearts Found Home

May 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Amn means peace—a soft hush after the storm, a breath that finally lands, a silence that doesn’t weigh heavy but heals. It is the stillness between heartbeats, the warmth in a world often too cold. Amn doesn’t demand attention; it settles gently, quietly shifting the shape of things. It is both a personal refuge and a collective longing—a space where conflict ceases and compassion begins. In a world carved by noise and unrest, amn ...
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When 'Saraab' Looked Like Hope on the Horizon

May 2, 2025 • 20 mins
Saraab means mirage—a vision shimmering in the distance, beautiful but unreachable. It is the illusion that pulls us forward, even when the heart knows it may vanish. Saraab is the hope we chase in the heat of longing, the dream dressed as truth, the promise that disappears when held too tightly. Yet within every saraab lies a story—of desire, of pursuit, of learning to let go. It teaches us that not everything we see is meant to b...
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