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Wednesday, January 28, 2026
TopicUrdu poets

Topic: Urdu poets

Munawwar Rana stripped Urdu poetry of elitism, brought it closer to everyday speech

Munawwar Rana often lamented how division had seeped into the most ordinary spaces of life. Courtesy, respect, and shared cultural language mattered deeply to him.

ThePrint Quiz, 16 Feb, 2025: 156 yrs since his death, Ghalib lives on. How much do you know him

Hailed as one of the greatest Persion/Urdu poets of the 19th Century, Mirza Ghalib died on 15 Feb 1869 at age 71. In this edition of ThePrint Quiz, let’s see how much you know him.

Pakistan’s Jaun Elia was more than a tragic poet. He was an atheist, Marxist & philosopher

Jaun Elia’s cultural impact has only grown after his death. Critics and poetry enthusiasts see him as someone who challenged the notions of traditional Urdu poetry.

Modern Urdu poetry is ‘absolutely merciless’. It changed after Babri

Oral historian Sohail Hashmi into a new wave of dissent in Urdu poetry at a Delhi workshop earlier this month. ‘It’s asking important questions, raising serious issues.’

This is how an Urdu weekly ‘punched’ Sir Syed’s Muslim reformist movement

While Sir Syed’s advocacy for realism and scientific thinking drew attacks such as being labelled a ‘satan’ and ‘a leader of thieves,’ Altaf Hussain Hali’s poetry, which promoted reason and advised moving away from artificial metaphors, was largely deemed un-Islamic.

Ali Sardar Jafri–the Urdu poet wrote anti-war poems, opposed the rise of communalism in India

Jafri was among the most ardent supporters of pluralistic and egalitarian India. His poetry also had a place for Krishna, Buddha, Radha and the Vedas.

On Camera

India-Pakistan ready for lehenga diplomacy. Maryam Sharif has made the first move

Sometimes, we end up embroidering the truth as we overthink and overanalyse a fastidious lady’s personal wardrobe preferences for significant occasions.

Most EU firms eye India expansion post-trade deal, 90% say profitability to go up—FEBI survey

FEBI survey reveals Europe’s big bet on manufacturing, innovation hub amid ‘mother of all trade deals’, but flags regulatory concerns.

India, EU sign security & defence pact. How it links Indian firms to ‘ReArm Europe’ network 

The agreement comes despite differences between India and the EU on issues such as Russia-Ukraine war, showcasing the intent to deepen strategic ties. 

Non-alignment is coming back in a new avatar: Trump-peedit alliance

No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.