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Friday, March 13, 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

Period pain is real. Blanket menstrual leave policy isn’t a fix

The Supreme Court is right to point out the 'mindset of employers', who, because of this policy, may deduce that 'women are inferior.'

A war in the Gulf, a crisis in Gujarat’s Morbi: India’s ceramics capital counts the cost

Morbi makes 80-90% of India’s ceramic exports. The West Asia conflict has cut its propane supply, shutting 200 factories and threatening 400 more—along with 9 lakh livelihoods.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba, the man Iran must keep alive & the secret force ‘tasked with it’—all about NOPO

The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.

Trump brings the Age of Humiliation for friends. Modi needs stoicism abroad, humility at home

Trump has ushered in the age of humiliation. His method is to push around America’s friends rudely and publicly. He knows none of them can afford to fight back.