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Friday, February 20, 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 can sell its vision, but it can’t spectacle its way to AI power

The challenge of translating the AI wave into livelihoods is a bigger governing test for PM Modi than collecting selfies with Silicon Valley’s elite.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Embraer moves full throttle in pursuit of IAF contract, ties up with Hindalco after Adani

IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.

The new Great Game—Trump’s playing for time, China for leverage & India for wiggle room

This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.