Mirza Ghalib, who died on February 15, 1869, was a powerful, eloquent and erudite poet who investigated and captured life’s experiences and occurrences with capering humour in his enigmatic ghazals.

Pakistani Urdu poetry composed in the aftermath of 1947’s riots and massacres reflected shock, emotionality, and anger. But what persisted, in addition to mourning the dead and bewailing the alive, ...

The Pakistani film industry and film music have had their peak period: both flourished between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s and then both went into decline and atrophied. There has been a revival ...

For the millennials, a Jagjit Singh playlist will begin with “Koi Fariyaad” from Tum Bin. And for a generation before that, it can be “Tum Itna Jo” from Arth. The two movies might be over two decades ...

Urdu poetry is being read in Moscow and preparations are on to organize a 'Mushaira' or poetic symposium. Moscow's Institute of Oriental Studies in the Russian Academy of Sciences has published a book ...

Opening this volume of Hasan Manzar's Urdu short stories in translation triggered in me that old reflex of turning away from anything labeled 'Urdu writing.' The words 'Urdu literature', or 'Urdu ...

In his English rendering of select Urdu ghazals, short-stories and other genres, Ralph Russell opens up an appreciation of Urdu literature to a wide range of readers. When I was in primary school, ...

Arooj Aftab sparked a debate on social media after expressing her frustration over being labelled solely as a ‘Pakistani’ or ‘Urdu’ artist. Aftab, who bagged a Grammy for her song Mohabbat (Also ...

Mehdi Hassan, the Pakistani classical singer renowned for singing ghazal, a form of Urdu lyric verse, has died at age 84. He died on Wednesday in the port city of Karachi after a long illness, ...

Rehan Khan, founder, Bazme Urdu, talks about the annual event in Dubai on August 18 What’s the event about? Mehfil-e-Urdu is a gathering to celebrate Urdu, the sweetest language in the world. We will ...