Urdu Poetry

Learn about the origins of one of the world’s richest languages and its incredibly rich poetic tradition. Hear some of the most famous Urdu poems written by Sauda, Mir, Momin, Zafar, Zauq and Ghalib. Hear the original Urdu with translation and then the poems, ghazals sung by Begum Akhtar, Mehdi Hassan, Mahendra Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi. The program concludes with a rousing rendition in Qawwali style by the Sabri Brothers singing Iqbal’s spiritual masterpiece, “Tu rah naward-e shauq hai. Manzil na kar Qabool.” (You are a traveller/seeker on the road of love/divine knowledge. Don’t abandon your quest.) This special program was hosted and produced by David Barsamian as part of his Four Quarters program on KGNU.