Quiz A collection of interesting questions related to Urdu poetry, prose and literary history. Play Rekhta Quiz and check your knowledge about Urdu!
Compilation of top 20 hand-picked Urdu shayari on the most sought-after subjects and poets
Rekhta's online crossword puzzle - the world's first Urdu online crossword for free. Developed in collaboration with Amuse Labs, these puzzles are specially designed to improve your knowledge of Urdu language, literature, and culture. Challenge yourself with new crosswords and engage in playful learning.
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hai mushtamil numūd-e-suvar par vajūd-e-bahar
yaañ kyā dharā hai qatra o mauj-o-habāb meñ
hai mushtamil numud-e-suwar par wajud-e-bahar
yan kya dhara hai qatra o mauj-o-habab mein
from the Ghazal "kal ke liye kar aaj na KHissat sharab mein" by Mirza Ghalib
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Browse Rekhtabooks.comQuiz A collection of interesting questions related to Urdu poetry, prose and literary history. Play Rekhta Quiz and check your knowledge about Urdu!
From the very beginning, the preponderance of love has been very conspicuous in the writings of Nasir Kazmi (1923-1972). He has cited that, ‘Although love, poetry, and art have been in my blood since childhood, one or two beloveds have been quite instrumental in cultivation this taste’. Nasir fell in love for the first time at a mere age of 13 with a girl named Hamira and remembers his second love by the pseudonym Salma.
Nasir was born in Ambala but his parents had to move to Lahore due to partition where he eventually got a job in Radio Pakistan. Nasir was among the foremost who enlivened Lahore’s coffee house. There he was accompanied by literary figures such as Ahmad Mushtaq, Intizar Hussain, Jilani Kamran, etc. all of whom spent their time discussing the subtleties of Urdu language and literature.
The words that we use countless times in our everyday speech, they, too, show striking aspects about them when reflected maturely. Two such words are ‘Na’ and ‘Naa’.
guu.njtii hai tirii hasii.n aavaaz
jaise naadiida ko.ii bajtaa saaz
JAAN NISAR AKHTAR
“Naa-Diida” means that which can’t be seen, or invisible. Another word, on the same lines, is ‘Nadiida’, meaning a greedy person. Although it literally means one who has not seen- why? -because a greedy person looks at a thing in a manner as if he had never seen it before. The word ‘Naa’, when prefixed to nouns, functions as a pleonasm, and conveys negation. For example, ‘Naa-Laaiq’, ‘Naa-Khush”, etc.
Those who know the language, know it well enough as to where and how ‘Na’, ‘Naa’, and ‘Nahin’ are to be used.
Na suno gar buraa kahe koi
Na kaho gar bura kare koi
Interestingly, Javed Akhtar's famous film song "Kuchh Naa Kaho, Kuchh Bhi Naa Kaho", although written to the tune, never comes out as an oddity.
Let the purists say whatever they wish to!
In Urdu, ‘Naa’ is also used as an article of emphasis and affirmation. For instance:
Kisi buzurg ke bose ki ik nishaani hai
Humaare maathe pe thoDii sii raushnii hai naa
Wonder what’s ‘Khaama-ba-gosh’? Well, ‘Khaama’ means pen, and ‘gosh’ means ear, that is, pen-upon-ear. This interesting pen-name was adopted by Mushfiq Khawaja, an accomplished researcher, poet, and critic of Urdu literature, to write a literary column in a Karachi newspaper. These columns became very popular due to their witty and biting extracts, which were later published in the book ‘Khama-ba-gosh Ki Qalam se’. Mushfiq created an interesting character called 'Laghar Muradabadi' who spoke through Khama-ba-gosh and commented upon the works of Indo-Pak authors and poets. Having authored numerous books, Mushfiq was also famous for his personal book collection which had over 17,000 books. His house in Karachi had eleven rooms, ten of which contained books, and several people were assigned to look after them. Mushfiq Khawaja was also very fond of photography and held a collection of several cameras and hundreds of photographs.
In the Iranian romantic tale of Shereen and Farhad, Farhad, who digs a mountain with his ax to draw a canal of milk, is called "Koh-Kan", meaning the one who digs a mountain.
kaam aa.ii kohkan kii mashaqqat na ishq me.n
patthar se juu-e-shiir ke laane ne kyaa kiyaa
Mirza Rafi Sauda
This construction has made its way into Urdu from Persian. The word ‘Kan’ means a digger, and thus, a laborer digging in mine (Kaan) is called ‘Kaan-Kan’ or mine-digger. Likewise, the act of carving impressions into stone, wood, and metal is called ‘Kananda Karna’, or to engrave.
Kan also means ajar or edge. Like the idiom ‘Kan Ankhon se Dekhna’, meaning to look at from the corner of the eye.
Wo go kuchh na sunti na kahtii use
Kan aankhon se par dekh rehti use
(Meer Hasan- Masnavi Sehr-ul-Bayan)
Another Persian construction is ‘Kaar-Kun’, which is created by bringing together Kaar, meaning work in Persian, and Kun, meaning a doer, which together means one who carries out a work. Similarly, there are other such constructions like ‘Hairan-Kun’- that which astonishes, ‘Parishan-Kun’- that which disturbs or scatters, and many others.
The word ‘Afshan’ refers to golden flakes or filings that women sprinkle in the parting of their hair or foreheads as adornment. Afshan is especially graced upon, or “etched (Chuna Jaana)” into, a bride’s parting of hair. A couplet of Qamar Jalalvi’s reads:
'qamar' afshaa.n chunii hai ruKH pe us ne is saliiqe se
sitaare aasmaa.n se dekhne ko aa.e jaate hai.n
In Urdu, the word Afshan is also used as a suffix in the sense of sprinkling, shedding, or scattering. Girls are commonly named "Mehr Afshan" (She who spreads love) and “Noor Afshan”. In couplets, we see the heavens scattering dew (Shabnam-Afshani) on somebody’s grave, or someone shedding flowers (Gul-Afshani) from their eloquent conversation. Like Ghalib, in this following couplet:
phir dekhiye andaaz-e-gul-afshaanii-e-guftaar
rakh de ko.ii paimaana-e-sahbaa mere aage
In Urdu, another idiom is present for the expression ‘gul-afshaanii-e-guftaar’, namely ‘Phuul JhaDna’. A famous verse by Ahmad Faraz reads:
sunaa hai bole to baato.n se phuul jha.Dte hai.n
ye baat hai to chalo baat kar ke dekhte hai.n
Another Urdu word ‘Ifsha’, means to reveal a secret. In thousands of Urdu couplets, the secret of love is revealed through eyes. Also, interrogation done by the police to solve a crime is called ‘Taftish Karna’.
One of the founders of Urdu literary criticism, great historian, religious scholar, political thinker and poet famous for his work on Persian poetry Sher-ul-Ajam.
pūchhte kyā ho jo hāl-e-shab-e-tanhā.ī thā
ruḳhsat-e-sabr thī yā tark-e-shakebā.ī thā
puchhte kya ho jo haal-e-shab-e-tanhai tha
ruKHsat-e-sabr thi ya tark-e-shakebai tha
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