{"id":5989,"date":"2020-09-16T14:02:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T14:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daastan.com\/blog\/?p=5989"},"modified":"2020-09-16T14:10:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T14:10:10","slug":"is-urdu-poetry-a-dying-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daastan.com\/blog\/is-urdu-poetry-a-dying-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Urdu Poetry a Dying Art?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poetry<\/em> has always been the beauty of Urdu Language. Up until a few decades ago, Poetry was a very common<\/em> form of expression. Urdu Poetry has even played a pivotal role in gaining Independence for Pakistan. Traditionally, Urdu language was the language of communication<\/em> between various groups of people who invaded and settled in the sub-continent. As the language matured and British came to India, Urdu started to be associated with muslims<\/em>. Urdu Poetry specifically, offered a very strong sense of identity for the muslim independence fighters.<\/p>\n

Is Urdu Poetry Experiencing A ‘Tawaquf’?<\/h2>\n

Daastan<\/a> recently conducted a Live Session with our Author Mr Saeed Ul Hassan<\/a>. Saeed’s book is a collection of Urdu poetry that he published during quarantine. The book is titled Tawaquf and as Saeed explains, It depicts the long awaited<\/em> Tawaquf that we all needed in our lives. We were joined by two very special guests who are also close friends of Saeed, Dr. Afshan Huma<\/em> and Mr Arshed Bhatti.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our Guests<\/h2>\n

Dr. Afshan Huma<\/a> is the Head of the Department of Educational Planning Policy Studies and Leadership<\/em> at Allama Iqbal Open University<\/a>. She is a Specialist of Curriculum and Policy Analysis<\/em>. Dr Huma has been working in the field of education since 1998<\/strong>. Her major focus is on inclusion<\/em> of local voices in curriculum <\/em>and public policy<\/em>. Dr Huma also writes blogs at Dunya Pakistan<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr <\/a>Arshed Bhatti<\/a> is a writer <\/em>and broadcaster.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>He has written poetry, prose, satire<\/em>, and songs<\/em> in English, Urdu and Punjabi.\u00a0<\/span>Currently, he is building a web-based media platform Punjabi Talkies, and presents a soft-satire show Punj Mint<\/a> on YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n

We were also joined by our CEO Mr. Ommer Amer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Art of Today<\/h2>\n

Both Dr Huma <\/em>and Mr. Arshed Bhatti<\/em> claimed that Urdu Poetry has not<\/em> died. In fact, Art has only changed its shape <\/em>and form<\/em>. Dr. Huma shared her experience of interacting with students. She explained how the younger generation has so much talent and potential, it is only that their way of expressing<\/em> it has changed. The art of today sees no boundaries. Artists today combine all mediums and produce wonderful content.<\/p>\n

Mr. Arshed Bhatti further added to that by highlighting the role of Parents<\/em> and children’s primary socialisation. Children need to be promoted to explore their potential. According to him, encouragement in childhood is like oxygen for a plant<\/em>. The more it receives the better it grows.<\/p>\n

We further discussed Saeed’s own inspiration for writing and why he chose Urdu poetry<\/em> to be his first published work. Saeed shared his journey as a writer and how he tries his best to pass on this curiosity in his daughters. Here is the full video of the Live in case you missed it:<\/p>\n

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