Ghalib Lived Next Door: Iqbal Ashhar on Urdu, Poetry & AI | Rekhta Room S1E6

What happens when solitude becomes not loneliness, but a space for poetry?In this episode of Rekhta Room, poet Qamar Abbas Qamar joins Faisal Fehmi for an intimate conversation about language, solitude, memory and the mysterious ways in which a sher arrives.Qamar grew up in Ghosi, Mau, surrounded by Bhojpuri and Awadhi rather than Urdu. His relationship with Urdu began at home and through the Azaai tehzeeb of majlises, where he listened to marsiya, noha, salaam and manqabat from childhood. Long before he began writing, these traditions gave him an instinctive ear for the rhythm and rawani of the language.From studying at Madrasa Husainia to choosing Persian at Shia College, Lucknow, Qamar traces the influences that shaped his literary journey. He remembers discovering ghazals through radio and the voices of Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hassan, before attempting his first lines around 2007.But at the heart of this conversation is his relationship with solitude.Every night, Qamar puts his phone away for an hour. It is his time for ehtesaab. To think about the people he has met, the people he has lost, and the life he has lived. Somewhere in that silence, poetry often finds him.He also opens up about aamad and aavard, recalling how a misra once arrived unexpectedly during a crowded metro journey. He reflects on what makes a sher stay with us, why love never really disappeared from poetry, and turns to Faiz Ahmed Faiz's "Raqeeb Se" to explain how love can simply change its form.There is also the story behind the two Qamars in his name, a rapid-fire journey through Jaun Elia, Parveen Shakir, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Momin, Mir, Noon Meem Rashid and Ahmad Faraz, and the poet from history he would most like to befriend. Mirza Ghalib.The episode closes, as it should, with Qamar Abbas Qamar reading one of his own ghazals.

What happens when philosophy finds its way into a ghazal?In Episode 7 of Rekhta Room, poet Ashu Mishra sits down with Faisal Fehmi to talk about his unusual journey from computer science and a gold medal in philosophy to writing Urdu poetry.Ashu traces his love for literature back to his school years, discovering Premchand, Renu and Agyeya on his journalist uncle’s bookshelf. He began writing in Hindi before finding his way to the Urdu ghazal around 2016.The conversation moves naturally between poetry and philosophy, creativity and craft, social media and the temptation to write for views. Ashu also challenges the romantic idea of aamad, arguing that a sher is not simply a divine gift. It grows from everything a poet has read, experienced and quietly absorbed.There are conversations about Dostoevsky and Premchand, Shoojit Sircar and Vishal Bhardwaj, the importance of chanchalpan in poetry, and what makes the great poets unforgettable.And before the episode ends, Ashu Mishra does what he does best. He recites one of his own ghazals.Rekhta Room is an intimate podcast from Rekhta Foundation, bringing together poets, writers, artists and new voices for unhurried conversations about Urdu, creativity, life and the stories behind their work.

What happens when you grow up walking the same streets as Ghalib, Momin and Mir Dard?Poet Iqbal Ashhar joins Faisal Fehmi for a fascinating conversation about growing up in Old Delhi, the beauty of correct Urdu diction, and how a ghazal truly comes to a poet.He breaks down aamad vs aavard, explains why rhythm and sound are at the heart of Urdu poetry, and asks a timely question: Can AI master the rules of poetry but still miss its soul?From Ghalib and Nasir Kazmi to Jaun Elia, Faraz and Parveen Shakir, the conversation moves through generations of Urdu greats before ending with a special reading from Ashhar’s Udaas Rehne Lage.Rekhta Room. Where Urdu finds its voice, one conversation at a time.

Imagine growing up with poets like Rahat Indori and Waseem Barelvi dropping by your home.For Hina Rizvi, that was part of growing up in Lucknow. But her own poetry stayed hidden in private diaries for years.In this episode of Rekhta Room, Hina joins Faisal Fehmi to talk about finding the confidence to step onto the mushaira stage, the support that changed her journey, women finding space in poetry, and how social media is reshaping modern adab.Plus, Hina shares the influences behind her writing and closes the episode with a special ghazal recitation.From private pages to a public voice. This is Hina Rizvi’s story.

Can AI help poets write better, or is it taking the soul out of poetry?In Episode 4 of Rekhta Room, young poet and IT professional Yasir Khan Inam joins Faisal Fehmi to discuss his journey from Bulandshahr to Delhi, the influence of Sahir Ludhianvi, and why behr remains central to Urdu poetry.He also shares his perspective on ChatGPT, social media reels, self-editing and the future of shayari. The episode ends with a rapid-fire round and a special ghazal recitation, including “Yeh Aansu Toh Tumhare Baad Aaye.”

Azhar Nawaz never formally learnt the meter of poetry. He discovered its rhythm by singing ghazals as a boy.In Episode 3 of Rekhta Room Season 1, the young poet joins Faisal Fehmi to revisit his journey from Anjan Shaheed, a village in Azamgarh, to studying English Literature at Jamia Millia Islamia and completing his PhD at Aligarh Muslim University.Growing up in a home filled with Urdu and poetry, Azhar initially wanted to become a singer. Encouraged by his father to recite ghazals in tarannum, he developed a natural understanding of behar long before writing his own couplets.Azhar also opens up about his creative process. He does not wait for inspiration to strike. Instead, he observes paradoxes in everyday life, notes them down, and patiently shapes them into poetry.The conversation moves through his love for sketching, painting, music, mystery thrillers, and Korean and Japanese cinema. It concludes with a lively rapid-fire round on legendary poets and a memorable recitation featuring his celebrated couplet on Qissa-e-Taakhir, the story of delay.

Areeb Usmani was building a career as a professional fast bowler when a serious ligament injury brought everything to an abrupt end. In the silence that followed, he found poetry.In this episode of Rekhta Room, Areeb joins Faisal Fehmi to talk about growing up in Mau and Azamgarh, the literary influences within his family, and the years he spent playing cricket in Lucknow and Mumbai.He recalls moving to Aligarh, discovering a community of writers at AMU, and gradually finding his own poetic voice. He also shares the amusing story of mistaking Jaun Elia for John Donne, reflects on reading more than 80 novels during lockdown, and speaks candidly about the effect of social media on contemporary poetry.The conversation moves through cricket, loss, prose, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and the friendships that shaped him, before concluding with a moving recitation of his poetry.Rekhta Room, Season 1, Episode 2. Featuring Areeb Usmani.Presented by Rekhta Foundation.

Does heartbreak really make a poet? For Varun Anand, poetry arrived much earlier.In the first episode of Rekhta Room, hosted by Faisal Fehmi, Varun Anand traces his journey from Yamunanagar and Ludhiana to the world of Urdu poetry. As the eldest son of a family facing financial hardship, he left school early and began working at a young age. It was while listening to Jagjit Singh on the radio that he discovered the poets behind the ghazals, including Bashir Badr, Nida Fazli and Qateel Shifai, and began writing himself.Varun speaks candidly about stepping away from poetry after his mother’s death, the person who brought him back, and the discipline behind writing a technically sound ghazal. He explains the importance of behr, why aamad may offer only the first line, and how the rest must be shaped through labour and craft.From writing amid the roar of garment factory machines to reflecting on social media, literary gatherings and his creative process, this is an honest conversation about language, loss and perseverance.The episode closes with Varun Anand reciting his celebrated ghazal, “Lahu Lagta Hai.”Rekhta Room is presented by Rekhta Foundation, the world’s largest platform for Urdu language and literature.

Experience the Dubai Grand Mushaira 2024 from Jashn-e-Rekhta, featuring Javed Akhtar, Zehra Nigah, Tehzeeb Hafi, Shakeel Azmi, Abbas Tabish, Farhat Ehsas, Anwar Shaoor, Khalid Irfan, Asim Wasti, Manish Shukla and more.Presided over by the legendary Zehra Nigah and hosted by Ambreen Haseeb Amber, this special mehfil brings together some of the most celebrated voices of Urdu poetry. From ghazals on love, longing and relationships to nazms on society, cinema, memory, mothers, loneliness and satire, each poet brings a distinct mood to the stage.Listen to Tehzeeb Hafi’s contemporary shayari, Javed Akhtar’s reflections on time and silence, Shakeel Azmi’s moving tribute to unsung film workers, Abbas Tabish’s unforgettable poetry on mothers, and Zehra Nigah’s iconic Jungle Ka Kanoon.A must-listen for lovers of Urdu shayari, ghazal, mushaira, Rekhta, Jashn-e-Rekhta and timeless poetry.

Javed Akhtar and Pervaiz Alam come together at Jashn-e-Rekhta for a sharp, necessary conversation on the Urdu script debate, Rasm-ul-Khat, and the relationship between Hindi and Urdu.Javed Akhtar begins with a clear argument. There is no problem with the Urdu script. The real confusion lies in mixing up script with language. Through examples from Punjabi, English, French and German, he explains how grammar, not script, defines a language. He also challenges the idea that Urdu is foreign or belongs to one religion, while reflecting on Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam, everyday Hindustani vocabulary, Bollywood’s shrinking language, and the class snobbery around speaking one’s own language well.The conversation also looks at Nastaliq, Devanagari and Roman scripts, the role of Rekhta in digital preservation, and the danger of losing access to literary heritage. The session closes with Javed Akhtar reciting his nazm “Zindagi.”