Taught by Shah Faisal Mushtaq
نہ تھا کچھ تو خدا تھا کچھ نہ ہوتا تو خدا ہوتا
ڈبویا مجھ کو ہونے نے نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا
غالب~
For over centuries, Ghazal has been one of the most loved genres of poetry. But what exactly is a Ghazal? Where did it originate? What makes the Urdu Ghazal different from other poetic genres? In this course, we will engage with these questions and delineate the fundamental structure of Urdu Ghazal. We will touch upon the basics of the Urdu poetic meter and trace the poetics of Urdu Ghazal by studying the canonical poets of Urdu. From Amir Khusrau to classical poets like Meer and Ghalib to contemporary poets like Farhat Ehsas, we will try to decipher the philosophies embedded within their Ghazals.
Also, you might be wondering about the Urdu text above. It's nothing to stress about! You will be able to come back to it by the end of the course.