Humsafar: The World of Urdu Poetry

Review

by Ankita G
published on 16 August 2024

For beginners, young or old, Hitesh Gupta Aadil's “Humsafar: The World of Urdu Poetry" is a great companion for exploring the vast and fascinating world of Urdu poetry and transcending the boundaries of literature and culture. The author directly addresses the audience throughout the book while maintaining a sense of intimacy that few other guides have. Essentially a guide for newcomers to Urdu poetry, this book lends itself to enthusiasts and those inquisitive of Urdu language and literature.

“Humsafar” is an Urdu word which means "companion." True to its name, this book acts as a friend to guide the audience through the complex world of Urdu poetry. Hitesh Gupta Aadil is an Urdu language and literature enthusiast and translator; Humsafar is his first anthology, and it was brought to fruition by love and passion over the last five years. Prior knowledge of Urdu poetry is not required for this book; in fact, it is better for the reader to be new to the topic because the book makes a profound first impression that few other anthologies have. It makes an honest attempt to make Urdu language and poetry accessible to a wide audience. It is for anyone and everyone interested in learning about this form of poetry, and it equips the reader with enough history and basics to get an idea about the art form before they dive into poets and poems.

The book explores different types of poetry, such as Ghazal, Nazm, Qatta, Rubaai, Masnavi etc. Out of the 44 chapters, 39 are dedicated to various poets like Meer Taqi Meer, Gulzar, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Javed Akhtar, Mirza Ghalib, and so on. The poets are ordered chronologically according to birth, and each chapter has a brief introduction about the poet followed by some of their poems.

The beginning chapters include an introduction to the book, the author’s process of putting it together, and a short history of Urdu language and poetry with a few flowcharts and diagrams. It also includes technical aspects, discussing the structure of the ghazal and other forms of poetry, the rules of writing, their classifications and themes, and their impact on various cultures across Eurasia. Although popularly known for romance and love, the poems also hold space for themes like humour, spirituality and religion, social issues, and the like.

The author has chosen both popular and lesser-known poets. The poems are easy to read and understand (at least the translations are). The limited amount of poems by each poet ensures the reader experiences a mixture of poets and their styles that not many other guidebooks have. The book gives just enough information succinctly that the reader is encouraged to do some further reading without being bored. As the author reiterates, the first few chapters are not imperative to enjoy the poems. However, they are a nice addition to anyone curious about the history and the technical aspects of the poems. It is a wonderful blend for history and poetry lovers alike.

The poems are first transliterated into English and then supported with English translation. In the end, the book also includes a pronunciation guide, miscellaneous terms related to Urdu literature, and notes for further reading. Footnotes are also added wherever required to explain complex Urdu words in the poems. A poem's meaning, however, is left to the reader and the author acts as a mere liaison between the poet and the reader. As a considerate addition, the author has also attached musical and performance renditions of the poems that one can watch on YouTube or listen to on Spotify. Humsafar is by no means extensive with only 40 poets and 160 poems. Yet, it is a fun and interactive guide that guarantees to pique the reader’s interest.

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