So You Want to Write Urdu Poetry? US Academic on Anatomy of Ghazals

The Oxford University Press hosted an incisive and analytical talk, titled, “So you want to write Urdu poetry? A vocal dissection of Urdu verse”. The speaker was Dr Nomanul Haq, Resident Scholar at the American Institute of Pakistan Studies and a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Sounding an optimistic note, he said, “Despite all the moaning about the decline of Urdu and culture, the art of Ghazal is very much alive. ” Going deeper into the anatomy of Urdu poetry, he dwelt upon the role of pronunciation and intonation.