A WIDESPREAD misconception about letter-writing in Urdu is that Ghalib pioneered it. But the fact is Ghalib began writing letters in Urdu in late 1840s and Urdu’s earliest letter traced so far is one ...

How many letters are there in the Urdu alphabet? I wish I could answer this question in unambiguous terms. But the controversy over the total and correct number of letters in Urdu alphabet has been ...

I have surprised myself twice within six months. After working as an English language editor and writer for over two decades, I suddenly discovered the joy of writing in my mother tongue, Urdu. Then, ...

Letters are now a nostalgic pastime. The “art of letter writing”, we call it wistfully, mostly because we detest the brief, auto-prompt sentences we write today. Poet Agha Shahid Ali, in his poem ...

In 1857, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, better known by his last name, sought refuge in the art of letter-writing to express the pain and sorrow he had witnessed during the first War of Independence. A ...

Ever since the present govt announced the introduction of a Single National Curriculum in the country, the subject has become a source of debate. However, the govt seems adamant that the move will ...

he fact that the alphabet of a language could be a contentious issue may be surprising for a large number of Pakistanis, given that we seldom dive deeply into the linguistics of Urdu or other ...

An Urdu play originally written and produced in Dubai is seeking to revive the spirit and tradition of letter-writing. Mian Biwi aur Wagah (Husband, Wife and the Wagah Border) will be staged at The ...

Jashn-e-Rekhta (JeR), world’s largest and perhaps most sought-after Urdu language literary event, will showcase the popular play from the UAE, Mia Biwi Aur Wagah (MBW), in its first-ever virtual Urdu ...