Urdu Poetry And the Strength of Our Choices – Our ‘Intikhab’

Urdunama Podcast | What life choices, or ‘intikhab’, are you making today?

Tune in to this episode of Urdunama, where Fabeha Syed not only explains Mir’s ashar, but also explains various contexts – from political to personal – in which the word Intikhab has been used by the poets.

Photo: The Quint

Intikhab means ‘election’ or ‘selection’. Many Urdu poets have written about their intikhab of something when they are faced with tough choices. Mostly, it’s when they hold someone or something, like a memory, in high regard.

For example, Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir, who shifted to Lucknow after Ahmad Shah Abdali’s invasion of Delhi, reminisces about his beloved city by calling it ‘the chosen in the world for the nobility’. Mir writes:

Dilli jo ek sheher tha aalam mein intekhab
Rehte thhe jahan muntakhib hi rozgar ke

Tune in to this episode of Urdunama, where Fabeha Syed not only explains Mir’s above ashar, but also explains various contexts – from political to personal – in which the word Intikhab has been used by the poets.