(This story was first published on 26 October 2019 and is being republished from The Quint’s archives on the occasion of Diwali.)
Hai Raam ke wajood pe Hindustaan ko naaz
Ahl-e-Nazar samajhte hain us ko Imam-e-Hind
The above couplet is from Allama Iqbal’s poem ‘Ram’. Iqbal asserts that Ram is the leader of not just one particular faith, but he paves the way for everyone to the path of spiritual success. He calls Lord Ram ‘Imam-e-Hind’ or the leader of all of Hind or Hindustan.
This Diwali, we remember Ram through the prism of our shared culture and Urdu poetry. In this special episode of Urdunama, Professor Danish Iqbal, who teaches Radio in Jamia Millia Islamia, speaks with The Quint’s Fabeha Syed about why he chose to write ‘Dastan-e-Ram’ and why this project is a lot more than just a Ramlila that's written in Urdu.
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