Why are poets endlessly drawn to the imagery of the desert, wilderness, emptiness, and the forsaken?
In this podcast, Afeef Seraj and Babar Imam explore the deeper world behind the iconic Urdu motifs: bayabaan, viiraana, sehra, and dasht.

From Mir’s haunting desolation to Ghalib’s philosophical wilderness, from Iqbal’s desert of quest to Jigar’s luminous emptiness, each poet uses these landscapes to express solitude, longing, rebellion, and self-discovery.

This conversation is not just literary analysis, it is an inner journey through silence, vastness, memory, and the human condition.

If you love Urdu poetry, symbolism, or reflections on the soul’s wilderness, this episode is for you, where the desert tells a story.

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Babar Imam and Afeef Seraj unpack how Meer, Ghalib and Faiz blends memory, loss and devotion into a single striking metaphor. From the return of forgotten sorrows to the imagery of Kaaba and the vanished sanam, we look at how these poets reshaped the emotional vocabulary of Urdu poetry.

A must-listen for lovers of Meer, Ghalib, Faiz and other poets.

When the heart becomes a mirror, every couplet becomes a revelation.In this special episode of The Mirror Podcast by Radio Urdu Babar Imam and Afeef Seraj dive into the magical world of the aaina in Urdu poetry.

From Ghalib’s cosmic reflections to Mir’s bewildered lovers, from Iqbal’s philosophy of a “shikasta aaina” to Jigar’s storm-struck heart — every couplet hides a universe behind a sheet of glass.

We unpack iconic verses like:

• “Dil ke aaine mein hai tasveer-e-yaar…”
• “Zah-e-zauq-e-husn-e-tasavvur ke un se…”
• “Tu bacha bacha ke na rakh ise, tera aaina hai…”
• “Ek dil hai aur toofan-e-hawaadis…”

Why does the mirror fascinate poets?

What happens when beauty meets reflection?

Is the heart a mirror, or a fragile piece of glass?

Join us as we explore aaina as metaphor, symbol, philosophy and emotion across centuries of Urdu poetry — with humour, depth and a few surprising interpretations along the way.

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