A reading session will present satirical stories in Urdu

If someone mentioned"Urdu" in a word association exercise, the next word to be uttered in all likelihood would be"shayari". But, as much as the lyrical language has been the preferred medium of the romantics and the disillusioned, it has also been the home ground of satirists, who have used wordplay to launch scathing, sometimes veiled, attacks on society and the establishment, or spun humorous stories on the world around them.

Priyanka Setia and Nachiket Devasthali

Highlighting this facet of the language is the upcoming session of Urdu Readings, where under the theme Tanz-O-Mazah (satire and humour), readers will explore stories by well-known Urdu writers and social commentators including Fikar Tonsvi, Krishan Chander, Farhatulla Baig, Chaudhari Muhammad Ali Rudaulvi and Yunus Bhat. A programme conceived by Studio Tamaasha in collaboration with noted Urdu scholar and playwright, Aslam Parvez, the readers for this session are Nachiket Devasthali, Priyanka Setia and Udit Parashar.

Parvez points out that though they don't look for specific topics under one broad theme, a common idea that runs through the writings they have picked this time is the wife."As is commonly seen, the wife is often the soft target in many forms of humorous expression. Considering that feminism had not found its way to much of the writing published in the 1930s and '40s, the notion of women being confined to the domestic realm is palpable in works that reflect a mardana psyche.

But then, we also have Tonsvi's piece where he says that he cannot imagine lampooning his wife because all that he writes is derived from the strength that she gives him," he explains, likening the curatorial process to serving a thali, where the listener gets a taste of diverse offerings.

Sadia Siddiqui

About the growing number of initiatives in the city to familiarise audiences with Urdu, Parvez tells us that the young generation has great curiosity for the language even as there are many who harbour the misconception that Ismat Chughtai was among the last Urdu writers, and nobody writes in it today. He continues,"We make it a point to not dilute the language in these reading sessions. We don't simplify words, but let the audience grasp their temperament in their context. Nirmal Verma's usage of 'pahaad' [hill], after all, is very different from Munshi Premchand's."

Aslam Parvez

Parvez also stresses on the need for literary engagements in the city."Today, you can look up the name of Chicago's mayor online and get an answer in milliseconds. But, to know what's happening around you, you need to turn to literature," he sums up.

On: July 8, 7 pm to 8.30 pm
At: Studio Tamaasha, Versova, Andheri West.
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 50