In this session, we will take a look at two very different examples of writing about आधुनिक प्रेम, i.e. ‘modern love’. The first is a collection of ‘micro-fiction’ (very short stories, each only a few sentences long) by the prominent Hindi television journalist Ravish Kumar, इश्क़ में शहर होना  (To Be a City in Love). The second is a poem by a famous Urdu poet of Pakistan, Fahmida Riaz, called लाओ, हाथ अपना लोओ ज़रा (Bring, Please Bring Your Hand).

Ravish Kumar 38-

अादत- manners

मजबूर- to compel

उजाल- light

झाँका करना- to peep/peer/look up

रट रहना- to learn, to memorize

हसीना- beautiful

Ravish Kumar 39-

This section is about two friends who say that they’re just friends, but they actually start meeting in secret. They’re students at Delhi University.

बहाने- excuses

उभर अाना- to emerge

ढूँढ़ना- to search

 

Fahmida Riyaz pg 1:

धड़कना- beating

चारागर- cure

तन- body

हथेली- palm

लब- lip

सींचना- to water, irrigate

जड़ना- to incase, interpose, set, embed

 

Fahmida Riyaz, Pg 2:

(There is a glossary after the poem in the text, but I’m providing here a guide to additional difficult words that are not glossed)

कांपते – trembling

या/ता – यह/वह

अनमिट – opposite of मिटना, unallayed, undestroyed

ज़ीस्त – जीवन

तरसना – to long for, suffer

पेमबर – पेगमबर – prophet

फ़रिश्ते – angels; prophets

डालियाँ – branches

ख़ाक – dust

हुसन – हुस्न – beauty; excellence

नेकी – goodness