The new book looks deep into the intricate relationship between Urdu poetry and the role of this poetry in challenging Hindutva’s promotion of homogeneity. It attempts to trace how poetry becomes the most powerful medium for resistance and cultural expression in the face of ideological pressure by taking a close examination of Urdu verses.
This Urdu, a language drenched in poetry, had earlier played the role of a medium for varied regional cultural identities and orientations in the Indian subcontinent. Moved by the stirrings in the backdrop of Hindutva ideology, which laid special emphasis on a Hindu nationalist program coupled with an insistence on cultural homogenization, Urdu poetry has, since the last decade or so, emerged as a great counter-narrative.
It is a book that surveys how Urdu poetry has been used by Urdu poets to question and resist the dominant discourses foisted by Hindutva forces. While celebrating pluralism, secularism, and the multiplicity of cultural traditions, Urdu poetry questions the enforced singular identity in a diverse and multi-dimensional society.
The book subtly probes into the analysis and literary research on Urdu poetry for its subversive power in hazarding hegemonic ideologies and eliciting a deeper understanding of the complex tapestry of Indian societal culture. It underlines the resilience of Urdu as a language of resistance and creativity that bursts through the boundaries of politics and ideological persuasions.
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The book relocates Urdu poetry within the larger canvas of socio-political movements and cultural transformations underway in contemporary India. Herein, one finds how poets grapple with issues of selfhood, nationalism, communalism, and social justice through poetic articulations that configure alternative visions of inclusivity and solidarity.
The thematic and stylistic dimensions of the Urdu verses open up better perspectives on how literature can engage in the shaping of public discourse against ruling ideologies. Art indeed plays a major role in the cultivation of empathy, dialogue, and critical engagement where ideological polarization and cultural conflict come into play.
This new book about Urdu poetry and the homogeneity of Hindutva ultimately adds to an even greater depth of understanding concerning the dynamic interplay among language, culture, and politics in contemporary India. The present work celebrates the resilience of Urdu as a cultural heritage and underlines its capacity to reveal moments of resistance, creativity, and collective action taken in defense against pluralism and democratic values.
