Talking Poetry and Pakistan

Commonwealth Poetry Podcast

In this episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth are at the Riverside Studios in London meeting Urdu poet Dr Javaid Sheikh and his daughter Fatima. Describing Pakistan in just a minute, both Javaid and Fatima talk about Pakistan as it was when Dr Sheikh was growing up, and Pakistan for them both today. Discussing differing styles of poetry in Pakistan and hearing Urdu poems written by Dr Sheikh himself, and romantic Urdu poetry by the award winning poet Iftikhar Arif. Fatima also reads us two poems by the award winning poet, a pioneer in feminist poetry, Kishwar Naheed.

Poems in this episode include: A Strange Wish by Javaid Sheikh; The Grass is Like Me by Kishwar Naheed; A love Poem by Iftikhar Arif; Ghazal by Iftikhar Arif (translated by Ralph Russell) and The Auction House by Kishwar Naheed.