Urdunama Podcast: 'Nadarad', or When Something Missing Doesn’t Quite Leave

In Urdu, 'nadarad' means 'ghayab', when something is absent or is missing. Until you see how it’s used in poetry.

In Urdu, 'nadarad' means 'ghayab', when something is absent, has disappeared or is missing. Until you see how it’s used in poetry.

(Photo: The Quint)

In Urdu, 'nadarad' means 'ghayab', when something is absent, has disappeared or is missing. Until you see how it’s used in poetry.

It’s usually not just about something being gone. It’s about something that should have been there but is not.  A person who didn’t show up. A message that never came. A moment that didn’t happen the way you thought it would, and has left you with an overwhelming need for closure. 

That’s why the word has many layers to it and poets like Momin Khan Momin and Mirza Ghalib have talked about 'absence' in their ashar without necessarily using the word itself. Because nadarad isn’t just about what’s missing, but it’s about what stays behind, even after it’s gone. Tune in.