More Than Sad Songs -The Art of The Ghazal

What do you get when you mix poetry, heartbreak, and dosa? A delicious deep dive into the world of the ghazal!

Often mistaken for sad Urdu songs, ghazals are actually centuries-old poetic forms with roots in Arabic and Persian traditions. This episode explores how ghazals evolved from expressions of flirtation and divine longing into intricate verse structures that travelled across languages and continents.

The hosts break down the anatomy of a ghazal — from the matla (opening couplet) to the makta (closing couplet) and the poet’s takhallus (pen name). A playful group composition about dosa and sambar becomes the perfect entry point into understanding the radif and qafiya that give ghazals their lyrical rhythm.

Listeners are also treated to the story of how Sufi mystics like Rumi and Hafiz used ghazals as spiritual messages, and ...