‘Qurbaten’ – An Antidote to Loneliness When ‘Vasl’ Fails

Tune in to find out how qurbaten are different from poet’s ultimate fantasy - vasl.

(Image: The Quint/Erum Gour)

Host, Writer and Sound Designer: Fabeha Syed
Editor: Shelly Walia
Music: Big Bang Fuzz

The biggest tragedy for a poet is the absence of his lover in his life. That's why just the thought of a possibility of never-ending meetings with his beloved brings him a lot of relief. All he wishes, in his life, is to have nearness or qurbaten with his mehboob.

For example, this sher does not have the word qurbat, but the poet wishes to get closer to his mehboob; Shakeel Badayuni writes:

kaise kah duuñ ki mulāqāt nahīñ hotī hai
roz milte haiñ magar baat nahīñ hotī hai

The poet is complaining that he is not denying meeting his lover, it's just they don't exchange any greetings or speak to each other even though they meet daily.

In this episode of Urdunama, we explain the meaning and context in which poets have used the word qurbaten. We also understand how another Urdu word, vasl – which refers to minimising the distance between the lovers – is different from the nearness or qurbaten that we are talking about.

Tune in.