جدید اُردو غزل میں روایت شکنی اور تخلیقی امکانات

Tradition-Breaking and Creative Possibilities in Modern Urdu Ghazal

Abstract

The contemporary Urdu ghazal has evolved into a dynamic literary genre that sustains its classical legacy while actively engaging with modern intellectual and cultural realities. In the context of the twenty-first century, the ghazal is no longer limited to themes of love, beauty, and romantic longing; instead, it has broadened its scope to encompass significant social, political, cultural, and existential issues. Modern ghazal poets increasingly address concerns such as alienation, identity crises, social injustice, political instability, globalization, digital culture, and postmodern thought, thereby enriching the thematic range of the genre. Alongside this thematic expansion, the ghazal has also undergone notable stylistic transformation. While classical imagery, symbols, and metaphors continue to provide structural continuity, they are now reinterpreted through contemporary idioms, colloquial diction, narrative tones, and experimental poetic strategies. This synthesis of tradition and innovation has enabled the ghazal to remain a living and responsive form of expression. The present study explores how the contemporary Urdu ghazal negotiates continuity and change, preserving its aesthetic foundations while adapting to evolving cultural and intellectual discourses. In this way, the modern ghazal emerges as both a resilient literary tradition and a reflective medium of contemporary sensibility.