The Allure of Aligarh: A Poetic Journey into the University City

Urdu and Aligarh are a match made in heaven every corner of Aligarh boasts of its centuries-old history. Apart from its culture and Convention it has also been the home base for some of the greatest poets the Indian subcontinent has ever produced. While the city does not have any monuments or tombs to exhaust you on your next visit what it does have is that old-world charm whose ambience will consume you and break all the clichés of how you perceive a city’s history. You will realise that Aligarh is a character that you need to live up to and its quirky nature will bind you and yet allow you to be free. Its distinctive intimate majestic and discernible spirit has an emotional point of reference rather than a topographical one. It carries a simplicity that you will not just find anywhere. Be it the old and the new or Science and poetry Aligarh is where the Union of such contradictions transpire. But it is the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) that put the city on the world map. From witnessing historic movements to bringing poetic brilliance of its culture every inhabitant of Aligarh wears amu’s badge with pride. Several poets have expressed their unending love for she’r-o-shayari and honed their art within the walls of this majestic University. The alumni carry the love and respect for its institution and the City both of which stand as a backbone of their creative journey. Aligarh will blossom a sense of nostalgia... It will happen to you. You are bound to immerse yourself in the compendium of this timeless city. About the Author An alumna of the Aligarh Muslim University where she studied English Literature Huma Khalil is an author translator and the editor of Bazm-e-Adab-an Urdu magazine wherein women writers contribute from around the globe. She regularly translates short stories and articles from Urdu into English for several publications. Her latest work Many Summers Apart: Gems from Contemporary Urdu Literature is the transcreation from Urdu to English of her father Khalil-ur-Rahman Azmi’s seminal volume on the progressives Urdu Mein Taraqqi Pasand Adabi Tehreek. A member of the advisory board of Rekhta the largest online website for Urdu language and literature Huma is currently writing and creating content for audiovisual media on the life of Urdu poets.